AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8203, 6 August 1906, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE MAIL CONTRACT. MELBOURNE, August 4. The House of Representatives has ratified the amendments in the mail contract made by the Senate. They are not important. Sir William Lyne announced his inceutiou to propose a considerable increase in the vote under the Bounties Bill. SUPPOSED SUICIDE. MELBOURNE, August 4. At Charters Towers a youth named Aitken left a note stating that he intended to commit suioide. His charred remains, with a bullet in the head, were found neaT a heap of ashes. He had evidently lit a r big fire stood close by and snot himself. MINING. AN IMPORTANT FIND. MELBOURNE, August 4. A wash of dirt yielding 3dwt per dish has beeu struck in the Cathcart Mine, Ararat. The find is regarded as of great importance, and is apparently a continuation of the rich Heatherboll lead. ROWING. \ ' THE VETERANS' RACE. Received August 5, 8.8 p.m. SYDNEY, August 4. The veterans' rowing race resulted: —P. Kemp 1, G. Layoock 2, W. Beach 3. The weather was fine and the water smooth. There was au enormous attendance. The betting was five to four on Kemp, two to one on Beach. The coarse «vas about a mile and a-balf. It was a good start. Green, the limit man, maintained the advantage with surprising vigour, and was not displaced till Tennyson was reached. Here Kemp, who steadily improved his position, went to the front with Beach third. The latter got into seoond position soon after. Then Layoock, spurting brilliantly, went up to second plane off the gasworks, and going strongly overlapped Kemp at Putney. The wash from a launch interfered with Layoook, but *despite this it took Kemp all he could do to keep in front to the finish. Kemp won by half a length. Beach was four lengths off third. Then followed Pearoe, Reynolds, Rush and Green, in that order. Time, Bmin 40sec. (In 1888 Kemp defeated T. Clifford and Hanlan (twice) for the championship of the worldj but was defeated later in the same year by Hi Searle. In 1890 P. Kemp defeated Neil Matterson for the championship. Layoock rowed for the championship in 1884. being defeated by Hanlan. Ohas. Reynolds was one time <» noted Australian sculler, and is credited with doing the Parramatta champion oourse (3 miles 330 yards) in 20min 6sac. W. Beach won the world's championship in 1884 (beat Hanlan), 1885 (teat Hanlan and Neil Matterson), 1886 (beat J. Gaudaur and Wallace Ross), and 1887 (beat Hanlan). LADIES' DOUBLE SCULLS CHAMPIONSHIP. Received August 5, 5.40 p.m. SYDNEY, August 5. Six orews started for the Ladies' Double Sculls Championship, on the Parramatta, yesterday. The raoe was finely contested from start to finish, and was won by Mesdames Woodbridge and Hyde, who covered the mile and a-half j uourse in 12min 32860. • _ .