AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1923, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

AUSTItALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. FARM ICRS’ CONFERENCE. (Received this day at 12.25 p.m.) SYDNEY, Aug. IT. The annual conference of the. banners and Settlers Association has opened. The annual report, which was adopted, strongly condemns the Government for marketing disabilities in connection with overseas trade, and the high freight, and charges on Australian exports.

Mr Earle Page addressing the s .inference. said the Government was faced with four urgent duties; namely, cleaning 11 ]> the mess caused by dabbling in socialistic venture-., financial reform, removal of duplications ill Commonwealth and State Governments, and construction of a progressive policy ot national development, lie claimed the Government had already met with a measure of success and added that Government proposed to alter the method of imposing company taxation. A hill would he introduced in the House ot Representatives providing for the taxation of companies at the source, instead of making the individual shareholders pay. This would really mean a reduction ot the rate of taxation on companies. He concluded that Mr Bruce’s visit to England would result in Attstralia receiving a measure nf Imperial preference.

SHEARERS CLAIMS. SYDNEY. A tig. 11. The Australian Workers’ Union has applied to the Federal Arbitration Court for a variation of the pastoral award claiming increases from 15s to L'3 per hundred for shearing and from €3 10s with keep to Eli with keep weekly for adult shed hands. It; is expected the claims will he heard at the height of the shearing season. DEATH bate. (Received this dav at 12.15 p.m.) SYDNEY. August ji. The City medical officer reports the death rate in the metropolitan area last year was 8.95 per thousand, the lowest on record in the world for any city with half a million inhabitants, or over.

SCIENCE CONGRESS. MELBOURNE, August ... Speeches at the opening session of the Scientific Congress urged the importance of scientific co-operation in solving the problems of the I’aeific and adding to the world’s scientific knowledge and resources; also as a method of securing a. better understanding between nations, thus making for international peace and goodwill. Professor David urged the importance of the Congress as the representative of a population of four hundred million around the shores of the Pacific. Bringing them closer together through the joint study of the same problems would help towards making the Pacific, in truth, the Pacific. French, American, Japanese, Netherlands and British delegates expressed similar sentiments.