AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1928, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(Australian Press Association.) WHITE SLAVE REPLY. SYDNEY. April 12. (Ammciiiing on the alleged exportation of girls to (be East for white slavery purposes, the Collector ol Customs said it was practically impossible lor white slavers to carry their vietinis out of tin' country. The Home and Territories Departmi'll I controlled the issue of passpotts. and while it had no jurisdiction over girls who became involved with unscrupulous theatrical agents inside the Common wealth, it bad power to prevent their transport to any country outside Australia. When the girls applied to go to the 'Philippines the Department required full particulars and anv suspicious ilelail was rigidly scrutinised. In addition, (lie Alinisler ol Home Territories recently issued an instruction that il was highly undesirable to grant passports to young women proposing to accept a theatrical engagement in the East, without Hie most si rict enquiries being made as to the standing of the applicants uni! the persons or friends to whom thev were, under engagement.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS. SYDNEY, April 12. Under the new (iMnms regulations which commenced tn operate in .Innnary "last, under which passengers from abroad must declare their luggage in the form of a statutory declaration, the Customs revenue shows an incrca-e of over 200 per cent, compared with the previous corresponding period. The Minister of Customs, commenting: thereon, stated that the change had also had a good moral effect, and had curtailed activities of a small hut very enterprising minority of travellers who hitherto have not hesitated deliberately to lay themselves out to defraud the Department. COUNTERFEIT NOTKS. MELBOURNE. April 12. Forced ten shilling notes were again in evidence at Randwick yesterday, hut in all instances investigations disclosed that bettors who received the notes on the previous day were attempting to dispose of them. Eighteen

of the notes were passed in at Williamstown on Saturday. The Melbourne police express the opinion that they were printed in Sydney and brought to Melbourne by members of a Sydney gang. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) SYD.VFY. April 12. Wheat is As old ex truck Sydney and Adelaide ; wheat growers lots os -Id ; Hour bakers' lots CM 12s Gd : bran C 7 os; pollard €7 7s fid.