AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 613, 16 September 1909, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

PUBLIC SERVANTS OVER. SIXTY. . .. The Public Sei-vico Act of Now South Wales requires all Ciyil Ser.vaiitg to report their sixtieth birthday, not for the sake of convoying the customary greetings, but becauso it is considered that tho ordinary man has reached the limit of his mental vigour, when ho starts on tho last decado allowed humanity by tho lsalmist.'vA grateful country (says tho "Daily telegraph") allows tho publio olticer to retire at Gl) years of age—with or without, pension, according to his foresight—but if ho feels that tho fillip of Stale is imperilled by his retirement, or i{,ho has scruples about talcing a pension, whilo able to earn a salary, ho may, with tho approval of his Departmental head and tho concurrence of tho l'ublic Service Board, toil on till ho is Go. Even' then his juniors may get cold feet waiting, for: his shoes, for the board inuy discover that he is indispensable, and, ho is kept oil'"though his strength bo ail labour and sorrow." As a rule, however, indispcnsablo men nro only found near tho top, and, consequently, tho rank and tilo frequently arc called upon to rotiro when they feel like going strong for another ten years. Occasionally one or'two slip.past the barrier through ignorance of tho | rulo requiring that tho ago limit shall be notified, but tho Department of Public Instruction has just issued a circular requesting all teachers -who have attained tho age mentioned,'arid who havo. not already reported the •fact, to immediately forward the necessary notice through inspectors. . • THE EASTERN COAL. TRADE. . Referonco was recently made by Captain Corranee, of/the steamer . Vienna, which arrived at Newcastle from Hong-Kong, to tho manner in which the' Japanese are capturing tho coal trade of the East. At.tho present time, he said,. there is" absolutely no -market for Australian coal in Hong-Kong. In fact, Japanese coal is the oiily coal procurable, not becauseii is produced any. cheapcr tlinn the Australian coal,: but becauso tho low freights from Japan allow it to bo'.sold-at a niuch lower;price, Ho added that tho coal exported from Japan is of excellent quality, and the fact that Japan is imicli nearer than Australia makes it impossible, for Australian coal to • compete with it. . ■ '. ; NEW SOUTH .WALES' HARVEST.'' .; .The; New .South Wales Government statist!, -eianj Mr.: J. B. Trevett, has issued an estimate of the arca.iuidcr wheat for the present Sanson;: It is given ..as 2,210,408 acres, an in. creaso of 251,000, : or 12;1G. per,, cent.,-as compared,with last year.Owing j .fb .very service oblo rainfall, :tho area expected to bo reservec for grain is /estimated at i 1,871,310 -acres, at advance of.: 477,254; acres; or $4.2 . per cent Crops generally are' in a' very, forward anc healthy, condition, and. there is every.indica tion of a splendid harvest. Tho, report state: ■that, whilo it is too early to hazard an esti mato of the 'probable yield, farmers,appear. 1 1( bo : unanimous <in declaring 1 that never befor< in their experience of wheat cultivation liavi tlio prospects of an labundant; harvest been s< encouraging. As':to tho, : Riverina, «xcept foi the country around Finley' and Berrigan, mos portions of thisMniportant,division show sub stantial increases' in • tho area upder wheat Owing' to - tho favourable conditions, which hav< prevailed,.over .a :very; extensive area, thh:far mcrs intend reserving a correspondingly large: acreago : : for graiii.. In tho Moama and Ma thoura ll districts,; however,' the ■ excessive rain fall' has caused largo areas to becomo flooded and-.crops have been,damaged considerably, Ii the, Heuty and Howlong districts, also, th< rainfall has 'been abnormal, and crops are no ;SO. "good as' in.'the previous year. In/othe portions 'of the . division .tho weather has beei more propitious, andcrops,- generally. speak ing,. aro in _ good heart. Ngw land to th extent: of - 41,000 "ncres . has. been . . prepared fo wheat this year,, tho prinoipal districts beini Walla -Walla; 10,400 aores;'Ganmain, 6500; Th Kock, 4000;'Coolanion, : 3500 r. Leckhart, 2100 Mulwala,':2ooo;, aid.,, Darlington Point, 'ISQO •Tho .total -area ujidcr wheat, shows an increas of nearly 70,000 acres, but ion 'account of th exceptional..season tho area expected to'.bo cii for. grain;.is 95,000 acres'in excess of the arc; so cropped last year.STATE DEBTS. Some'^conversation' taken place betweei Miv Deakin- and itfr.'.rWade over' a suggestio: of .the:'.Federal^'Government that a propott giving tho Commonwealth power to assumo cor trol of State debts, since Federation, should b submitted 'to the people on a'referendum a the .next general elections.: Though tho que! tion - was excluded from; the Premiers'; Confei jnue, the -Fedoral' Government regards it as a: important adjunct: to' its financial scheme. Th opposition to ..the conferenco. agreement; pre mises to be considerable 1 and strenuous in Vie toria,' and; the Government :is endeavouring t meet it .by -securing authority to taie, the debt over.: Several .of. the "othei' Premiers are. agree able. .Mr.' Wade,; however,' pointed out a nun ber' of objections. •. -He is • to' reconsider' ■th position. - After' the consultation, Mr. .Deaki said ;that -the" New South, Wale? Governrnen had not: formed-aifinal opinion. It had bee thought necessary :to have its views on th transference .of .debts, 'having, regard to th Royfil Commission; that is .to bo appointed. : i further , exchange of opiniohs" between , thi Government aVid the Government of. New Sout: Wiiles.is.likely. . ..No obstacle will bo placed b tho Victorian Government to the extension o the powers of v tlie;'Federal Government so o to enable it. to "take over the debts at the tim »f jtransfer;" and. it. is. .understood : that the othe State Governments are. also agreeable to the pre posal.v.Mr..Murray,'stated'that.the only que; tion; between^;the,-various: State' Government inJ tho Commonwealth, Government was as ,t the form .'-Which : the; amendment of : the' Cor stitution; was toVtake, viz., whether' it. 'shoul be.submitted. to-the. electors in .the same, quel tioni, as one embodying the' financial' ngreemen irrived,at'by.-the-recent conference, or whethe the' extension of-'powers in regard to takin jv'er the debts ;and the: proposal for per capit payments to the,States ; should be made separat luestions at., tho referendum. :