AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 226, 29 October 1909, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

BUSH FUtES IN QUEENSLAND. Uy Gable.—Press Association.—Cop,* rig", Brisbane, October 28. Bush fires at Silso destroyed 70,000 ucies of grass.

THE PRICE OF COAL. Sydney, October 28. The col'ieries have decided to retain .Is as the selling price of coal.

A SUICIDE CASE. Melbourne, October 28. Mr. Lee Archer, manager of the Vie toiia Insurance Company, committed suicide by shooting himself with a revolver. Recently deceased was granted leave owing to ill-health.

A CYCLING RECORD. Melbourne, October 28. J. Salvima cycled from Sydney to Melbourne in 55 hours 50 minutes, reducing the record by 8S minutes, though the roads were in poor condition.

CANTEENS PROHIBITION. Melbourne, October 28.

The Licensed Victuallers' Conference discussed Ihe question of prohibiting the sale of ll'iiior at canteens, and agreed that Parliament 'would make a serious jnational mistake by forbidding the sale.

ALLEGED LIBEL. . Melbourne, October 28. During the hearing of the case Mutual and Citizens' Life Company v. the National Mutual Life Assurance Company, n claim of £20,000 damages, several w itnesscs deposed that the agents of the National Mutual Life Company had utilised the articles published in' the newspaper Clarion for prejuctiomg them against the Citizens' Company.

ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. Sydney, October 28. The Gnu'i-mneiil Savings Bank report shows that the amount granted under the Advances to Settlers Act last year was £273,202.