COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2692, 23 December 1909, Page 5

COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS.

CABLE NEWS.-

HEAT AND BUSH FIRES.

(Jnitkd I’behb ahbooiatkjn—Cofyuujut SYDNEY, Dec. 22.

Great destruction has been caused by bush fires in the Riverina district. The losses include much bagged wheat, MELBOURNE, Dec. 22.

A severe heat wave prevails. There are bush fires in all directions. At Donald many acres of standing crops and 20,000 hags of wheat were burned. Thq total damage is £50,000. At Cobram 1600 bags of wheat and 60 acres of barley were destroyed. -■ , At Charlton an old man named Steward entered a burning house to secure valuables and was burned to death. Reports from other districts state that immense areas of grass and crops have been destroyed. A number of settlers have lost their homes.

A GOVERNMENT APPOINTMENT

SYDNEY, Dec,-22

Mr. Garland, a Legislative Councillor, has been appointed Solicitor-Gen-, eral and Minister for Justice, and relieves Mr. Wade, the Premier, of the work iof these departments. Mr. Wade proposes to leave for New Zealand next week. TEACHERS WANT VOTES. The teachers’ annual conference adopted resolutions demanding full civil and political privileges, and in favor of the creation of the chair of domestic science at the University. . METEOROLOGY. The Council of the University at Melbourne has recommended the creation of a- lectureship in meteorology. ROBBED A POST OFFICE. Masked men broke into a country fost office } when the postmaster was in bed. They rifled the safe and obtained £6O.

VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE. BRISBANE, Dec. 22. Mr. Kidston states that Sir Joseph Ward either musunderstood the position or had been misreported in stating that Queensland was agreeable, to Auckland replacing Brisbane as a port of call for the Vancouver boats. When it was proposed to omit Brisbane, Mr. Kidston made a strong protest to Mr. Deakin, and because of these representations Brisbane, was continued as a port of call.

WIRELESS IN THE PACIFIC.

MELBOURNE, Dec. 22

The Wireless Conference has, concluded. It adopted a report which will be submitted to the various Governments concerned, and to the Admiralty. The decision in the meantime will not be made public. It is understood that it recommends a system of wireless to work in conjunction with the Pacific cable, the installations to be carried out by the Governments interested on a proportional basis, and that a staff, probably subject to the Pacific Cable Board, will be created to undertake operating. A system of stations is suggested to be established at Fiji, Solomon Islands, Ocean Island, New Hebrides, Rarotonga, Tonga, and other points. TERRIBLE EPIDEMIC IN NEW GUINEA. THURSDAY ISLAND, Dec. 22. The mission steamer reports that dysentery is raging among the natives in the central division of New Guinea, where hundreds are dying. ACCIDENT TO A STEAMER. (Received December 23, 12.5 a.m.) ADELAIDE, Dec. 22. The Federal Houder liner Kent, outward bound, struck a sunken wreck at the Semaphore anchorage and damaged the bottom plates to an extent unknown. A FATAL EXPLOSION. MELBOURNE, Dec. 22. Three men, named MfcCormack, Bentley, and Willen, have succumbed to injuries received through the explosion of a cask of spirits near Cloncurry.