INTERCOLONIAL.

Southland Times, Issue 1725, 8 April 1873, Page 3

INTERCOLONIAL.

Melbourne, March 29. An attempt to defraud the Customs department was discovered about a fortnight ago. The value of the shipment was nearly £3000. The goods were seized, and the Commissioner of Customs inflicted on the firm a fine of £75 for each of the six entries fraudulently passeil, and £50 for another entry, making in all a penalty of £500. The amount of duty of which the Customs had been defrauded, £170, had also to be refunded. The Education department has been busily engaged during the past month in making arrangements to meet the demand for increased school accommodation. The operation of the new act has been so successful in drawing the children to the state schools, that the present buildings have been found altogether inadequate. The antipathy of the Eoman Catholic clergy to the Education Act has not apparently been diminished by their experience of its administration ; and they have endeavored to dissociate the body with which they are connected from the state system of public instruction. The Eev. Dr Cameron, who two years ago arrived from Scotland to become the colleague of the Rev. Dr Cairns, of Chalmers' Church, has become the pastor of the Presbyterian Church at St. Kilda. The Houses of Legislature will most probably meet for the despatch of business during the second week in May. The £500,000 of Victorian 4 per cent, stock which has been placed in the market is being slowly taken up at par. The total amount of the loan authorised last session was £1,500,000 The sum now ■tanding to the credit of the new inscribed stock is £612,900. The progress of quartz mining on Sandhurst during the past two or three years has been so rapid and prosperous that the district and its claims now monopolise almost the whole of the attention of investors and speculators in mining shares. Building is going on extensively in Melbourne and the suburbs. The Secretary of State for the Colonies, Earl Kimberley, has telegraphed to the Governors of all the Australian colonies represented at the late Intercolonial Conference, to the effect that Her Majesty's Government have considered the telegram from the conference, and will introduce immediately a bill to remove the restrictions on the intercolonial

tariff arrangements. This is the first fruit of the labors of the conference. Sydney, March 28. The bill for the reform of the Upper House has been passed through all the principal stages in the Legislative Assembly. The Colony will be divided into 12 districts, each of" which will return three members at first, and ultimately four. The 12 districts have been named after British statesmen. Carlyle is one of them. It was amusing to notice that one member objected to Mr Carlyle because he was only a literary man ; but the House chose him, because " if not a statesman he is a teacher of statesmen." The other names are Stanley, Chatham, Palmerston, Canning , Russell, Gladstone, Peel, Cobden, and Cook. The measure has yet to be considered by the Upper House, who, it is well known, are not very favorable to the proposed sweeping ! change. I News has been received to the effect that the Lords of the Admiralty are , beginning to wake up to the value of Australian coal. As a first attempt 11,000 tons are to be ordered this year for the depots in the Eastern seas. For the first time in the history of the colony, two coal-miners have died from an explosion of fire-damp. Mr Parkes informed a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce that the Governmentwere arranging for a Californian mail service, and that they had received four tenders — one from the London firm of Glasford and Robertson, offering to carry the mails for £20,000 yearly. Adelaide, March 28. Parliament has been further prorogued until the 25th of April. The election of seven members of the Legislative Council causes considerable interest. There are twelve candidates for the vacant seats. The rainfall at Palmerston, Port Darwin, during 23 days in February was 9^in. ; at Katherine, 16^in. for 16 days ; and at Tarn Creek diggings, 14in. for 16 days. The Moonta mines report shows that 12,600 tons of ore have been raised during the half-year ; that from the realised profits there had been paid £48,000, and that £42,000 more was payable on April 3rd. 1300 persons were employed in the mine, and the assets show a credit balance of £130,000. "Wheat has been sold at 4s lid ; plenty offering at ss. Bbisbane, March 28. The master of the ship Pohnaiae has been deprived of his certificate for 12 months, by the Brisbane Marine Board. The ship was lost on the coast in January, at the commencement of the voyage from Rockhampton to London. The vessel was indifferently fitted out with appliances for safe navigation, and the captain did not take ordinary precautions to ascertain his position when in narrow seas. Hob art Town, March 28. A large number of laborers has been imported from Victoria for the works on the main line of railway, where operations seem now to be progressing at a steady rate. The contractors have had some trouble with the laborers whom they hired in Tasmania.