AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8341, 25 January 1907, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 24. The Federal Parliament will meet on February 20th. Received January 24, 10.25 p.m. fj MELBOURNE, January 24. Mr Maugher, honorary Minister, will represent the Home Department, in the House of Representatives. - MARINE ENQUIRY. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. HOBART, January 24. The Marine Board found that the barque Edenholme, which was wrecked a fortnight ago on a submerged reef three miles off Tamar Heads, was lost through want : of judgment on the part of the pilot, Mulloy. His certificate was suspended for six months. CYCLONE AT COOKTOWN. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. BRISBANE, January 24. Many persons whose residences at Cooktown were destroyed lost everything. Numbers of people were cut by flying iron. A pilot ketch, which was attending to the beacons at the time the storm occurred, has not since been heard of. A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. Received' January 25, 12.52 a.m. BRISBANE, January 24. An eye-witness at Cooktown states that it was a distressing sight to see houses lifted in the air and scat- ! tered over the waters of the har- ' bour. For' two hours the wind in cyclonic squalls in rapid succession tore past with a screech at quite a hundred miles an hour, taking with it everything moveable. Sheets of iron soared high in the air till they lookfed like playing c&rds* Part of the signal-station was blown over the steamer Aramac. The five steel hawsers mooring that vessel snapped like threads. It was heartrending to hear the shrieks of the women and children as their homes groaned and swayed under the terrible and terrific strain.

THE PLAGUE. Received January 24, 10.30 a.m. [§ BRISBANE, January 24. A case of plague is reported from Sandgate, twelve miles north of Brisbane, and two cases in the New|Farm suburb PROPOSED SYDNEY EXHIBITION: ) Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. SYDNEY, January 24. The Sydney Morning Herald throws cold,water on the Sydney Exhibition proposal, while the Daily Telegraph thinks it commendable and opportune. SETTLERS FOR VICTORIA. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 24. Under the scheme for encouraging immigration to Victoria, it is intended towered it an immigrant^who selects land in London with any payment he makes on account of passage money for himself and his family as part of a first payment for land. TheJJimmigrant will be met on his , arrival, and taken with his family free by rail to the land selected. If he should find on seeing the land | that it does no suit him, he will be j refunded any payment actually made on adcount of the land. If he deS cides to take another block, payments made on the first block will be j credited to the second. An endeavour i;; being made to arrange with the shipping companies for reduced passage rates for approved immigrants. Another novel provision is the group system, under which a group of men acquainted with one another desiring to settle as' neighbours will be allotted adjoining blocks. The department will also give agricultural labourers and milking hands every facility and assistance for finding employment, and will endeavour to have work ready for them on their arrival. The Minister is considering a proposal to encourage s'ettlers such as retiring Civil Servants to come from India. IMPERIAL NAVIGATION CONFERENCE. Received January "25, 12.40 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 24. i Sir William Lyne will accompany Mr A. Deakin to London. He will take part in the Imperial Navigation Conference. The other delegates are likely to be Messrs Dugald and Thomson. THE POSEIDON GOLDFIELD. ANOTHER BIG NUGGET FOUND. Received January 25," 12.40 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 24. A nugget weighing ten pounds has been found at Poseidon. ) HIDESgMARKET. Received January 25, 12.42 a.m. MELBOURNE, January"24. There is good competition for hides. The market is firm for .all descriptions.

CABLE NEWS.

By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright.

CRICK-WILLIS TRIAL ENQUIRY

REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER.

IRREGULARITIES DISCLOSED. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. SYDNEY, January 23. District Judge Fitzhardinge, the Royal Commissioner appointed to investigate allegations of irregularities in the jury-room on the occasion of the recent trial of Crick and Willis for conspiracy, has made his report. Judge Fitzhardinge finds that a juror named Brown was false to his oath, while Felton, 1 one of the sheriff's officers, was guilty of discussing with one juror the evidence given at the trial and with soliciting from the foreman his opinion on the case. The officer was also guilty of being improperly in the jurors' quarters. FURTHER ACTION CALLED FOR. Received January 24, 10.20 a.m. SYDNEY, January 24. In connection with the finding of the commission in the Crick-Willis jury enquiry, the Sydney Morning Herald considers that unless the At-torney-General can show that the entering of a nolle prosequi bars the way, he is bound to take further action. — / FEDERAL RECEIPTS* ' Received January 25, 12.52 a.m. MELBOURNE, January 24. The Federal receipts for the halfyear amount to £6,388,691, and the expenditure to £2,531,689. ' The sum of £677,000 was spent on relieving destitute Australians ip the San Francisco disaster. The Tariff Commission has already cost the country £IO,OOO. . SHIPPING. Received January 25, 12.40 a.m. SYDNEY, January 24. Arrived, at 6 o'clock —Sonoma. Sailed—Njord, for Hokianga; Oswestry Grange, for Auckland. HOBART, January 24. Sailed—Bell bird, for Bluff. NEWCASTLE. January 24. Sailed—Alexander Craig, for Auckland ; Manurewa for Kaipara.