AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1885, 9 March 1880, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[By Telkoeaph.] [Via Bluff.] VICTORIA. The elections have resulted in a complete reversal of the verdict pronounced on May 11th, 1577. The Constitutional party have secured forty-nine seats in the new Parliament, the Ministerialists only thirty-seven. Several curious surprises have taken place. Messrs Munro and Casey, the two leaders of the corner party, were defeated, the former by a young man only known as captain of one of the leading metropolitan football clubs. Mr Casey was defeated by a barrister named Fisher, who is vice-president of the Reform League. Fourteen seats, which formerly returned Ministerialists, were won by the ‘Opposition, who only lost four of their old seats. Sir B. O’Loghle i, Attorney-General, was defeated, and Messrs Grant and Longmore, two other Ministers, had very close contests, the voting throughout being very close. The largo towns and miners as a rule supported Mr Berry. The Ballarat district went almost entirely for Mr Berry, and the Sandhurst district for the Opposition. At Geelong Mr Berry only obtained fiftythree votes. Messrs Grant and Andrews, ' Oppositionists, are likely to petition against the return of Messrs Patterson and Pearson, for Castlemain, on the ground of bribery. Other seats are to be petitioned against by defeated Oppositionists. It is rumoured that a Ministerial member is likely to forfeit his seat through insolvency proceedings, when Sir B. O’Loghlen will try for the seat. The Ministry resigned on March 2nd, and Mr Service was sent for. The new Parliament meets on March 9fch.

An analysis of the opinion of the members of the new Parliament show that forty fayor payment of members, five support in a modified form, and forty-one are against it, two of whom would ask for a modification in case of a successful attempt to revive it. Mr Berry’s reform scheme, pure and simple, has only thirty-two absolute supporters ; four would only -rote for parts of it, the plebiscite by itself, or the sixth clause by itself, but not both. For Mr Service’s scheme there are forty-four declared votes and five members who appear to favor that scheme, but have not definitely stated that they will vote for it. There are one or two members favorable only to an alteration of the constitution of the Council, not the joint vote and double dissolution. Of thirty-three supporters of Mr Berry's scheme, there is one (Mr D. M. Davies) who has said that if the Ministry are defeated he will hold himself free to vote for any other plan by which deadlocks can be stopped for the future.

' The great majority of members of both aides are committed to the Education Act as it stands, and are also either strong protectionists, or moderate protectionists, or free traders pledged not to effect any alteration of the tariff which would injure protective industries.

Already more than one member of the defeated Ministerial parly has expressed a determination to accept the new situation and assist in carrying out a Reform scheme. Mr Service is likely to have a much larger majority than that shown above. A romantic case of suicide has occurred at Melbourne. A steady young man named Walter Henry Brace, aged fifteen, conceived a strong affection for a girl named Eosa Oootes, twelve years of age. Eeoently they quarrelled, and she told the lad, no doubt in jest, to go and poison himself. On Sunday evening, February 29th, he obtained some cyanide of potassium, for photographs, at the place where he was employed, and poisoned himself. On his dead body was found a letter to Miss Cootes, saying that he had faithfully obeyed her demand to kill bimself. Probably about 1100 applications will be made by Victorians for space in the Melbourne Exhibition, and almost 12,000 square feet of space, including floor and wall space, will be required. The prize list of the Melbourne Juvenile Exhibition will shortly be issued. With 3546 entries, Melbourne and the suburbs obtain sixty-six gold medals and 203 silver ; for eighty-two entries, New South Wales obtains four silver medals ; South Australia obtains one gold medal and one silver for twenty-two entries; Tasmania, four silver medals for forty-two entries ; Fiji, one silver medal for five entries ; and New Zealand, ten silver medals for 102 entries.