AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1928, Page 1

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association. COUPON SYSTEM. SYDNEY, Feh. 16. A deputation of traders waited on Air Lee, Minister of Justice, and urged the Government to abolish the coupon system of trading, as unfair and a third party tax on trade without a compensating service to the public. The coupon companies alone were the gainers, it was stated, and many traders were being compelled to give coupons to their customers under pain of transference of custom to other traders. Many other strong arguments were presented against the system. The Minister promised an early and thorough investigation, and added that the Government would not allow anything which unduly increased the price of living. HEAVY RAINFALLS. (Received this day at 10.40 a.in.) SYDNEY. Feh. 17. Terrific rainstorms are being experienced in Riverside District anil many washawnys on railway are reported. I lie town of Ganmanin is flooded and trains between Sydney and Melbourne are unable to get through. Heavy rain is still falling over the whole of New South AA’ales. In the low lying portions of Ganmain there is four feet of water. A number of shops are flooded and the water is still rising. Railway yards at Jance are under water. Messages from Coolamon at an early hour this morning stated that rain was falling at the rate of an inch per hour and there arc no signs of a cessation. At Narrandra an inch and a-lialf o' rain fell in thirty-five minutes. It has been raining continuously at Sydney all night. A DOUBLE MURDER. MELBOURNE, Feh. 17. An elderly couple, Richard Clements and his wife, were found dead at their home at Biilumal, near Rairsdnle. On breaking into the house the police found the aged couple lying in pools of blood with their skulls battered and a blood-stained hammer nearby. The house was a scene of disorder. All the drawers were ransacked. It is believed the crime was committed by a burglar, who was disturbed while at work. Slit UNDO FERGUSON. SYDNEY, Feh. 17. A passenger by the Otranto which arrived at Sydney is Sir Undo Ferguson, who is returning to New Zealand. LABOUR HEADS DIFFER. SYDNEY. Fob. 17. At a special conference of the Federal Executive of the Australian Lahour Party at Melbourne, it was decided that the expulsion imposed upon certain members of the party by the Sydney Easter Conference were ultra vires and could not take effect and in the event of the members affected desiring to contest any position at the forthcoming conference of New South Wales party, they were eligible to do so, because the penalties did not exist under the rules. State officials contend the F'ederal Executivo has not power to give this ruling, and the Labour Party in this State can ignore it. The Labour Council carried a resolution instructing its delegates to the all Australian Council ot Trade Unions to advocate tin* Council should not even discuss the question of representation at the peace conference proposed by Air Bruce, until the Federal Government has withdrawn the proposed industrial amendment hill, to which objection is taken by the Labour movement. A similar decision was reached by a mass meeting of the Amalgamated Engineering Union.