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NEWS OF. TEE DAY.
Tlie earliest dale on which the Federal
Parliament is now expected to rise is about
13th August. .Mr. Fisher does not expect
to be able to make his financial statement
before next week, aud it- is unlikely that
the new taxation bill which has been fore
shadowed will make its appearance before
that time. Meanwhile there are two or
three short machinery 'measures in connec
tion with the Loan 'isul to be disposed of,
and also an Amending War Pensions Bill.
The Treasurer's financial statement is d,..
layed chielly by the various departmental
estimates, which are understood to even
exceed those of the previous year, in spite
of the cry in other respects for rigid eco
nomy. The Senate on Thursday will con
tinue the second reading of the £20,000,000
Loan Bill.
It has been definitely decided by the
?Federal - Government that the small arms
factor}' at LiUigow shall eventually -be
transferred to the Pederal capital, as was
recently recommended by the Parliamen
tary Public Works Committee, lt is not
intended to interfere with the output of
rifles at Lithgo.v until the Canberra fac
tory is ready, for work. The construction
of Canberra factory, it is estimated, will
occupy eighteen months from the time of
starting work. Tho estimated cost is
£92,000.' Tho machinery lias already been
ordered, and, aa -already stated, some of ' it
'is expected to readh the . Commonwealth
about the end of tho present year.
Another effort to give life to the new,
city, building regulations, which have been
under the consideration of tho City Coun
cil for fully ten years, was made' at the
meeting of the council yesterday. Cr.
fStapley, who has ?'fathered' the regula
tions for many years, made an appeal to
the council to pass them through the , final
stage. But the old conservatism of the
City Council seems to be still vaguely fear
some of some dreadful cataclysm being
produced by change. Alderman Sir Arthur
Snowden moved as an amendment that
the regulations be referred ? back to the
legislative committee for ''further con
sideration.' Sir Arthur Snowden pre
dicted that if the council adopted the regu
lations they would only have more 'litiga-
tion and botheration.'' On t/iie motion of
Cr. Morcll, it was decidod to hold a special
meeting of tlie council to discuss the regu
lations. i t is proBOsed that the by-law
setting forth the new regulations shall ap
Biid shall have operation Uhorein from the
date after the publication thereof, iu the
'?'Government Gazette,' except as to the
areas which up to IBOo were known as the
town of Xbrth Melbourne and the borough
of Flemington aud Kensington, as to each
of wliidii parts the by-law shall have
operation only on and from 1st November
next. The special meeting of the council
will be held on Monday next.
At a meeting of the City Council yester
day Or. ?-tai-ley, chairman of the public
works committee, expressed his disappoint
ment that, although the council had called
for tenders for 5,000.000 red gum blocks for
the paving of St. Kilda-roail and Sydriey
loud, tenders for less Oh an 400,000 had
been received. He explained that tenders
would be again called for, with modifica
tions in the specifications making the con
tracts more attractive to tenderers. Cr.
Swanson suggested that the council might
save money in freight if the blocks were
inspected at the mills, instead of in Mel
bourne, as was tlie custom at present.
A First Aid class is to start on Thursday
next in 'The Age' ollice. It is under the
auspices of the .St. John Ambulance Asso
ciation, and Dr. Rosenberg, of Richmond,
is to be the lecturer. A euitable room will
be made available for the purposes of the
class. ?
The Minister for External Affairs lias
decided to' order tiie release of a man
named Bernasconi, who is undergoing a
sentence ot twelve months' imprisonment
by the Papuan court for an offence against
natives. Bernasconi appealed against the
?sentence to the High Court on a point o£
law, but the appeal, was not sustained.
Subsequently a petition was signed and
forwarded to Mr. .Million, asking for the
man's release, aud as he has now com
pleted about half the period o£ trne sen
tence, the Minister has decided to comply
witli the request. The petition did not
question the decision of tho court, but was
based on the grounds of mercy.
The question having been raised as to
what printed matter should Ibe allowed on
the covers in which postal packets are
?wrapped, the Postal department has made
known the following restrictions: — Such
printed matter must bo of a character that
it would be admissible if printed upon the
articles enclosed, i£ 'must refer only to the
business of the sender, and must leave a
clcar and conspicuous place for the name
aud address.
In reference to the action by Unomas j
William Cooper, furrier, against James i
William Styles, auctioneer, heard in the
County Court by Judge Moule and a jury j
of four last week, tho address of plaintiff,
as given in the County Court summons,
was wrongly stated as of 'Moulemein,' j
Bowen-terrace, Melbourne, instead of Col- 1
lins-street, Melbourne. We are desired to |
state that Mr. T. W: Cooper, who resides
in Bowen-terrace, is not a furrier, and had
no connection with the case.
Persons in the vicinity ot Spring-street,
in Collins-street, last evening were treated
to a display of pyrotedhnics which, for the
moment, was rather terrifying in its as
l-ect. in order to cut out. a section of the
lighting system in Collins-street, it was
found necessary to excavate the footpath at
Spring-street. 'While the men were in a
miniature treneli that had been formed
near one of the inlcr-connccting boxes, a
leak in the electric wire took place. With
a spiteful liiss' a Huge, tongne of vivid blue
flame shot skywards'. The startled work
men fell backwards, but soon recovered
their composure. Dozens of pedestrians who
Shad seen the flame hurried to the spot,
while those who were standing near by got
away as quickly as they cottld. Tho first
outburst was followed by the 'burning of
the pitch lining round the wires, while the
offices and houses served with energy by
tihat particular section wore plunged into
darkness. Within a few moments an elec
tric motor car from the City Council work
shop with the necessary gear arrived, and
about half an hour later a new fnse had
heSn inserted and the defect in the lighting
service remedied.
The principle of allowing apprentices em
ployed in workshops time off during the
day to attend schools of technical instruc
tion was affirmed by the meeting of the
Working Men's College Council last night.
Some members suggested that circum
fitanccs might militate against tho success
of technical instruction being given in tlio
day instead of at night, but it was generally
recognised that in Anew of the great bene
fits that would bo derived by apprentices
no effort should ibe considered too great to
bring the seheme into oporation. In a
motion which was passed it was dccided
that the co-operation of employers be
sought in the matter.
Interesting facts relating to Henry
Howey, the first settler in (lisbome dis
trict, were the snbject,of a paper read lost
evening by Dr. N. M. O'Donnell, at the
sixth annual meeting of the Historical
Society of Victoria. Ilenry Howey, it
U'na cfrnlw? linrl /v\-frvncivi* liirwl^rl in f
in New South Wales at the time of the
opening up of the southern half of Vic
toria, and his .stock was driven across tho
border from his estate at Stratheaxn, near
Goulburn. In June, 1837, laud in Mel
bourne, now bordered by Collins, Bourke,
Swanston and Elizabeth streets, valued at
?L'IS-I. was offered for sale, and Howey
hesitatingly purchased two acres for £120.
Iu 1883 this land was worth to his heirs
£1,139,500, or 0196 times the - purchase
price. On 21st June, 1838, Howey, with
his wife and family of six, 6ailed from
Sydney in the schooner Sarah, of 46 tons,
which was lost on the trip to Melbourne.
Dr. O'Donnell adduced facts to support tlie
contention that Howey held ti sea cap
tain's certificate, and was probably the
owner of the ill-fated Sarah.
Professor Tucker will lecture to-morrow
evening on the' Principles of Greek Art
as Illustrated in Sculpture. The lecture,
which will be the second of the series ar
ranged by 'the trustees of the Public
Library, Museums and National Gallery
for the present winter, will be delivered
in the Latrobe Gallery. Numerous lantern
slides will be shown by tlie lecturcr in
illustration of his subject.
. Out of 69 applications for awards con
sidered by the court of directors of the
Royal Humane Society of Australasia dur
ing the yenj ended 30th June, 1915, awards
were made in 32 cases. The registered
number of applications did not, however,
by any means cover the extent of the in
quiries made by the society in this connec
tion. One silver medal, ten bronze medals
and 21 certificates of merit were awarded.
The silver medal and four bronze medals
and seven certificates were captured by
Western Australia . Victoria came next,
with three bronze medals and eight certifi
cates. Queensland was third, with tiro
medals and five certificates, and Tasmania
secured one medal and one certificate. At
the annual meeting yesterday of the Royal
Hinnane Society of Australasia, the report
and balance sheet were adopted, and the
retiring court of directors and office bear
ers re-elected.
Mr. A. E. .)? Quick, mOToiary ot Hie Stettxxirne
Total ?Alist.invnoe .Sorict.v, mil lie the speaker at
?the Teiiiiperatifle Hall, KniKseli-f'trei^t, , to-ui^ht, at
8 o'clock. Oliaimum, Mr. A. II. »--eiiiy.
\t the Rovitl Victorian Institute of Architects'
meeting tottiplit. at S' o'clock, after business, Mr.
William iairas, F.II.C.-S., Trill Kive a lecture on
South Africa— Its ArdiiteaiK and Architecture,
illustrated by lantern slides. Jlcnvbcu oi kindred
institutes sod other W enat amted.
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