INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 29 March 1901, Page 4

INTERCOLONIAL BREVITIES.

Tho Victorian Cabinet has decided to place £ISOO at tho disposal of the council of tha Working Men's College, Melbourne, for fitting up workrooms at the' institution, whicii was built some months ago, but which, so far, has bece unoccupied owing to the lack of fittings. Among the patents for which specifications have been lodged at the Patent Office is an improved mechanism for utilising 'ho "bumping" of cyclists for assisting in the propulsion of cycles.

Several members of the Parliamentary Labour Tarty waited on the Vict ,rian Minister for Agriculture and complained that employees at the Government cool stores were sweated. It wes stated that a number of packers, who were paid 8d per hour, had been discharged, and young men put in their places at 15s a week.

A demonstration in favour of absolute Sanday closing of hotels and earlier closing on week days has been held ia the Centenary Hall, Sydney, under the presidency of the Rev. 1?, iJevin. Tho Bcv. Dr. Sellers, Orlanda Baker, and tho Rev. J. YV. Holden were among the speakers.

Sir William Lync considers that the remains d! 1 Wentworlh, Sir John Robertson, and Sir Henry Farkes should be removed to his proposed State House in the Centennial Park.

According to a report furnished to the Marino Board, the Victorian pilotage receipts last year were £34011, the biggest amount received since 1891, when they totalled £3 1,112. A Chinese arch at the meeting of Little Bourke and Swanston streets is the latest Mclbourno proposal in view of the Royal visit. The Celestials themselves arc preparing to pay for it, build it, and cover it with monosyllabic welcomes. Arthur Graham, aged 01, nightwatch" man at Macnamara's abattoirs, Glebe Is" land, lias been very badly burned through falling into a barrel of caustic soda and going to sleep there. His clothes and much of his ilesh were burnt through in many places. Ticks arc making their presence felt in all parts of tho Brisbane metropolitan district, but only in those places where they had previously been found. The activity is attributed to the wet; weather. Owners are taking all possible steps to minimise the pest.

In tho case in which Maurice Herbert Limon, chemist, of the Glebe, sued the Sydney Evening News proprietary for £IOOO damages for the publication of a bogus marriage account forwarded to them, whereas Limon was already married, the jury, on a re-trial, allowed £liiO damages. The paper bad published an apology on discovering that it had been hoaxed.

Instruction at the Government School of Mines;, Charters Towers, will bo conlined solely to the two branches—mining find metallurgy; but in the- near future some attention will bo given to engineering and the geological department. There is a subsidiary course qualifying students for certificates of metallurgical chemists and assayers. Assoei.atcships will be granted tp those who satisfy the examiners in the required subjects. A safe was taken from the bedroom of tho proprietor of the Club House Hotel, Cobar, on Sunday night, lOch March, and carried 200 yards from the hotel up C .p----per Minn Hill, where it was blown open and .Cll4 taken. Tho explosion was heard all over the town at 9 p, m. Boys arc now engaged by the Sydney Corporation to keep the chief city streets, including the footpaths, clean, throughout the day, and tho experiment has, so far, answered well. Formerly owners were responsible for the footpoths, and were fined if they swept them after 8 a. m. In a school not a hundred miles from Mtsterton, reports a local paper, the Inspector asked the scholars to wri'e a short essay on their father, Ono pupil started : "My father has ginger whiskers." He passed. The people of Tauranga, observes the " Poverty l?ay Herald," nre indignant at the manner in which the Minister of Lands bolted through their lown and district, seeing nobody but a few personal friends, and ignoring tho fact that tho settlers had arranged to interview and intertain bim.