AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXI, Issue XVI, 17 October 1903, Page 23

AUSTRALIA.

Sir Malcolm McEachern has been elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne. It is expected that the Federal elections will lie held in December.

The finger-print system of identification of criminals is being introduced in New South Wales.

At the Sydney cycling carnival Morgan won the half-mile championship in Im 20s, and the international mile in 2m 15 2-ss.

A child has died of the plague at lownsrille. Infected rats were recently found on the premises in which the patient contracted tta disease-

The New South Wales railway authorities, in anticipation of a heavy harvest, have provided 1500 additional 'trucks, 50 engines, and increased the capacity of the grain sheds in the city and country by 800.000 bags.

The Victorian State Governor at the meetin of the Health Society, referring to the general indifference to and ignorance of health matters, said that if as much pains were bestowed on human beings as on racehorses, then in a pure climate like that of Victoria we ought to produce the finest race in the world. COLONIAL SUGAR COMPANY. The Colonial Sugar Company proposes to increase its capital to three millions bv the issue of 44.800 new shares at £2O. INTER-STATE DUTIES. October 6th was the last day on which duties will be collected between ths States, except in the case of West Australia. which, underaspecial clause of the Constitution, may impose duties on a gradually diminishing scale for five years. The duties of that State must now be reduced by one-fifth. FEDERAL CAPITAL SITE. After a lengthy discussion of the representatives on the merits of the various sites suggested, the House proceeded to ballot for the capital site to be inserted in the Federal Sites Bill. The final vote gave—Tumut 36 and Lyndhurst 25. The result was quietly received. [Tumut is a small post and telegraph town in the upper reaches of the Murrumbidgee to the south of New South Wales.] A VICTORIAN LOAN. The flota-tion of the Victorian conversion loan is officially announced in London. Bondholders will be offered for a period of about three weeks the choice, firstly, of taking £ 108 of 34 per cent, stock, redeemable from 1929 to 1949, for every £lOO of existing debentures, the holders retaining the coupon due in January, 1904. The new stock will carry interest from October 1. and will have a sinking fund of 1 per cent. Alternately, they will be offered 4 per cent, treasury bills, repayable in July, 1906, and 25/ cash, with the option to the holders of bills to convert into £ 104 of 3J per cent, stock up to December 31, 1905, with one month’s coupon on bills payable on July 1, 1904. It is Messrs. Nivison and Company who have arranged the scheme, and have practically completed the underwriting of the loan. The underwriters’ commission is to be 1 per cent.