AUSTRALIAN.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1922, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN.

AUSTBAMAN AND N.Z. Oißtl ASSOCIATION. LAMBING RETURNS. SYDNEY, Aug 18. It is officially estimated that the autumn and winter lambing will be 7,453,000 or sixty-five per cent., comprising with 4,210,000 ewes reserved for spring and summer lambing, which is expected to reach sixty-seven per cent.

CEASE WORK. ADELAIDE, Aug 18. Two thousand clothing employees ceased work in consequence of the employers’ threat to reduce wages.

- POLITICAL. PERTH, Aug 18. Mr Walker withdrew his censure motion. BRISBANE, Aug 18. The Premier gave notice of his intention to introduce a Bill to enable absent members on supplying a medical certificate to vote by proxy. FEDERAL POLITICS MELBOURNE, Aug 18. In tho Representatives on the Bud- • get, Air Bruce foreshadowed taxation relief as follows:—lncrease of general exemption 104 and 156 to 200 for all taxpayers, being a reduction of the existing graduated income tax rates by ten per cent; reduction to companies ori a flat rate of 2s 8d to 2s sd, removal of war surcharge of twenty per cent, on land tax, and removal of entertainments tax where admission iff less than one shilling; reduction, of duty on galvanised iron, iron steel, wire, wire netting, tractors and provision of a bounty for goods It is also suggested to reduce Parliamentary salaries from £IOOO to £BOO.

FEDERAL BUDGET. MELBOURNE, Aug. 18. The Budget estimated' the revenue for the current year at £62 J 518,250, or £494,557 above the expenditure. _ Gov, ernment propose to create a. sinking fund of half per cent on the total amount of indebtedness with the object of redeeming the war debt. Such a fund would extinguish the debt m fifty years. The estimated expenditure on war pensions for the current ™ £6 750,000, a decrease of £27B,wuThe reduction was due to the-fact that the physical conditions of pensioners on the whole, had improved. The repatriation expenditure was estimated at £1 771,000, a decrease of £321,000, due to progress in the establishment of soldiers in civil life. The Treasurer stated the Washington Conference had made it possible to largely reduce the defence expenditure which was estimated at £5,854,000, compared with £6,642,000 last year. He foreshadowed the appointment of a commission to consider the reclassifying of the public set vice, with a view to reducing its cost and securing a ijetter efficiency. Government proposes as far as possible to rely on the local market for raising and conversion of future loans.

EMPLOYERS’ CONFERENCE. BRISBANE!! Ang 17. At the Conference of the Australian. Employers’ Council, Mr William Brooks, of Sydney, in an addtess Oil the basic wage, said that the ainouftt paid in wage sthroughout the Commonwealth as the direct result of the' , assumed increase in maintaining a worker, his wife and dependent children, showed an increase, between the , years 1914 and 1920, of a hundred million Sterling per annum. Of this,: forty million wa s paid to unmarried adult males, and a. further twelve million to married adults without chidren. This proved that not only had wages of such workers been unwarrantably inflated, but an unwarrantable btirden had been placed on

the'shoulders of men with lbrgff families He urged the need for basing a living wage upon the cost of maintaining husband and wife only, with an additional provision recording the number of dependent children. The Conference adopted resolutions in favour of fixing the basic wage along the above lines, instead of the present two children standard; (-) condemning the reduction of the fort> four hour week; (3) favouring an amendment of the Arbitration Act restricting its functions to specified industries; and (4) providing for the. declaration of a basic wage for periods not exceeding six months.

BIG LAW CASE. SYDNEY, Aug. 18. The wool tops case, which was commenced in the High Court on May 23 (wherein the Central Wool Cominittee and the Colonial Combing, Spinning and Weaving Coy., Ltd., are contesting the validity of various contracts concerning the sale of wool tops by the company, the amount involved being about one million sterling) is drawing to a close, after voluminous evidence has been taken. ■ , Mr Campbell, counsel for defendant Company, to-day continued his address, which had already lasted four days.

BIG FIRE. SYDNEY, Aug. 18. A fire at the Hydro Majestic; Hotel at Medlow Bath, on the Blue Mountains, caused damage estimated at forty thousand. The fire started m the ‘ early hous of the morning, • and was fanned by a terrible gale. It soon got out of control, and destroyed the . famous corridor and gallery. Finally it | left half the building iii rui^ s -