AUSTRALIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1920, Page 5

AUSTRALIA.

GENERAL ITEMS. By Telegraph—Press Aun.—Copyright, Received Oct. 17,6.5 p.m. Sydney, Oct. 17. A meeting of union delegates decided to deputationise the Government and urge that the Board of Trade lie directed to review its judgment in connection with the living wage increase recently granted; also that the Government should immediately inaugurate a scheme for family endowment. , Sydney, Oct. 16. '*• The death of Mr. Fingleton, Labor member for the Eastern Suburbs, has rendered a fourth seat vacant in the Assembly. Owing to the strike of municipal em«.'' ployees at Broken Hill, the Government has decided to take fcontrol of the sanW .. tary services there. Mr. Storey states that as meat should ; be at least threepence per pound cheaper *1 in Sydney, the Government will take effective action in that direction. p Brisbane, Oct. 15. There is now only one doubtful seat * in Kennedy where the Labor candidate is leading. The state of the parties at f present is as follows:—Labor 39, Couni i try Party 19, Nationalists 12, Soldier*' | Party 1, Independent Country Party 1< * Sydney, Oct. 16. I Mr. Daniel Hawkins, statistical officer 1 of the Board of Trade, at the 44-hour ' inquiry, stated that the average pro« I duction in New South Wales for th* five years 1909 to 1913 was £M,OQQ,QOft In the years 1914 to 1919 it was £58,• 4 000,000, based on the same standard of value, but based on the present standard of value the production in 1919 totalled £98,000,000. i Mr. Dunn {Minister of Agriculture) ' told a deputation of wheat growers that wheat was not easily sold. Whilst ths prices would ! be reasonable, there would ; he no fabulous prices. • He was introducing a Bill to give them the world's par* ity, which might or might not fall bwnf the flat rate which he suggested previously. The executive of the Australian Lafcot Party has recommended the Government io buy wheat, based on the cost of production for local consumption and obtain the best possible price for the export* able surplus. Melbourne, Oct. 16. In the House of Representatives an amendment to the Budget proposals moved by Mr. Mc'Williams, the Country Party lender, was defeated by 28 votes to 22, Labor and Country voting togsther. l'our of the latter did jiot votf, jand 22 members paired. Replying to a question regarding ths newspaper announcement that no Geneva conference would bo held, Mr. Hughes (Federal Premier) attacked the Press, saying that the first basic principle of mankind should be to disbelieve the newspapers. "The people writing these things, lie declared, "don't even know where Geneva is.»-Ans.-N Z. Cable Assn. '