AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 August 1927, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. LARGE CLAIMS FOR DAMAGES. SYDNEY, July 30. I-.dmond Paul, Doctor Humphrey, and Senator Milieu have each issued three writs out of the .Supreme Court against 11. C. H. Eagar. A. AY. Donald and S. Herring, all of Sydney, each writ claiming £5,000 sterling damages. The same plaintiff’s have issued two writs each for the same amounts out of the High Court against James Boyd, of Melbourne, and Thomas Lyons, of Hobart. Altogether fifteen writs for a total of seventy-five thousand sterling have been issued, lor alleged defamatory statements made, in a circular addressed to share, holders of the Australian Provincial A ssu ra nce A ssoei ati on.

PRICE' OF HAS. SYDNEY, July 2:i. Arising out of the recent industrial legislation and increased price of coal, the price of gas is to be raised from 5s 8d to 5s Od per thousand cubic feet. Alpnly Gas Coy is applying for permission to increase the price by elevenpence per thousand feet. The present price is 7s 3d. CHI XA MA X MUR DERE D . BRISBANE, July 30. On breaking open the shop of a Chinaman. Lee Cum See in Townsville, the police found See dead on the floor with a fractured skull and the shop ransacked. Later they arrested three men who will be charged with murder. SYDNEY’,S FINANCES. SYDNEY. July 30. The serious financial position ol the City Council is revealed in a report of the city treasurer to the finance committee. Yfne report shows the present debenture debt of the city is £14.553.121 sterling of which £15,950.000 is chargeable to the electricity department, £7,(502.000 ti> city rates. To the latter has to be added £3,0(58,000, the- estimated resumption committment- and other loans amounting to £12(5.000 bringing the total debenture debt and commitments to £lO,797,000, In addition the debt on electricity has to be augmented by contract commitment approximating nearly three millions and making the total Council indebtedness nearly twenty-one millions. Annual interest and debt sinking fund on £10.797,090 chargeable to city funds amounts to £610.009 or a rate of approximately 2j|d in the pound on the present city assessments. It- is estimated that lil'ty-three per cent of the revenue from rates in the current year will be required to pay interest and sinking fund charges. The Treasurer added that- £3.194.000 will have to he borrowed to moot the uncovered council commitments.

RACEHORSES LEAVE. SYDNEY. July 30. The racehorses Nucleus and AYhaknrite left for New Zealand yesterday. FIVE DAY WEEK. SYDNEY. July 30. From to-day. Saturday. work throughout the Public Services of the State of New South "Wales is a thing of the past. Five days will henceforth constitute the week’s work. SYDNEY LABOUR TROUBLES. SYDNEY. Aug. 1. Strikes of engineers against the daily hiring system continue. Efforts are being made to settle the dispute. At tlhe Sunshine Harvester Works at Melbourne the men desire a conference with the management hut the latter stipulate there must be a general resumption of work, heloro they accede to the request. Euless a. settle incut is soon reached the woiks wi he closed down, and over two thousand men will ho involved. MELBOURNE. Aug. 1.

The Victorian Practice Court has ordered the sale of the American ship, Aneiura. cabled on July 9th.