AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 March 1927, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(Australian <fe N.Z. Cable Association.; j TO REDUCE WAGES. 1 SYDNEY, March 1. 1 The Graziers’ Association has served claims upon the Australian Workers’ . Union for a general decrease in wages of employees in the pastoral industry. The claims will form a basis for securing a new Federal Pastoral Award, which will then be binding upon all members of the Association. Every endeavour will be made to have the claims dealt with before Ibo general shearing season starts. The Australian Workers’ Union strongly opposes the claims. The Secretary stated they had apparently been framed to cause trouble in industry, as the object seemed to he in applying for the Federal Award to break down the preference clauses obtained by the Union in the State Courts. A RARE AY HALE SYDNEY, Ala rrh 4. The whale washed ashore, cabled on the. Ist. has been identified as tho Hisses Grampus, a rare specimen of the whale family. This is the first Occasion on record that a grampus has definitely been known to invade tho southern seas. The capture is of great importance to scientists. THE PAPER TAX. SYDNEY, March 4. Air McTiornan refused to comment on the newspaper tax judgment. All city daily papers reduced the price to a penny as soon as the judgment was delivered. HOSPITALS’ FINANOE. SYDNEY, March 4. The State Minister has agreed to a scheme for financing hospitals. It is proposed to give Government power in the Hospital Bill to conduct lotteries. These will probably he on the lines of the scheme now being operated by the Queensland Government. Further provision ill he made bv industrial contributions towards the upkeep of hospitals, employees taxing themselves by allowing a deduction from their weekly wages. The Bill will make it compulsory for employers and employees to contribute to the financing of institutions. Tbe Bill will he introduced in the Assembly next week.

AN A AIM ZING FRAUD. SYDNEY, .March I. An amazing fraud wtis revealed when William Jlnddee. a clerk employed by AA*. D. and 11. O. Wills. Ltd., pleaded guilty to embezzling a small sum. Counsel for AVill.s stated the defalcations bad been going on for ten years nnd the firm bad lost four thousand sterling yearly without knowing it, owing to the falsification of the books. The defalcations amounted to £39.000 sterling nnd accused who was remanded for sentence told the court lit had lost it all at the uaces. SYDNEY, Afareh -t. The prisoner. Puddle, was convicted of embezzlement and was sentenced to five years’ goal.

FEDERAL AEFATRS. MELBOURNE, March 4. Tn the House of Representatives Air Bruce tabled a summary of the decisions reached at the Imperial Conference nnd explained them and their bearings. The debate was adjourned.

leasehold at the capital SYDNEY, Feb. 24.

A tour of the Federal Capital and the surrounding country will be an eyeopener for the Poyal visitors. One of the most active bodies at the capital to-clny is the Federal Territory Lessees’ Association. The fact that a city population at Canberra will alter the whole aspect of the surrounding land settlement in the near future, that wool-growers will ( l>enefit only to a limited extent by that development and change and that- farmers fortunate enough to hold picked a,reas will be provided with a handy market for

their produce, led to the formation of tbe association. Canberra used to be known as a district of land monopolists. Only a few years back tho bleating of a few sheep alone broke the silence of the great empty plain. Things are different today. Ihe territory has now earned recognition as a successful experiment in closer settlement on tbe leasehold form of tenure, the only tenure which is recognised by tho Federal Govenu mont. Graziers recognise that they arc not assessed, in their rentals, right tip to tho capital value of the lands immediately outside tho new city, and are Incoming perturbed at the prospect of a move in that direction.