THE COMMONWEALTH.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16164, 19 March 1918, Page 8

THE COMMONWEALTH.

THE MYSTERIOUS DISEASE. (By Cable—Press Association —Copyright.) BROKEN HILL. March 18. Owing to a doctor attributing the X disease to. the bloom_ on unripe frnit, residents of the district have largely stopped eating; fruit. Crops are being allowed to rot on the trees and growers are heavy losers. The majority of the doctors discredit the theory, the bulk of expert opinion being that the diseaso is closely allied to infantile paralysis. COST OF THE STRIKE. : SYDNEY, March 18. The official statement of .the cost to the State in connexion with the strike estimates the losses for all Departments at £153,945. The loss of revenue from tho railways was £585,646, but against this was the estimated saving in expenditure of £600,000. THE WOLF'S SEAPLANE. SYDNEY, March 18. Speaking at tho feto in aid of the Battle-plane Fund, Mr Joseph Cook (Commonwealth Minister of the Navy), referring to the German officer's boast that the Wolf's seaplane flew over Sydney, declared that worse things could have happened. If they had it would have stirred Australia up, and enabled the people to visualise the actualities of war. Could they really realise what was happening on the other side, their activities would increase a hundredfold as the result. • POLITICS DTVICTORIA. (Received March 18th, 8.30 p.m.) MELBOURNE, March 18. , The Governor - has refused to grant a dissolution of the State Parliament. The Premier, Mr Bowser, has resigned I and Mr Law son has been sent for.