AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 459, 27 May 1890, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

[PER ROTOMAHANA AT THE BLUFF.) Sydney, May 13. THE EGERIA. The following notice of motion bearing upon the proceedings of the recent cour martial, at which several members of the crew of H.M. survey ship Egeria were convicted of disobedience, was tabled at the meeting of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council: — 1 That this Council is of opinion that the recent court martial is an outrage upon the feelings of a democratic people, and we consider such a system of adjudication is more in keeping within the dominion of a despot tha# among a free community.’

THE BUILDING SOCIETY SWINDLE.

Criminal summonses have been issued against all the directors of the Premier Permanent Building Society, against Mr James Miriams, the ex-secretary of the Association, and against three builders named Philip Corkill, Pat Murphy, and Robert Murphy, charging them with unlawfully conspiring to defraud the shareholders out of a certain sum of money bv granting loans or advances in excess of the value of land given as security. A second charge of conspiring to defraud has been preferred against the directors and Mr Miriams. Under this charge it is alleged that in September, 1887, they issued certain shares of the nominal value of at a pound premium, and divided the shares amongst themselves, and that they issued 100 extra shares without warrant or authority. Mr Dow, Minister of Lands, who is one of the directors, states that he knows nothing about the allotment of shares, and is equally ignorant of the alleged transactions with land at Elsternwick. Mr Nimmo fully explains his views of the case, and Mr J. E, Gourley assserts that there was no collusion between himself and the Messrs Murphy or Mr Corkill, and that whatever land he sold to them was sold in a iona fide manner, and that the loans were obtained from the Association in the usual course of business. Opportunities have not been afforded of seeing the other directors or Mr Miriams, but it may be assumed that the position which they will take up in the difficulty will be much the same as those whose statements art published.

HORSES ‘GRIPPED.’

Stock Inspector Newham of Burra, South Australia, reports that a most serious disease, believed to be influenza, is raging among the horses in the North. On one farm six valuable horses died in a day or two ; on twq other farms four died, while on another two died. Several cases are also reported of horses being unwell. All the cases were north of Burra, and were from 50 to 100 miles apart. STRANGE DEATH. A woman was found hanging by one foot from a wall in Adelaide. A bottle of carbolic acid was clenched in her hand. She had, it is thought, taken some of the poison and then fallen backwards from the wall on which she was sitting. Her foot caught in the wall, and she died either from poison or from suffocation. A MEAN CHEAT. For putting a piece of lead into the slot of a machine and obtaining a piece of Everton toffee, value one penny, a man was sentenced to fourteen days’ hard labor in Sydney. TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. A frightful accident has occurred at the new building being erected in Sydney for a land office. The building had reached a great height, and as a box of sand weighing about two tons was being hoisted up the chain broke and the box fell to the ground, striking with fearful force Arthur Wynne and Robert Turner, two young bricklayers, who both died almost instantly. John Robertson, who was in charge of the box, had a marvellous escape from death, but as it was he is rather severely injured, as is also a workman named John Brown, who was engaged quite close to Wynne and Turner. It is expected, however, that both will recover. It is alleged that the men had complained of the insecurity of the chain, and that it had previously broken and been spliced.