AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 May 1924, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CARLE ASSOCIATION. THE ORVIETO’S POSITION. BRISBANE, -May 15 Efforts to refloat the liner Orviclo, which is ashore on the Brisbane Jtiver, have failed and there will he a further attempt made to-night. LONG BAY -MURDER. SYDNEY, May 15.

The search tor the murderer of .May Anderson is narrowing down. The police now know that Mrs Anderson was drinking in a wine .saloon in the city on Saturday and in the afternoon she was seen with a man in a park in the city. The police have been informed that the woman was later seen intoxicated on a tram enroiite for Long Bay.

AUSTRALIAN DISPUTE. , SYDNEY. May 15. The hearing has commenced of the (barges of alleged conspiracy against unions officials regarding steamer-'. Captain Hollis. Marine Su(>erinteiident of the Commonwealth and Dominion Line, gave evidence that he had received a message from the captain of the Port Lyttelton at Laucestun, stating the crew refused to take the vessel to sea unless they received a bonus of £2O as they claimed the ship was unseaworthy. Witness later attended a meeting of union officials and members of the Transport Group at Cockatoo Island, and related the owner.-.’ aid to the dispute in connection with the Pori Lyttelton and the Port Curtis, whereat Mr Ilefl'roii speaking for the Transport (iron;), said they would not touch the ships unless the men ol the Port Curtis were released and all the warrants against the men of the Port Lyttelton were withdrawn.

Cross-examined Captain Hollis said that after the Port Lyttelton went aground at Lauceston ii. January, they put to sea in the vessel, making one hundred tons of water hourly, hut he claimed the ves-el was seaworthy. At the meeting at Cockatoo Island, witness had asked Mr Falkingham whether the men agreed to take the Port Lyttelton to sea for a bonus of £2". Mr Falkingham had reidied by asking whether the witness had not known of cases ol men taking coffin ships to sea for a considerable increase in pay.

DANGEROUS CARGO REGULATIONS. .Received this day at 9.-I5 a.m.) MELBOURNE, May .Hi. The new regulation- under llio Navigation At i provide penalties lor persons bringing, or permitting to be brought, any lire or naked tlame into -hips in which is inllninablc cargo; .’.lso persons engaged in or on ships loading or discharging cargo be for.idden to possess wax vestas or where mtlamable cargo, any mulches or material whatever for producing ignition mil extept in special cases, the discharging or -towage of explosives or .utluinmuhlc liquids i- to he carried out .etxvccn sunrise and sunset only.

NEW HEBE IDE.*! CONTROL. SYDNEY. May HL The preshyteriaii General Assembly adopted a deliverance that the Assembly learned with regret ol the pretulcticc of abuses prejudicial to mo natives under the joint control in the New Hebrides and instructed the for-

■ign missions committee to continue Is c I forts to secure that by some imicaMe arrangement with France For die Islands to pass under sole British •ontrol. .MELBOURNE. May Id. In the House of Representatives Mr Maxwell presented a petition, hearing forty thousand signatures, requesting .he House to consider, at an early late, tlie intolerable state ol allairs in doe New Hebrides under the condo'iiiuium. stating that dual ( ontrol had ii'okcn down lamentably, resulting in the inadequate protection id the natives, many of whom are held in a con liLion of practical slavery. The petition add- that women arc icing degraded and outraged and used :i- decoy- !o -eeiiie labour toe the olanlat ions, it comTudes that the mly solution is -ingle control by the llrili-h.

The petition requests that the House bring tlie matter before the Imperial Government with a view to bringing about an amicable and honourable arrangement with I* ranee, by which the New Hebrides will pass under side British control.

NEW COMMISSIONED APPOINTED. (Received this day nl '.'.to a m.) SYDNEY. May ID. Mr Bruce (Federal Premier) announced that J. A. Elder has been apniinted CoiiimisMoncr for Australia in the t'nited .States in succession to Mr .McKinnon.

produce pricks. MELBOI'RNE. May ID. Oats 2s. 2s Id: barley (Englisht) Is. Is 2d. (Capo 2s Cd. 2s. 7d; potatoes £2 15s. £1 IDs. onions .07 ss. £S ss. N.S.W. POLITICS. SYDNEY. May ID. A conference between representatives of the State Cabinet and the Progressive Pal-tv was held yesterday as a result of which it is claimed that a better feeling and more trieiidiv relations will prevail than hitherto. No definite agreement was reached, but thy basis for furl her discussion was established. It is hoped a compromise will he arrived at and a programme ol essential matters decided on. PI’BLIC SERVANTS AND ARBITRATION ACT. .MELBOURNE. May ID. The question of whether public servants are entitled to register under the Arbitration Act came before Air .Illative Powers in the Arbitration Court. Victoria and New South Wales are the only States opposing the registration. Justice Powers said it was a. matter of great inipornnve ami the High (unit should he asked to give an opinion.

AI'STRALIA'S PUBLIC DEBT

(Received this day at 12 to p.m.) MELBOL'RNE. -March IG.

In the House of Representatives. Mr flatten, speaking of Australia s economic position, said the public debt since 1870. on the average, doubled every ten years. In 1800 the public debt was twelve millions. It was no" <l5O millions. It was the duty of those responisble for financial affairs to take a tighter grip of the reins. An increase of population probably would relievo the load of debt, but while the debt increase since 1870 lmd been three thousand per cent, the population increase was only 23-5 per cent, and he believed the national wealth of Australia from all sources, totalled approximately three thousand miliums. A comforting feature was the growing tendency to seek money ".thin out own borders instead of going abroad. Of tlie Commonwealth luore . an two fifths were obtained here since Sixtv-six per cent of the loans rnisd in the country remained outside. The rate of interest paid in the past decade increased from £3 12s 6d to fivo ror cent for tho Commonwealth nml *5 !**& to £4 7s Gd for loans.

During the life of the present Parliament loans totalling two hundred millions were falling due. The time was approaching when the interest charges, as compared with ten years ago, will have increased seventy-five per cent. So serious attempt hitherto lias been made to face the position. New South Wales, with a gross indebtedness of 180 millions, lias a sinking fund of four hundred thousand. The Commonwealth has dene a little better, providing a. sinking fund of a half per cent, for Australia to keen out of further debt. Her exports should exceed her imports to the extent of the interest on her debts abroad in addition to the amounts spent! by Australians abroad, together with other services and remittances.

CONTROL OF WIRELESS MESSAGES. MELBOURNE. .March 10. Speaking on the beam system of wireless communication. Air Fisk, said it was a revolutionary development in wireless for the reason that greater secrecy obtained, which enabled a message to be regulated and scut in one direction instead of all directions as hitherto. “The system would greatly reduce interference and |>ermit a greater number of stations to work simultaneously about one wave length than would he possible if the waves from each station propagated in all directions.

THE ORYIETO’S STRANDING. BRISBANE, -May IC,

The Orvieto remains aground, hut lightering of the cargo is proceeding. Another attempt to get the vessel off will lie made in the morning. The ship blocks the entrance and several large steamers are held up.