AUSTRALIAN NEWS. (Per s.s. Wairarapa.)

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 163, 31 July 1886, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. (Per s.s. Wairarapa.)

Sydney, July 23. Qobd progress ia being made with the Customs Bill. Government last night declined to adjourn for the Mayor's fancy ball, and proceeded with the business. Sir John Robertson is very ill. * Leeand McAlister, the first of railway frauds case 3, have been committed for trial. The Commercial Bank has declared a dividend of 25 j.ec cent. The strike of brickmakers still continues, but efforts are being made towards an amicable settlement. The Attorney-General lepresented Government at the opening of Griadagai rail■way. H. S. Gilchrht, for the past twenty years employed in the Mint here, committed suicide. There was an irregularity in his accounts as Treasurer of an- Oddfellows' Society.

DEPRESSION IN THE QUEENSLAND IRON TRADE, - A meeting of iron-workers has been held 'at Brisbane, the Mayor' in the chair, and 200 beipg present, to consider the present depression in the trade and the best means o£ mitigating it. A resolution wa3 carried — " That in the opinion of this meeting" all construction cf ironwork for the Government, such as bridges, engines, dredges, steamboats, sugar "mills, &c, should be supplied by colonial manufacture, and, when possible, in Queensland." A deputation was appoicted to wait- on the Gorersment to urge tho foregoing resolution. Theiron trade in Sydney is also depressed. About fifty employes in that trade and representatives of Labour societies connected with the said calling waited upon the Minister for Works on the 19th July to lay before him the depressed state of their business, and asked for Borne concessions from the Government with regard to specifications and work. They were accompanied by about thirty members of Parliament.

SUPPOSED LOSS OP A SCHOONER. The schooner Georgia Noble, which arrived in Port Jackson, brings news lhat the schooner Francisco Feliz, which left Sydney the early part of this year for the Marshall Group, under the command of Captain G. Southgate,hadnotarriyedatherdeatination, and ia supposed to have been loet with all bands in a hurricane which prevailed among the Islands soon after the veseel lef b this port. The Francisco Feliz wa3 the property of Mr John Williams, of this city. She set out from this port on January 24 last, having on board a full general Cargo and Mr and Mrs Randolph and 10 natives as passengers. The schooner was constructed of wood and only in January last purchased by Mr Williams. She was built in the Barbadoealin 1875. la length, she measured 23ft. 6in., her beam was lift. 6in,,and depth of hold lift. 6in. The European portion of the crew bolonged to Sydney. It is bolieved that the vessel ia insured in the South British Insurance Company.

LIGHTING IN THE GILBERT GROUP Captain Evers, of the schooner George .Noble, which arrived yesterday fiom a trading voyage among the Gilbert Group, reports that the natives of Tarawa, Marki, and Apiang were fighting among themselves. At Tarawa the natives were very hostile. They fired three shots on the boat of the George Noble just after she had left the beach from the vessel which was in the offing. Fortunately none of the shots took effect, although one passed within 2in. of the second mate, who had charge. At Marki the king and four chieJa were killed by the natives in consequence of their entering into come agreement with another tribe.

TWO MORE RAILWAY SMASHES IN TASMANIA, People had scarcely cea3ed to coDgrotulate one another on the paucity of fatalities in connection with the recent railway accident on the main line, than another accident, of almost an equally appalling character ha 3 occurred. This time the scone of "wreck and carnage was on -the Fingal line, on the Launceßton eide, Thelineat the point in question describes a very sharp curve, and it runs ou a decending gradient. What led to the accident is at present unknown. It was a ballast engine and train. Suddenly there was felt a sharp jerk followed by a violent collision of the carriage. The cause of this was that the engine hid left the line. Everyone iv the tr.xin had suffered seriously from the effects of the shock, and some h?ave been extensively injured. One poor fellow named James Law, was found dead witkhis head smashed to pulp. He was discovered lying on the side of the line with bis head crushed to atoms. How he came to be on the eide of the line is very strange. It fc supposed that on feeling the first shock he went to the door to ascertain the cause, and was then pitched to the ground, end falling with hi 3 head an the line, he met with hia teriible end. Additional sadness i 3 imparted to this fatality by the fact that Xi&w was returning home to his wife, from whom he had, *by reason of liia business engagement?, been separated for come time. The two who seem to ' have suffered next in severity were a Mr and Airs -M'Cabe. They are reported to { have received very extensive injuries and to be in a critical condition. The occu pants of tho train were principally navvies. vho with theifc wives and families were leaving Tasmania for Victoria. Jame3 Law, who was killed, was a contractor's manager. He appears to have been on the engine and jumped of!. Mr and Mrs M'Cabe were in one of the overturned tracks. Mr M'Cabe had his Jflip broken, and 'Ilia wife's chest and shoulders were hurt. 'There were about forty people on the train. The cause of the accident is supposed to have been that the points were not working freely, and forced off the trucks behind the -engine. The incline i 3 lin 50. ,__ THE BRIDGEWATfiR ACCIDENT. Hobabt, July 22. - Another fatal railway disaster occurred on the main line tonight. l?rom*iaformation gleaned. from the railway officials and passengers, it appeared that the express train was just croseitig the iron swing bridge on tho Bridgewater viaduct, -which it is supposed had been opened during -the day, and had not been properly secured, when tbc closed bridge by opening a little to the left, or down-stream side, * caused the engine and tender to topple over/ and the " carriages, two in number, left the rails. The engine and tender in falling struck the pier head, taohnically known as thedophin of the bridgg and jammed tight.' ( ' This, of' course, * prevented the whole train from falling into the river. The fireman, named W. ; Shaw, who was on the- eide of "the engine which canted , over, was either thrown- into the river or -jumped in. The engine-driver,' Robertson, was slightly ' 'shaken, and a passenger ; named Daniel ; -(Earner, in* getting out' of tho : «fter the' train worn stopped,, is> supposed to have dropped into the river,, as nothing has been beard of him since. A boat was produced and a search made . tat about an hour without finding any

trftceg $£the fireman or Turner. Another passenger, an' old man, who got into the train at Brighton ./also walked into the river", but was -.picked tip, having escaped wfth ' a shaking. The train, as is usual at that place, was going dead slow at the time and the passengers -only felt a' slight bump* as the' carnages dropped off theraila on to'the sleepers, and if Turner and the old man just mentioned had .kept their seats they would not have received any injury at all. There were about a dozen passengers on the train, none* of whom were injured except those mentioned,"* It ia feared that both Shaw the 'fireman and Turner are drowned. The former was a very respectable man, was married and had one child. Tli6 latter only arrived in the colony last Sunday by tde steamer Elderslie, from London, and had no friend? here.

KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELDS. The special correspondent of the *' Sydney Morning Herald," writes from Cambridge Gulf on June I9tb, cays :— "Now, a few words about the diggings. In the first place the information is of a most conflicting character ; but, at the outside, lam satis- ■ fied that not more than 2,0000z.. of gold have as yot, been brought to light. I have hadlong conversations with Mr W. J. OVDonnell ,and Mr Carr-Boyd (both well: known explorers) and others. , The former gen l.man came through from the field six weeks ago,, and states that a drayroad can be obtained in comparatively direct route from here within a distance of 225 miles. He has made arraugements with a number of passengers who .came over by the Gambler and Afghan, and has undertaken to pilot them across this new track. He and his party left on the 16th, and he calculates they will reach the field within 26 days. The country is, of course for many miles of a very rough and mountanious character, but there are no obstacles which cannot be surmounted ; and Mr O'Donnell and others who have travelled in from the diggings assure me that draya and vehicles can be got through in about the timo menI tioned. Some dozen teamsters have already started, and another party Messrs Sweet, Hogan, Jtussell, Desailly, and Co.) intend taking a thorough-brace waggonette, a spring-dray, and 17 horses through. As Mr Thomas Hogan is a Western Australian explorer of some repute, this party intend to travel by a rout© whicb he will indicate. If it is preferable to the ones taken by O'Donnell and Carr-Boyd, I will write you fully upon arrival. At all events, the public can lepend upon getting the fullest information on this vitally important subject, but I have no hesitation whatever in stating that Cambridge Gulf, and not Derby, is the port to start from. We will probably leave here on Saturday next, and expect to reach the field in about IS da} s. lam afraid it will be cix or eight weeks before I shall again have an opportunity of communicating with you. The nearest telegraph stations ara at Port Darwin and Townsvilie, and vessels, after leaving here, but seldom call at the former place. When all those who have recently landed reach the field it i 3 estimated about 1300 people will be there, and I think the press or the colonies cannot too strongly warn men against coming until they get news of a more trustworthy character than has as yet been obtained. Certainly, all who have come in stato that every man on the field is getting gold in more or less quantities ; but, as it is all being got by gully-raking, this must soon be exhausted, and untold misery will ensue unless good quart-reefing country ia found, or alluvial showing better results than any thiDg I have as jet heard of. There can be no harm in waiting, as the gold-be.aring covntry is said to cover a raidus of some 1,200 miles, so that there will be room far 50,000 people if the new field proves to be the success which many predict for it. But, as already stated, ifc is impossible, until I reach the scene of operations, to send you anything of a definite character. Even the resident at this placa, the sergeant of police, and other Government officials, know absolutely nothing 'about the prospects of the digging g. Final Notes. View Hill, 15 mile 3 from here, which has hitherto been the township, is now nearly deserted. The two remaining storekeepars being engaged in removing their effects to Wyndham, which is rapidly sesuming a busineds-like and active appearance. Already we have even a veritable Shoreditch Cheap-Jack, who dispenses hia wares in our main street, and has a shooting gallery attached thereto. Five hundred miners are at Wyndham, and 1,500 en route for the diggings. There is a superabundance of stores, which are being sold at ridiculously low rates. Quarter bag 3 of flour are selling ats?. The diggers are determined to keep the Chinese out of the country. The weather ia cool.