AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 4021, 15 January 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

A Mr Boa, a celebrated English TradeUnionist, has arrived in Melbourne for the purpose of improving the organisation of the Trade Unions in Australia.

The number of deaths in Victoria during the year 1574 was 12,222, the highest shown during ten years. One-fourth of the deaths were from zymotic diseases.

*' A subscription is being made in Sydney," remarks the 'Echo,' "for the purpose of raising funds to send Mr E. Trickett to Europe to compete for the sculling championship of England. Mr James Punch, an Australian champion rower, has offered to accompany Mr Trickett at his own expense."

At the instance of Mr H. Leopold, balletmaster at the Opera House in Melbourne, a writ claiming LSOO damages has been served upon the landlord of the Hunt Club Hotel, Little Collins street, for an alleged libel perpetrated by him in posting Mr Leopold's name amongst a list purporting to give the names of defaulting grog-scorers. Catherine Knox, a woman worth, it is said, L 50,000, is in custody at Prahran charged with stealing a saucepan and a plated spoon from a store. It is alleged that while the accused was in the store, making some purchases, the articles mentioned went a-missing from the counter, and Mrs Fergusson, the wife of the proprietor of the store, searched Knox, and took the missing articles from her pocket. At a meeting recently held in Melbourne for considering the subject of deficiency in the weight of bread, Mr A. K. Smith said that he had purchased loaves from seventyeight master bakers in Melbourne and suburbs, and had had them all weighed, and found that they were all from loz to soz short of the proper weight, giving an average of 3£oz deficiency on every 21b loaf. A company is being formed in Melbourne for the i purpose of developing a valuable discovery made by Mr .GVE.- Lander. He has taken out a patent for a new deodoriser, composed of particles of four different varieties of Australian gum trees. The wood is ground to a powder, and is so excessively pungent that it renders excreta perfectly scentless. It is stated that the weekly cost for each person, supposing it to be extensively used for deodorising closets would not exceed Id.

The New South Wales Assembly has passed a resolution which will deprive some members of the Legislature of profitable employment. On the 21st December Mr Buchanan moved a resolution in the Assembly affirming that the Government should not employ any member of the House in any office, or temporary employment to which remuneration was attached, while he continued to hold his seat as a representative of the people.

A sail case of suicide, arising out of insanity produced, it is alleged, by physical suffering, occurred at Redan, where a man named William Proctor, forty-seven years of age, strangled himself by tightening a leather strap round his neck, fastening it to the bedpost, and throwing himself on the floor. At the inquest his wife proved that he had suffered great agony for years from an ulcerated stomach, which at times seemed to drive him out of his senses, as he often prayed that some one would kill him. The jury found that he had strangled himself in a iit of temporary insanity. He leaves no family. The Legislative Council of Western Australia was opened by his Excellency the Governor on November 30. The opening speech stated that the financial position of the Colony was highly satisfactory. The present year commenced with an available balance of L 38.000. The total assets Yor 1875, including the balance from last year, would not, it was estimated, fall short of Ll 90,000. The actual and estimated expenditure for the same period would probably amount to Llf>l,ooo. The authorised debt of the Colony, incurred for tbe construction of railways and other public works, was L 135,000 ; being at the rate of L 5 3s Id per head on the population. A circular has been sent by Sir Redmond Barry, as Chairman of the Philadelphia Exhibition Commissioners, to presidents of all cricket clubs in Victoria, requesting them to fill in a return with the names of eleven players, with the age, height, weight, and measurement of arms, chest, &c. The ' Gipps Land Times' states that the circular points out, it is desirable to obtain this information, in order that a comparison may be instituted between the muscular and physical development of young men in this part of Australia, and one of those born in corresponding latitudes on the continent of America." It is proposed that the information thus obtained should be exhibited at the Philadelphia Exhibition.