CABLE NEWS

Patea Mail, 19 February 1881, Page 3

CABLE NEWS

RECEIVED LAST NIGHT. ( Reuter's Despatches to the Mail.) REFORM BILL. Melbourne 16th. In the Legislative Assembly last night, Mr Graham Berry, in moving the second reading of the Reform Bill, said that if the ratepayers’ roll for the Assembly was fixed on the basis of that for the Legislative Council, he saw no democratic objection to the Norwegian scheme of holding a joint sitting of the two Houses for the settlement of the reform question. WOOL SALES. London, 16th. The opening catalogue at the wool sale to-day comprised 2100 bales. There was a good attendance of Home and foreign buyers. The demand was fair, but the prices were, as compared with the closing rates of last sales, fully lower for greasy, and Id lower for scoured wools. The total arrivals for the auctions amount to 310,000 hales, and the probable quantity to be offered is *300,000. OPENING SUSPECTED LETTERS. London, 16th. In the House of Commons the Home Secretary virtually admitted that letters suspected to contain treasonable correspondence has been opened in transit through the post. The statement gave rise to a lengthy discussion in the House, and the press generally refer to the matter at length. BOERS PROPOSING PEACE. London, 16th. The Government has received telegrams from Sir George Colley containing proposals for peace by the Boers. MB PARNELL’S ADVICE. Dublin, 16th. Mj Parnell has addressed a letter to the Land League at Dublin, urging the members to maintain a passive attidude of resistance to the coercive measures, and to use every means to foster agrarian agitation of the masses, not only in Ireland, but throughout Great Britain.