AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 135, 7 December 1893, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

♦ (FEB FBBSB ASSOCIATION). Sydney, This Day. The Bank BUI has passed the Legislative Council. The weather is extremely hot throughout the country. Yesterday was the hottest day experienced in Sydney for twelve months, the thermometer registering 94 in the shade. Mr Reid has accepted the commission to visit Canada and London. It is under* stood he has been authorised to negotiate for a reciprocal treaty with the Dominion. In connection with the Mercantile Bank cases, Sir Matthew Davies has written to the Crown Law Department giving notice that he desires to be tried by himself next month. Mr Muntz has made a similar request. The Court has ordered that the Hon James Balfour's offer of £5000, in settlement of the Freehold Investment and Banking Company's claim against him, be submitted to the meeting of creditors. Davis, an accountant who was charged with embezzling £3000 belonging to a local firm, was sentenced to three years' penal servitude, and ordered to pay a fine of £1000 out of the estate. Adelaide, This Day. The Premier intimated in the Legislative Assembly that the Imperial anthori* ties had informed the Government that the Governor's salary in future will be £4000 per annum with £1600 allowance. The Railway Commissioners report that the revenue has decreased by L 200.000 as compared with the previous year. Expenditure has decreased by L 13.000. The net profit was L 367.000 '07 upon the total capital. For the first time since 1889 the revenue has not paid interest and the Com* missioners state that to a large extent the Broken Hill strike is respon. sible for the result. The Premier, speaking to Mr Ash's motion that decisive steps be taken to settle the Victorian Boundary dispute, read some recent correspondence with the Victorian Government, and stated the Government were reluctantly compelled to consent to the motion because they were unable to obtain a friendly settlement. The motion was amended by Sir J. Downes, so that before resorting to liti* gation the Colony should apply to the Imperial Government for legislation on the subject, The motion as amended was carried. The Legislative Council, by ten to nine, decided that the Taxation Bill be read a second time three months hence. Beplying to a question in the Legislative Assembly, the Premier said the Government were considering a scheme of compulsory military servioe. The state* ment was received with loud cries of dissent from the members of the labour party. Mblbousne, This Day. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Johnson, Manager of the Melbourne Permanent Building Society, on a charge of manipulating shares to the extent of three or four thousand pounds; Johnson is lying dangerously ill, and, under the circumstances, the warrant has not been put into effect.