AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5699, 19 October 1896, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[Per Press Association.] SYDNEY, Oct. 18 THE LABOUR PARTY. The opening of the new Labour Club, which, by the way, is another sign of the revival of the Labour Union movement, gave Mr M'Gowan, leader of i the Parliamentary Labour Party, an opportunity of reviewing the position and achievements of the party. Referring to complaints of the outside workers against the parliamentary representatives, he said that they had made mistakes, but, on the whole, he considered that they had done their work. The greatest fault of the party was that it was numerically too weak. Had it been strong enough it could have introduced many more reforms. Ifc was not strong enough to oust the Government without putting one as bad or worse in its place, but it was a fact that principles scorned five years ago were incorporated in the .Stattxte Book, and men now on the top of politics were wearing the clothes of labour. In 1891, as they, could not form a Government, they had to make a choice between two evils. The labour members recognised that between protection and freetrade it was a case of Codlin or Short. One favoured monopolists abroad, the other monopolists at home, and to neither could the party look with any hope. MELBOURNE, Oct. 18. THE STAY HEBRIDES. Sir James Service, who, both as Premier and private citizen, took strong interest in trying to secure the New Hebrides as a British possession, strongly resents the action of the Presbyterian body in displacing the trading steamers by vessels of their own. He unburdened himself in a letfcev to the Press, in which he says that he is getting weary in well doing, so far as the New Hebrides are concerned. He continues: "The action of the Presbyterian Church authorities in respect to the new steamer is so manifestly injurious to — I say at once destructive of — the object for which I and others have so long been fighting that I have made up my mind to leave the question to be settled as it may. lam never tired of fighting my opponents, but it is a different thing entirely when our enemies are of our own household. When the clergy see the tricolour floating over the islands and find themselves 'shunted out of that,' as in Madagascar, they will perhaps find out" that n pinch of worldly wisdom is not a bad ingredient to mingle with missionary enterprise." LORD ROSEBERY's POLICY. As a prominent member of the Liberal • Party and a Gladstonian disciple, Lord Brassey's opinion of Lord Rosebery's resignation of the Liberal leadership is interesting. Speaking at a banquet at Mildura he diversified his irrigation address with an important reference to the Turkish complications, lie expressed the wannest approval of Lord Rosebery's attitude on the Eastern question, and was convinced that Lord Rosebery, considering his years, evinced the highest qualities of i statesmanship. Undoubtedly he ■ was taking the right course in acting as he did. While he (Lord Brassey) would yield to no man, in his desire to put down oppression, still he recognised that, if England took single-handed action now, it would probably involve a single-handed war with the united European Powers over concerns which affected England, but not more than they affected other Powers. He felt satisfied that the Salisbury Government was quite competent to protect the interests of Europe. - • ADELAIDE, Oct. 16. DROUGHT. In connection with the drought in the northern pastoral districts, a peculiar statement has been made by the manager of Leigh's Creek station, who forwarded to Adelaide a quantity of bones, which, he alleges, were taken from the stomach of a sheep killed by one of his men a few days ago. He says that this will give an idea of the state of the drought in the far north, when sheep have lived on dead rabbits. He adds that it is the severest drought ever known. The station lost all the lambs last season, and it is getting too late to expect any next. Nearly all the breeding ewes are dead. The number of sheep shorn last year was 26,000 below what was expected.