AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 167, 24 October 1910, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

SCARCITY OF LABOR. • ■ By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright. Received 23, 5.5 p.m. Sydney. October 22. A great dearth of labor is reported, both skilled and unskilled. SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY. .Sydney, October 22. The universal Saturday half-holiday operates to-day. ELECTION TACTICS. Sydney, October 22. Archdeacon Boyce accuses the liquor partj* of circulating a letter purporting to emanate from the Alliance, stating that noiv the liquor trade is under its heel it wants to abolish smoking. He said this was done for the purpose of alienating sympathy. RAILWAY REVENUE. , • Sydney, October 22. : The railway earnings'for the quarter are £227,174 above those of the same quarter last year. The working expenses increased l>y £144,744. THE LAND TAX DEBATE. Melbourne, October 22. : In the Senate Mr. Symond vigorously 'attacked the land tax, declaring it was confiscation and had brought the Commonwealth to the worst point it had reached. When its true nature was realised the people would sweep away its authority. It was a class tax and wholly indefensible. The debate was adjourned.

A PERILOUS POSITION. 'Perth, October 22. • The Government escaped defeat by the casting vote of the chairman of committees on the Agricultural Bank Bill, the Opposition demanding that the bank be allowed to advance a maximum of £IOOO to" settlers instead of £750. THE NORTHERN TERRITORY. Melbourne, October 22. Mr. Hughes states that the South Australian Council's rescinding the Northern Territory agreement will not affect the attitude of the Federal Government, i In the House of Representatives Mr. Cook moved an amendment of the Con- | stitution Bill limiting the extension of industrial powers to the same as proposed by the previous Government. The motion was defeated on a purely party vote.