AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 May 1923, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

AUSTRALIAN ANI) N.Z. CAIII.K ASSOCIATION ‘DEATHS OF HOUSES. MELBOURNE, .Vfay i’ll. In eonneetion with the recent tnys terioiis deaths .of horses as cabled on -May Id, a man named Halley has been arrested on a charge of shooting norera I Imrses. POST A (IE TO BE I? EDUCED.

aielrourne, AUv 23. The ('oinmoinvealth Government has decided in reduce its postage rates, hut whether the reduction is to he to three half-pence, or penny postage is to he resinned, has not yet hpon settled. Aliy alteration will require Parliamentary sanction before it operates, A F STRAIT AX FINANCE. Melbourne, May 23. At the Australian Premiers’ Conference, the State Premiers suhmitted the States’ taxation proposals to Mr Bruce (federal Premier). It proposed that the Commonwealth should retire from the field of income taxation, and that, contingent on this being done, the States should relinquish their claims to any share of the Customs and Hxci.se revenue, and that, if necessary, the States would recoup the Commonwealth under these proposals, the amount payable in each year by the several States tfi tie determined in conference with Lite Prime Minister, and this arrangement to he embodied in a ten-years agreement between the Commonwealth and

the States. Air Bruce rejected the proposals, stating that if the Commonwealth withdrew from the sphere of income taxation and the per capita payments were with-held, the Commonwealth, ip order t i :,i "t its obligations would then have to raise between seven and eight millions. Tile Federal premier added that, for the past five years, the Customs icveuuo had not covered the Federal expenditure. There was no hope for years to come, that the war expenditure would he less than 275 millions a year, and Australia would be very lucky to erd'rct that revenue if the tariff remained as it was at present. QFEHXSLAXT) EI,KCTIOXS. BI’TSBANE, May 23 The election returns from two scats are still incomplete. The latest figures indicate that the anti-Labourites will win the seats by narrow majorities. AX AFSTBAUAX CONFERENCE. BRISBANE, May 23. The Australian Chambers of Commereo Conference has resolved that united action be taken the better to ad icrti e Australian goods abroad, and to counter the present movement m Britain for the prohibition of the importation of Hour. Other resolutions were passed in favour of the immediate completion ol the Federal capital at Canberra, and the removal of the seat ol Clover.uncut t hi tliev. Other resolutions were passed endorsing Mr Bruce, the Federal Premier’s support ol preferential trad* within lho .Empire, and in favour o: promoting British immigration into the Commonwealth; subsidising a shipping conr,i:\rn* with rofriterated turnings tc make regular sailings to the bar East ports; urging the hedcral and State Covernmeiit ownership of certain nolle utilities; and the creation ot Con filiation Boards for the various industries. in place ef compulsory arbitraA motion was moved in favour of the reduction of the duty on Fiji bananas, with a view to regaining for Australia spins' of her lost Fijian trade. Tillwa= negatived. Its opponents argued it" was’an attempt to promote banana culture by the coloured races ~. t)■~ expense ot he A\ Lite Austiaha policy. ______