AUSTRALIAN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 83, 7 April 1880, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN.

[Per Arawata at the Blnff ] Victobia. The Government are busy preparing the work for the session. The Kefortn Bill is nearly drafted, and the Lands Department are plotting the boundaries for the proposed new provinces; returns are also being prepared showing the number of rotes at the various stages from the ratepayers? roll and upwards. The Government have reinstated Mr Thomas Higgiubotbam as Engineer inChief for Railways. They offered to allow Mr Watson to retain his present salary of £1200 a year if he would go back to his old position, but ho declined. JTarrell, the Parliamentary librarian, who surrendered bis seat for Castlemaine two yearß ago to enable Professor Pearson to be returned to the Assembly, also rece.vjd notice that his services will be dispensed with shortly. Gordon, the late Engineer-in-Cbief for the Water Supply, is certain to be reinstated. Benjamin Berry, a son of the late Premier, who, though only a supernumerary, was, just prior to the Government leaving office, gazetted a fourth class civil servant, without having passed the examination required by law, will probably be put bac^c into cjb old position, the

appointment to be illegal. .Mr Williams, the member for Mandurang, has been selected to move in favor of payment to members on the reassembling of the House. Mr Williams is acting in a friendly spirit towards the Government, who will give him the requisite facilities for talking sense. He will propose the old rate of payment, namely, £300 per annum, and also that the remunerat'on shall date from the day of election. There is some disaffection threatened amongst the Catholic supporters of the Government. The Government have reserved the land at Sandridge required by the Harbor Trust for the canal cutting recommended by Sir J. Coode. The Exhibition Commissioners profess inability to explain the dissatisfaction felt in London respecting their action. The Victorian Agent-General has been pressing that a Commission should be nominated in Great Britain to visit "Victoria, and apparently he finds the ground cut from under his feet by a letter from the Great Britain Committee in Melbourne, offering to do the bulk of the work for the British exhibitors. New South Wales. Sir Henry Parkes has informed the Assembly that the Government are not disposed to proceed with the business, in consequence of the action of the Upper House in again amending the Stamp Bills, and gave notice that he would move on March 31st for leave to bring in a Bill to declare the powers of the Legislative Council in respect to the Taxation and Appropriation Bills. Tbe Assembly discussed the Council's new clause in the Lands Bill, providing for the exemption of cattle of pastoral tenants from impounding by selectors for 12 months after purchase, and the clause was rejected by 30 votes to 8. : Commodore Wilson, on hearing of the ■ Chande-nagore expedition to New Ireland, - ordered the schooner Conflict to pay a special ■ visit to the island for; observation. The Conflict, after visiting New Ireland, will re- : turn to Cooktown, and telegraph the result of her visit to the Commodore. The Volunteer encampment at Paddington and Middle Head was a great success, notwithstanding the rain. About 1600 men were under canvas. The colliery masters have agreed to a conference with the miners about April 10th to discuss the present state of affairs in the coal trade. ' The Chinese small-pox patient on board the steamer Brisbane is convalescent. The vessel remains her full time in quarantine. South Australia. Agricultural statistics show that the total area cropped amounted to 1,458,090 acres, with a yield of 14,250,864 bushels, or an average of 9 bushels 471bs, this leaves about 300,000 tons for export instead of 60,000 tons as previously expected. It is reported that a Bill will be introduced next session to abolish the immunity from arrest enjoyed by members of Parliament. A deputation from the Young Men's Christian Association interviewed the Chief Secretary, and urged the prohibition of church parades of Volunteers as interfeting with the sanctity of the Sabbath. Mr Morgan declined to interfere, as the attendance of Volunteers was purely optional. The Register strongly urges the establishment of an Art Gallery in Adelaide, and suggests that the Government should vote £1,000 a year for it. The Postmaster-General urges the following revision of the English mail time table : Arrangements should be made for the P and O steamer leaving Bombay on Fridays, and the homeward mail leaving Melbourne on Thursday instead of Friday, and Adelaide on Saturday instead of Sunday; they would be delivered in London on Wednesday, . leaving time to reply by the outgoing mail leaving on Friday. : : ■- Tasmania. Mr Weld leaves Tasmania for Sydney by Tasman, on April 4th,Jproceeding to-Singa-pore by the Torres § traits steamer. Lieut.-Colonel St. Hill, until v recently Private Secretary to Governor Weld and Commandant of the Tasmanian Volunteers, got into trouble, the papers reported that he opened an account with the Bank of Hobart Town, into which h.e paid sums for the maintenance of the Governor's establishment as well as private money of his own. The Bank reported to the Governor that this account was overdrawn to the extent pf £1400. The Governor made good the deficiency, suspending, and afterwards dismissing Hill as Government Private Secretary. Subsequently Mr Weld suspended Hill from the command of the Volunteers, and reported the matter to the Horse Guards. Hill's dismissal as Commandant has since been gazetted. Queensland. The Government ofi!er a reward of -£iopo for the discovery of a cure for rust in wheat, subject to the condition that the cure' be proved successful during three consecutive seasons. In Queensland 750 men took part in the Easter Volunteer encampment. The Autumn meeting of the Australian Jockey Club commenced on Easter Monday, the weather was fine and the attendance goo J. The Hurdle Race was won easily by Express, beating a small indifferent field. Sweatmeat won the Autumn Stakes by a neck, thought Tewarrow started a strong favorite with 5 to 5 on him Caspian third. The grand pn^e was appropriated by Champagne for which he was favorite ; Waterloo, a Queensland horse, second ; Sapphire third. The ledger proved a gift to Petrea who won easily by three lengths, Nellie came next and Pontiff third. There were only six started. Time 3mins 21isecs. In the Doncaster Handicap, won by Queensland, there was quite a chapter of accidents, no less than five horses fell, Santa Gruz was killed, and the jockey, Clarke, sustained a fracture of the skull, from which he has since died, two other jockeys were also injured. Sunlight was second, Master Avene third. Lothair won the trial stakes; beating a good field, Clarenza second, Nero third.