The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-08-09
NEWS NOTES FROM
COLONIAL FILES

| The amount expended by the Aus
| tralian government in old-age pension.
during 1866 is 81, 445, 900 to q, ,402 pen
sieners
\ The Auckland city council is con
sidering a municipal workmen's hous
1 ing scheme on the lines of that o
| Glasgow.
The memorial for the late Premier
Seddon will take the form of a univers-
Iity scholarship in Butler and manga
hua counties, N. z.
A bookmaker on the Melbourne
track, who had been detected in welch-
ing, was caught by an infuriated moi
and kicked to death.
The Queensland state parliament pro-
poses to hold a referendum regarding
the introduction of religious instruction
in the public schools.
The return OF Sir Joseph Ward from
abroad has been welcomed throughout
the country. He will succeed the late
Hon. r. J. Seddon, as premier.
The New Zealand press is congratu-
lating the New Zealand Insurance
Company for the prompt way in which
it met its. losses in the San Francisco
fire.
Government analyses Of the liquors
sold in Australia show that a per cent,
of the whisky sold, per cent. of the
brandy and 80 per cent. of the rum
are not genuine.
Australian temperance societies, hav-
ing secured the passing of an anti
canteen law, are now pressing for the
abolition of the bar at the House of
Parliament itself.
It has been discovered that systema-
tic thievfng of gold is being carried on
at the Kalgoorlie mine. 1t is estimated
that the company has been losing from
$500, 900 to $350.000 annually in this way
The New Zealand railway working
account for the four weeks ending
July 23 show an income of 1S9.071
pounds with working expenses of 125,-
S12 pounds. The profit on the 2407
miles operated was thus over 100000
for the country.
Coolies on the Colonial Sugar refin-
ing companys plantation, on Fiji, at
tackled the manager, Joseph Belt, re-
Gently. as he slept. He was cut and
slashed with cane knives and left for
dead. The murderous coolies have
been arrested.
The New Zealand government has
been asked to nationalize the oil fields
of the country ana rSlfnpOSe the I'M
port duty on kerosene. The recent
placing of kerosene on the free list has
not reduced the price charged by the
Standard Oil Company.
The New South Wales employees OF
Reckitt & Sons shared a bonus of SIS
coo. the firm requesting that no. por-
ton of it be spent in intoxicating liq
lors. Subsequently the firm presented
each of its other employees with a |
guinea, making the same request.
A landing party from the French |
cruiser Vaucluse burned a native vii
age on Malekula island, one of the |
New Hebrides group. last month. This |
vas done as punishment for the murder
If three French sailors by the natives.
Who had eaten their victims after the
massacre The punitive expedition
ound the village deserted, the natives
,aving fled at their approach.
AS a result of the agitation in Aus
raIia. for the exclusion of the Orientals
md the political talk of White Aus
raIia a number of boys at German
-reetz formed a band for the killing
f the Chinese in the district. To Sc
,,re funds for their work they at
en,pted to rob the house of a farmer
nd when detected brutally murdered
he three inmates of the house. The
fair has created a great stir in the
'olonies.