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INTERCOLONIAL,
VICTORIA.
During the past month interest has centred
principally in political matters. The Eailway
Construction Bill having been agreed to in the
Legislative Assembly was passed on to the
Legislative Council. A large amount of evidence
was taken at the bar, and the Council deter
mined to adopt seven of the lines proposed by
the Government. The route of the Goulburn
Valley line has been changed, and a direct line
from Oakleigh, via Camberwell, to Hawthorn,
whence running powers are given over the
Hobson's Bay Eailway, has been substituted for
the direct line to Oakleigh, a saving of £50,000
being thus secured. The route proposed by the
Government and adopted by the Assembly was
severely condemned by the official engineers. The
Bill has since been passed by the Council.
The Land Tax Bill has also received the
assent of the Lower House by a large majority.
Its object is to impose a tax on land according
to its grazing capability. The lands are to be
divided into four classes, valued at £4, £3, £2,
and £1 per acre, and the tax will be £1 53. on
every £100 of the capital value. All lands up
to the value of £2,500 are exempt. In the
course of the debate on the second reading it
was stated that including leased land 21,000,000
acres are held by stockowners, supporting only
7,000 persons, while the. 6,000,000 acres held by
selectors supported 100,000 persons. The mea
sure was read a first time in the Legislative
Council on Tuesday, September 11, and on the
following day it was decided to put off the
second reading until September 23. Mr. Berry,
the Premier, evidently anxious to force on a
quarrel with the Upper House, accepted this as
a hostile vote, and on the meeting of the
Assembly next day moved the adjournment of
the House till Tuesday, September 25, in order
to mark their sense of the conduct of the
Council with regard to a Bill which, he says, has
been accepted by the country, and is the key to:
the Government proposals. The motion was
objected to, as notice had not been given, and a;
preliminary adjournment was therefore made
until Tuesday, when it was resolved to adjourn
until Thursday, September 27. During the
debate on the second reading of the Bill in the
Council Sir Charles Sladen moved that it be
laid aside, with a view to a conference being
held with the Assembly, but the Postmaster
General stated that it was unlikely the proposi
tion would be assented to. The free-gift
preamble, the large and irresponsible powers of
the proposed commissioners, and the class legis
lation were the principal objections urged
against the measure. After a discussion which
lasted several days the second reading was
carried by 16 to 11, and the Bill has been passed
after protest and an amendment for ? its rejec
tion, which was not pressed to a division.
A caucus of members of the Assembly, at
which 54 were represented, has resolved that
the payment of members is necessary for the
maintenance of the political rights of the people.
Sir Gavan Duffy, in reply to Mr. JohnBright's
letter to the Times, has written quoting from
his diary of April 21, 1S66, the result of his
conversation with that gentleman. Having
asked Mr. Bright what he would do under the
circumstances if he found himself in his (Sir G.
Duffy's) place, Mr. Bright replied— 'I would
endeavour under the circumstances to come tb
an arrangement with the Protectionists to take
an Act imposing a duty of 25 per cent, for 10
years upon certain articles, with the under
standing that it should then cease.' His free
trade convictions, he added, would not hinder
him from doing this under the circumstances in
which the colonists of Victoria found them
selves.
Great activity is being shown in the prepara
tions for the representation of the colony at the
Paris Exhibition, and the Commissioners havp
telegraphed for more space than it was at first
thought would be required. :
The Legislative Assembly has debated the
question of establishing a mail service via
the Cape of Good Hope, but the subject dropped
without any result being arrived at. Tke Hon.
Graham Berry said that Messrs. Green's offer
having apparently fallen through the Govern
ment would be driven to the alternative of
calling for tenders.
It is expected that the new Public Offices in
Melbourne will be finished at the end of the
year. It is said that a saving of about £2,500 a
year in rents can bo secured by the rearrange
ment of the departments ; and the site of the
Land Offices, which is to be sold, is valued at
£10,000.
In the Assembly the Stock Tax Bill was moved
by Mr. Berry, who said that it was a fair and
just impost against which he had not heard a
single argument. He reiterated his previous
statement that instead of increasing the price of
meat the probabilities were the other way. An
amendment was inserted exempting calves under
six months old. It was pointed out that while
the landholders were called upon to pay a tax
on their land they would be more than re
munerated by the increased price of sheep, and
that the people would have to pay it. There is
no opposition to the tax.
The amendment of the tariff is still proceed
ing. The duty now stands : — Bags and Sacks —
Corn and flour bag3 and sacks, Is. per dozen ;
all other bags and sacks (except gunnies and
sugar mats), 6d. per dozen ; woolpacks, 3&. each.
It is still contended that the tax will inflict
serious injury on the agricultural classes
The Bill for amalgamating the three Gas Com
panies of Melbourne has passed its second
reading. In it dividends are restricted to 12|
per cent., and the price of gas is fixed at 7s. 6a.
per 1,000 feet ; all profit above 12£ per cent, to
go to reduce the price to the consumer.
The Government intend to introduce a Bill
this session providing for the carrying out of the
fortifications recommended by Sir Wm. Jervois.
When these works are completed a smaller
number of men than the present Volunteer
Force will be required, but the force must he,
much more strictly trained, and as the drills
will be compulsory the State will have to
remunerate the men for the- time devoted to
them. A Military Force Bill will be introduced
nest session.
Fourteen scabby sheep shipped at Venice, and
brought to Melbourne by the K.M.S. Siam, have
been destroyed by order of the Inspector of
Sheep, and the skins burned and the pens
destroyed, so that no traces might be left.
The ship Macduff, which arrived a short time
since, ran down a fishing-boat in the English
Channel two days after leaving London, and
kept her coarse without rendering any assis
tance. Captain 'Watson was charged with the
oSence at the Melbourne Police Court, but was
dismissed, the Bench holding that as the pilot
was on board the captain was not responsible.
The Ambassador from New York had a most
disastrous voyage. On June 16 she was struck
by a tremendous sea, causing great damage, and
the captain, second mate, and three seamen were
washed overboard and drowned. The captain's
young wife was on board at the time, and she
went home from the Cape, where the vessel put
ia to refit.
The Duchess of Argyle, on her voyage from
Liverpool, was run into by the snip Belfast,
bound from India, and cut down to the gtrawals
streak. Afterwards the Duchess of Argrle'
during a tremendous gale, was dismasted And
lost a man overboard, arriving in a very disabled
condition, whichit will co3t £5,000 to nnke
good. An enquiry was held, into the facts
attending the collision by the Marine Board,
who exonerated Captain Matthias, o! the
Duchess of Argyle, from the charge of neglect
ing to save life at sea in the collision. The
Board found that Armstrong, the chief officer,
had been guilty of misdemeanour in neglecting
to provide lights on board, but that it had no
power to deal with his certificate. The law
officers, however, intend prosecuting Captain
Matthias under the Merchant Shipping Act for
neglect of dnty.
Some months ago £1,600 worth of jewellery
was stolen from Mr. Goldstein's shop in Mel
bourne. Recently about £1,000 worth of it was
discovered concealed in the wall of a back yard
in the city, and four men Lave been committed
for trial for being concerned in the robbery.
The sum of £7,000 has already been raised in
aid of the Indian Famine Relief Fund. Mr. W.
J. Clarke gave £2,000.
Four young men who were concerned in the
death of F. William Scully at a prize fight have
been convicted, and have received light sen
tences, as it was shown that the deceased was
the aggressor.
During the three months ending June 30 the
total estimated yield of gold both from alluvial
and. quartz mining was 201,064 ozs., of which
72,784 ozs. were from alluvial diggings and
128,284 ozs. from quartz mines. Of the total
quantity 140,162 ozs. were exported. The yield
! in 1876 was 963,017 ozs. whereas calculated at
the rate for the past six months it will this year
he only 805,000. The total number of miners
at work is 38,916, of whom 10,436 are Chinese,
or a total decrease of 2,227 since the end of last
year. ? ?
NEW SOUTH WALES.
Ihe elections which followed the appointment
of Sir John Eobertson's Ministry resulted in
the return of all the Ministers, but on the
meeting of the Assembly on September 18 Mr.
Farnell gave notice of a want-of-confidence
motion for next day, whieh there was every
probability of being carried by a majority of
eight or ten votes.
Sir John Eobertson, in his Ministerial state
ment, said he intended to ask the House to pass
the Estimates submitted by the late Govern
ment, with any additions considered necessary.
He would introduce a Bill dealing with certain
portions of the land law, and would also endea
vour to pass a Bill to increase the representation
of certain electorates without submitting any
alteration in the districts or making new rolls,
which would involve delay. If tho House were
willing to pass these measures he would speedily
dissolve Parliament. Sir Henry Parkes con
demned the Government for informing the
House of intended legislation in the face of a
direct motion of want of confidence ; also for
taking up the late Government Estimates, which
they themselves opposed. Next day the
Premier's motion for leave to introduce an
Electoral Bill was carried without a division. A
motion for suspending the Standing Orders to
enable a Supply Bill to be introduced was
negatived. The following day Sir John
Eobertson said that after a long Cabinet meet
ing he had had an interview with the
Governor, and had asked him for a dissolu
tion, but£the Governor had declined to grant
it unless Supply was obtained. He thereupon
tendered j.the resignation of the Ministry,
which the Governor accepted and then sent for
Mr. Stuart, and afterwards Messrs. Stephen,
Campbell, and Brown, but neither was able to
form an Administration. On the '28th. Sir John
Eobertson read a letter from the Governor,
explaining that as the position of parties had
rendered it impracticable to form a Government ;
capable of obtaining the passing of an Appro- :
priation Act he was reluctantly compelled to,
grant Sir John Eobertson a dissolution whether '.
supplies were granted or not. The Premier;
stated that he would submit the additional and :
the other Estimates recently submitted, to be;
embodied in the Appropriation Bill with items ?
already agreed to. If this course were approved
he would ask for two months' supply. The,
Supply Bill has since been passed by the!
Assembly. ' .
The revenue shows an increase on the cor
responding quarter of last year of over £81,000.
The land sales have yielded over £66,000 ; the
Customs, exclusive of the Murray duties,1
£249,433 ; the border. duties exhibited a decrease
of £11,158. There is a great decrease 'i a provi
sional pre-emptive rights, and conditional pur
chases have also decreased to the extent of
nearly £26,000. ' - :?: ..?..;
The prolonged drought has at last broken up,
fine rains having fallen throughout the country.'
A dastardly attempt upon the life of Mr. H. C.
Eussell, the Government Astronomer, was made,
on Saturday, September 8. Shortly after 2 o'clock
that day a youth about 19 or 20 years of age
called at the Observatory and left a small box
addressed to Mr. Eussell. Upon being partly
opened the box was found to contain gunpowder.
It was then taken outside the building and
opened cautiously by Mr. Eussell, who found it
to' contain four and a half pounds of blasting
powder and sixteen matches standing on end,
the sulphurous tips being uppermost ; also a
sheet of sandpaper gummed to the upper side
of the lid, so that the friction in withdrawing
the lid would ignite the matches and cause an
explosion.- A gingerbeer bottle filled with
powder was also found inside the box, containing
combustibles sufficient to blow the whole es
tablishment down. The instrument seemed to
have been prepared carefully. George 'W.
Faithful, a messenger at the Observatory, has
since been committed for trial for attempting
the life of Mr. Eussell. . . : .
The Government have determined that thp
colony shall be represented at the Paris, Exhibi
tion, and pending the appointment of a Eoval
Commission the Premier has authorized the
Agricultural Society to invite the co-operation
of woolgrowera. ?
The Working Men's Defence Association has
issued a manifesto programme with the view of
preventing'public money being expended on
immigration, the encouragement of .manufac
tures and colonial industries, electoral reform op.
the basis of population, payment of members,
land law amendment, and obtaining provision
for the better development of mineral resources.
A great destruction of property occurred at
Wallsend owing to the falling in of a coalpit.
The 'Wesleyan chapel, costing £1,200, was totally
destroyed; Watkins's hc/tel settled down two
feet, and all the plastering' was cracked and
shattered. About a dozen other places either
settled down or canted on one side. The streets
in the locality were full of great openings, and
much alarm was in consequence felt by all the
residents of the surrounding localities. _ j
The Eifle Association intend endeavouring jo
raise £1CO to send next winter for an Associa
tion medal to be competed for at 'Wimbledon. '
At the opening of the public school at New
town, the largest in the colony, Professor Smi^h
made a long speech on educational matters, arid
defended the present system. He observed that
it was gradually but surely shutting out the
denominational system, and pointed out that
the attendance in proportion to the population
is greater than in any of the other colonies or
even in England.
Eevival services are now being held in Sydney
by Dr. Somerville with great success, his daily
meetings being attended by 1,000 and his
evening meetings by 4,000 to 6,000 people.
A movement has been started in aid of the
Indian Famine Belief Fund. i
A man named Samuel Getting killed two
police-constables— Costigan and Armitage— at
Bourke by shooting them, made a .murderops
assault on Inspector Keegan, and then drowned
himself in the river. He is supposed to have
been insane.
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