AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 9015, 28 December 1907, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

ARRIVAL OF ATHENIC AT HOBART. Received December 27, 10.21 p.m. HUBART, December 27. The Athenic brought fifteen passengers for Australia, and 700 for New Zealand. THE MINIMUM OF CLOTHING. WHEN IS A DOLL FULLDRESSED. OFFICIAL DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. - *■■■ Received December 27, 10.40 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 27. Some friction exists between importers and the Customs authorities as to what is the minimum clothing a respectable doll must wear in order to come in at 10 per cent, less duty than her more elaborstely-attired sister. The State Customs officers had a very loose .idea about dress, and wished to charge a higher duty on the scantiest attire. The Customs people have now backed down from the position taken up—namely, that k shirt constituted full dres. PENSION QUESTION. SETTLING ON THE >LA,ND. Received December 27, 10.10 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 27. About 1,400 men in the railway service, entitled to retire on pensions at the age of sixty, have started a movement to secure for those of their number who desire to settle on the land permission from the Government to allow them to retire at fifty. The average pension at that age would be about £7O a year. They argue that the younger men could do their work, and effect a saving to the State, while the State would be benefited by their settling on the land. HEAT IN MELBOURNE. 105 IN THE SHADE.Received December 27, 10.7 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 27. On Christmas Day tho temperature reached 105 degrees in the shade, and that heat was maintained till noon of Boxing Day, when a cool change set in. TASMANIAN CABLES. A PROPOSAL TO PURCHASE. [ Received December 27,' 10.10 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 27. The Federal Government proposed to purchase the Tasmanian cables from the Eastern Extension Company, but made it a condition that the Company should raise the cables within a specified time for inspection. The company applied for an extension of time, but the Postmas-ter-General refuses to grant it.

FLOODS IN-QUEENSLAND. . DAMAGE TO RAILWAY. Received December 28, 12.57 a.m. BRISBANE, December 27. Nine and a half inches of rain has fallen at Cloncurry since December 15th. The country is flooded, and considerable damage has been done to the new railway. ATTEMPT TO DERAIL A TRAIN. AN ARREST. Received December |27, 10.16 a.m. MELBOURNE, December 27. Mackley, a farm labourer, has been arrested on a charge of attempting to derail the Adelaide express at Horsham on December 14th. (Five sleepers were placed on the line, but the engine cut through the ' obstruction).