AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8208, 11 August 1906, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE LANDS SCANDAL

Received August 11, 12.10 a.m

SYDNEY, August 10

The hearing of the oonspirncy charge against Willis, Criqk and Bath 13 proceeding. The evidence so far deals with moneys paid to Willis to secure leases.

SHIPPING

Reoeived August 11, 12.10 a.m.

NEWCASTLE, August 10. Sailed—Port Stephen, for Wellington.

NEW DUTIES. deceived August 11, 12.10 a.m. MELBOURNE, August 10. The following now duties are proposed in addition to the duties im* posed by the Customs tariff 'on the following goods: The following duties shall be imposed—Manufacture of metal, viz , stripper harvesters, stump-jump ploughs, strippers, disc, cultivators, winnowers, horse or other power, per oent.; plough, plough shares, hnrrowe, chaff-cutters, horse gear, cultivators other than disc, scarifiers, malleable and other castings fof agricultural implements, 7J« per cent, bined cornshell and bagger, -and combined cornsUeller andjjhusker, 25 per cent.; plough mould boards, 20 per cent.; cornsheller and corn huskers, 20 per oent. The following goods shall be free of Custom* duty: Hand-worked rakes, ploughs, corubluedjjhay tedders, maize harvesters, maize binders, maize planters, mould board plates in rough and not out into shape, potato sorters, potato :aisers or diggers. Spflaking in the House of Representatives Sir W v Lyne, Minister of Customs, said he v?as compellei to take this action in order to protect the Revenue. He had not had time to go into the tariff commission's recommendations, and it was possible that at some future time the Government might modify its proposals. The Government proposed to adopt the following recommendation of the Commissioner:—'"That if the retail or selling price of any implement or machine sold in Australia similar to that on which additional duty is imposed, be raised above jarioes ruling in Australia in 1905, the GovernorGeneral. on receipt of a joint address from both Houses, may suspend the collection of additional duties for such time as it is deemed advisable." Another recommendation that it was intended to adopt was:—"That if the manufacturers after the expiration of one year from the passing of the Act do not pay their workmen a reason able wage the Governor General may suspend the collection of additional duty upon any suoh machine or implement deemed advisabe."

FEDERAL GAMBLING BILL.

Received August [lO, 10.13 a.m. MELBOURNE, August 10. The Federal Gamhing Bill, to be introduced nest week, is a very drastic measure, "foto" shops will be quarantined, and every person entering tb«m is liable to a fine. Any person can bring a case before a Supreme Court Judge, and if he can prove Tex parte that reasonable grounds exist for believing that the building is used for gambling purposes, the ocoupier will be called on to prove to the contrary. I Received August 10. 10.27 a.m. MELBOURNE, August 10. Betting will be declared an illegal thoiigb not necessariiy punishable offence, but betting debts will not be recoverable at law. Probably bettiug will not be prohibited on the racecourse or in a private huuoe, but it will be everywhere else, and a heavy fine will be imposed for the first offence, and imprisonment for all subsequent charges.