AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 266, 20 March 1911, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

A GIRL'S MASQUERADE. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Melbourne, March 18. A girl at Bcndigo was charged with behaving in an offensive manner in a public place. She appeared in court dressed in male clothing. For three months she had posed as a boy and worked at various employments—for a time as a. policeman's assistant. The court decided'to give her a chance conditional on her assuming proper clothing. A DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANE. Brisbane, March 18. During the eyclone at Cairns a cottage was lifted off the blocks and safely deposited a few yards away. A great number of houses were badly damaged, and the cargo sheds on the wharves collapsed. The full force of the storm was felt at Nelson, and at Mulgrave a house had the roof blown off and other extensive damage done. Twelve inches of rain fell in 30 hours. POTATO BLIGHT. \ Melbourne, March 18. \ At an inter-State conference of Ministers of Agriculture it was decided that experiments should be made in all the States in spraying potatoes for Irfsh blight. The conference held that the evidence removed all doubt as to the efficiency of the method, which is to be made compulsory. CHARGE OF MURDER. Sydney, March IS. Wellman, who quarrelled with his brother after a party at Globe on December 24 and shot, him, has been acquitted on a charge of murder. FREMANTLE DOCK. Frcmantle, March 18. It is intended to increase the size of the Government dock by 700 ft. in order to accommodate the Federal cruisers. THE SOLAR ECLIPSE. Sydney, March 18. Tl\e visiting solar eclipse scientists strongly urge the claims for the establishment of a solar physics observatory in the Commonwealth,'as the matter is of world-wide importance. NEW STEAMER SERVICE. Melbourne, March IS. A conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the different States approved a proposal to secure a direct line of steamers between Australia and Manchester. TIMBER-STACKERS' STRIKE. Brisbane, March 18. There is a recrudescence of trouble with the timber-stackers. The masters refused a conference, and the men thereupon dumped the timber on the wharves instead of placing it in waggons. Work I is at a standstill, and several vessels are I held up. I