AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 January 1918, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE LAND SCANDAL. Auslralian-N.Z. Cable Association. Adelaide, Jan. S. The Government refused an application by Mr. Styles that a Supreme Court Judge inquire into the land scandal, and also decided to ask Mr. Jones, the Government Valuer, to resign. FUTURE OF COAL INDUSTRY. Sydney, Jan. !». The New South Wales Government's offer to supply Victoria with a million tons of coal annually for five years, at 15s a ton f.o.b. Newcastle, indicates that the Government contemplates Nationalisation of all coal mines.

The Dominion bowling tournament commences at Dunedin to-day, and will not be finished until next week. 272 vessels entered the port of New Plymouth last year, against 252 in the previous year, whilst the tonnage was 277,852, against 229,201. The imports totalled 78,300 tons, against 73,897 tons last year, and the exports 17,130, against 16,211 for 191 G. The total cargo handled was 95,520 tons last year, against 90,108 tons for 1916, whilst twenty more vessels, representing an additional tonnage of 48,651, traded at the port. A gratifying feature of last year's operations was the successful inauguration of direct shipping. Six liners called at the port, taking away considerable quantities of meat, etc., besides daily produce. Another batch of Australian slaughtermen have arrived in Taranaki to take their places on the boards of freezing works, but the local men have given notice that if the visitors are put on they- go out, and so far the companies have withheld action, The freezing works employees throughout the Dominion are acting concertedly in the matter of the employment of Australians, who they consider should not be allowed to take the places of those who are rendering military service, while the Australians are under no legal obligation to do so. Had the referendum resulted in "Yes" being carried, the Australians would have been on the same footing as New Zealanders, and then no objections would have been raised by the local slaughtermen to the men from "the other side" being employed. The falling-ofV in takings in the Auckland hotels during the holidays, on account of the curtailment of the 'hours during which liquor may be sold, is stated by several city hotelkeepers to have been very pronounced. One hotel proprietor (says the Herald) stated that his "takings on Christinas Eve showed a drop of 20 per cent., as compared with the previous Christmas Eve, while this year's takings on Boxing 'Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day, showed a decrease of 40 per cent., compared with the corresponding days of the previous year. The substantial difference between the Christmas Eve decrease and the decrease on the other holidays he attributed to the taking in of stocks overnight on account of the hotels being closed on Christmas Day. In tli.e past, he said, Boxing Day and New Year's Day had been regarded as two of the busiest of lilie holidays, particularly in the evenings, and he would not have been surprised to have seen even a greater drop than 40 per cent, on those days. Charlie Chaplin, the famous milliondollar comedian, appears at. Everybody's to-night and to-morrow night ill his latest and greatest Mutual comedy feature, "Easy Street," which is a genuine paroxysm of laughter. Misses Farkos and Muschamp, of the Big Store, W'aitara, accompanied by Miss Bland, left for on Tuesday night on a holiday cum business trip, in search of new ideas and styles for the coming autumn season.