AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Waikato Independent, Volume V, Issue 323, 12 January 1907, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

FIEE ON THE MANUKA. [by ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COPYRIGHT.] ’' (PER PRESS ASSOCIATION) ; 1 (Received January 12, 12.25 a.in.) ,:j Sydney, January 11, -•] On Wednesday evening a fire de-.;; stroyed No. 5 hold on the steamer’* Manuka. The stewardess noticed ?■ heat coining from the ventilator, and 3 a fire was found in a shipment of t flax. Water was poured into' theU hold till the cargo was, covered, and\| by six o’clock on Thursday morning Y the fire was extinguished. The water found its way into the mail % room and wet the mails and .passengers’ luggage. There was no alarm felt aboard. ’

WILLIAMSON TAKING A SPELL.

Sydney, January 11. Mr J. C. Williamson, the wellknown theatrical entrepeneur/ stated in an interview, that after a long and strenuous life he bad earned a rest, but he had no intention of retiring until the present partnership, which had several years’to run, had terminated.

NEWCASTLE COAL. Received January 12, 10.1 a.m.) ( Sydney, January 12. ’ The coal exported from Newcastle last year totalled over 4,000,000 tons.

TRAWLING EXPERIMENTS.. Melbourne, January 12. '■ A New Zealand resident has offered the Commonwealth Government, for sale or hirei, two trawlers for the: purpose of conducting experiments inAustralian waters.

NEW HEBRIDES. Melbourne, January 12. The publication of the New Hebrides despatches shows that Mr Deakin, even while the conventiohwas being drafted, urged an attempt should be made to secure the consent of Prance to British annexation.