AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1921, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

PASSAGES FOR IMMIGRANTS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Melbourne, Nov? 8 24. In the House of Representatives, a motion by Mr. Charlton to expunge the Item £162,000 passage money for assisted immigrants was defeated by 39 to 11. THE FEDERAL CONVENTION. Adelaide, Nov. 24. The Assembly passed a resolution unanimously that the Convention Bill in I the Federal Parliament was unreasoniahle. It should provide equal represent■ation for all States. An amendment for , proportional representation was defeated > bjf 21 to 14. PREFERENCE TO SOLDIERS. Sydney, Nov. 24. Tn the Assembly a Bill was introduced to terminate the preference to soldiers in employment on December 31 was read a first time by 37 votes to 35. WHEAT POOL OVER PAYMENTS. Sydney, Nov. 24. It is ascertained that over-payments in the 1915-1916 wheat pool approximated £600,000, and the current pool £400,000. RUSSIAN FAMINE COLLECTIONS. Sydney, Nov. 24. The Labor Party has issued an appeal tn the churches to set aside December 4 as a special day for collections on behalf of the starving Russian peasants.

ANTI DUMPING BILL. Melbourne. Nov. 24. In the House of Representatives, Mr. I Hughes announced that the Ministry has decided that it was desirable that the Government should cease to be owners of plantations in the mandated territories in Papua, and they would he offered for sale. Special provisions would be made to give preference to soldier purchasers EXPORT RESTRICTION REMOVED. Melbourne, Nov. 23. The regulation restricting the export of wool expired yesterday at midnight. ■ Mr. Hughes announced that the Gov--1 ernment considered it no longer justi- • fiable. but if circumstances, such as the I sudden collapse of the market from a I bear movement or any other cause arose, steps would be taken to re-im-pose "it. THE BP.AMSTON CASE. Sydney-, Nov. 23. Tn the Bramston ease counsel for the • defence, addressing the court, claimed that there was not a scintilla of evi- ; dence to warrant the sending of defendant to trial. Jf the evidence was j correct the men behind the prosecution j were not a bit bettor than the man i charged, and were guilty of the grosser crimp of attempting ,to seduce Bram- , ston to commit a crime. There was no evidence to show taht Bramston had taken a bribe. The evidence was that up to a point, where a trap had been laid for he was a clean man. • Counsel scoffed at the ridiculous idea < that Bramston should have taken a j man he had never seen before to heart i and fallen into a trap like a poor silly ; fool. After severely criticising the evij dence of the witnesses who allegedly i offered the bribe he declared that they i were parties to the conspiracy and ! engaged in a most despicable transacI tion. [ The magistrate found a prima facie ■ case against Bramston, who pleaded not guilty and reserved his defence. He was committed for trial, bail being fixed at £BO. NEW ELECTION BILL. Sydney. Nov. 24. The chief features of the Parliamentary Elections Amendment Bill, introduced in the Assembly, are compulsory enrolment, the signing of newspaper articles and letters commenting on the elections and the extension of polling hours to 8 p.m. The proportional representation system is retained, but simplified. PAY OF HARVESTERS. Sydney. Nov. 24. The Australian Labor Party asked the Farmers and Settiers’ Association to confer on the question of a new scale of pay for harvesters, involving I considerable increases. I The Association replied that, as har- ' vesting was in full swing and matters working smoothly between the employ--1 ers and employees, and there was no scarcity of labor, a conference was unnecessary.