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settle the question of the weekly half-holiday and to limit the working hours of shop assistants, but, as finally rushed through at the fag-end of the session, the Act included a provision that all shops in which two or more persons (including the occupier) are employed, shall be closed at six o'clock in the evenings, except on Saturdays (when nine o'clock shall be the closing hour), and on the statutory half-holiday when the shops are closed at one o'clock. The trades principally affected raised a great clamour, and protested that if the Act were enforced their businesses would be gravely injured. The public sympathy was so pronounced that the Premier virtually suspended the operation of the objectionable clauses, pending the submission of a "test case to the courts, but, on the other hand, the Trades and Labour Councils and those holding extreme views urged the enforcement of the Act in its entirety.

The Budget was submitted by Mr. Seddon on July 12. The gross public debt was stated to be a little over 57,500,000l. A loan of 1,000,000l. has since been borrowed, not locally but in London. Mr. Seddon was able to announce a substantial surplus of 750,000l. for 1903-4; and, after considerably strengthening the Public Works Fund, was in a position to carry forward a balance of 649,740.

A good deal of dissatisfaction found expression, even among trade unionists, respecting the effects of the advanced Labour legislation of the last decade. They are dismayed at finding that the cost of living has enormously increased since the Seddon Government took office. Nevertheless they consider that the remedy lies in more drastic legislation.

The Premier's political silver jubilee, it may be here mentioned, was celebrated with enthusiasm on the West Coast in September.

It was announced that under the Land for Settlement Acts the Government had, up to the end of March, 1904, purchased 615,255 acres from private owners at a cost of 2,939,1561.

The discovery of an extensive deposit of true anthracite coal near Greymouth is considered likely to have an important bearing upon the problem of the naval defence of the Pacific.

Fiji.-Mr. Everard Ferdinand im Thurn, C.B., C.M.G., has succeeded Sir Henry Moore Jackson as Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, and has promulgated a new Constitution, according to the settlers the right to elect the non-official members of the Legislative Council, who were hitherto nominated by the Governor. Encouragement is being offered by the Government to bring about a revival of the cotton-growing industry in Fiji.

III. POLYNESIA.

British New Guinea is still without a legally defined status in relation to Australia. The Papua Bill, which provided for

the acceptance of New Guinea as a territory of the Commonwealth and arranged for its government, was talked out of the Parliament in 1904 because the two Houses could not agree whether the importation and sale of intoxicants should be prohibited or rendered amenable to State control.

Judge Robinson, the Acting Administrator of British New Guinea, unwisely attempted (March 6) to secure the arrest (as murderers of the missionaries, Mr. Chalmers and Mr. Tomkins, in 1901) of certain natives of Goaribari Island who came on board the Government steamer, Merrie England, to trade. An affray ensued, in which several natives were killed. Mr. Robinson acknowledged his error and his responsibility, and committed suicide. Captain Barton succeeded him.

A party of natives attacked the Catholic Mission stations in the Baining Mountains in German New Guinea and massacred six missionaries and five sisters. Interference with tribal customs inspired the attack of the natives, who were pursued and punished with severity.

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An unsatisfactory state of affairs continued to exist in the New Hebrides arising from the dual control exercised there under the Anglo-French Agreement of 1888. The Prime Minister of Australia has declared that unless France can be induced to withdraw from the islands in return for compensation elsewhere the present unsatisfactory state of things must give way to some "mutual assumption of the responsibilities of administration." Meanwhile the Commonwealth Government are improving the communication between Australia and the New Hebrides by increasing the subsidy to the steam line, and at the same time impressing upon the Imperial authorities that Australia attaches more importance than ever to the necessity of attaining a prompt settlement with France, of course in the direction of Australia's interests.

The corrupt administration in the Tonga Islands occasioned a crisis, and as a result of a visit of inspection paid by the High Commissioner of the Western Pacific the Premier and Treasurer were removed to Fiji, and British control of the legal and financial administration was reported to have been assumed, with the assent of the King and chiefs.

The efforts of the German authorities to exclude British vessels from participating in the trade of the Marshall Islands has induced the Australian Commonwealth to appeal to the British Government, which has made urgent representations at Berlin. Uneasiness has been occasioned in Australia by an announcement that under the guise of mercantile expansion the Germans are establishing a naval base at Blancho Bay, Matufi, in German New Britain, within striking distance of the Torres Straits route.

PART II.

CHRONICLE OF EVENTS

IN 1904.

JANUARY.

2. Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, daughter of Jerome Bonaparte, and last surviving niece of Napoleon I., died in Paris, aged eighty-three. 4. The King and Queen went from Sandringham to pay a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth.

5. At Melbourne the second test match played by the team of Eng. lish cricketers selected by the M.C.C., and captained by Mr. Warner, resulted in a victory for the visitors by 185 runs. Scores England, first innings, 315; second innings, 103. Australia, first innings, 122; second innings, 111.

6. A party of British officers and 120 seamen engaged by the Japanese Government to assist in the navigation from Genoa of two cruisers lately bought for the Japanese fleet left England to discharge that mission.

At a meeting of the Birmingham justices, Mr. Arthur Chamberlain, whose vigorous action for the reduction of licensed houses had aroused opposition to his re-election to the vice-chairmanship, was defeated by Mr. A. M. Chance by 40 votes to 20.

At the North London police court an order was made for the destruction of 73,788 copies of pirated music seized on premises at Homerton.

7. It was announced that a shooting match between teams belonging to schools of the Empire, held during the year 1903, had resulted in a victory for the Brisbane Grammar School, Queensland, with a score of 501, Tonbridge School, England, being second with 500. Forty-two schools in Great Britain, twelve in Australia and fourteen in Natal competed. The ranges were at 200 and 500 yards.

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8. An interim report of the Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal stated that injuries to health and fisheries may be caused by the discharge of unpurified sewage into tidal waters, and recommended that such waters be placed under a competent authority, with elastic powers, for the prohibition of the taking of shell-fish for human consumption from sources liable to contamination, and to enforce restrictions as regards pollution and as regards waters, foreshores, pits, beds, etc., where shell-fish are fattened or stored.

Mr. Eve, K.C. (L.), was returned for the Ashburton Division of Devonshire, in the room of the late Right Hon. C. Seale-Hayne (L.), by 5,034 votes against 3,558 for General Sir R. Harrison (C.).

The cruiser Wallaroo arrived at Sydney and reported an accident to one of her boilers which had resulted in four deaths and three injuries. 9. The mail steamer Clallam foundered in a severe gale in her passage from Victoria, British Columbia, to Seattle; fifty-three persons were said to have lost their lives.

- An international football match under Rugby rules between England and Wales was left drawn, England scoring a goal from a try, a goal from a penalty kick and two tries, and Wales two goals from tries and a goal from a mark.

13. An unused twopenny blue Mauritius stamp of the 1847 issue was sold at Puttick and Simpson's for 1,450l.

15. Mr. H. Tillett (L.) was returned for Norwich in place of Sir H. Bullard (C.), deceased. He received 8,576 votes against 6,756 recorded for Mr. E. Wild (C.) and 2,444 for Mr. Roberts (Labour). This was a loss to the Government.

- Mr. Chamberlain presided at the opening meeting of his Tariff Commission.

17. Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Keppel died in London, aged ninety-four.

18. A considerable portion of Knepp Castle, near Horsham, the residence of Sir Merrik Burrell, was destroyed by fire. Several portraits by Holbein and other pictures were burnt.

19. Mr. Chamberlain concluded his first fiscal campaign by addressing a great gathering of citizens of London in the Guildhall, and the Duke of Devonshire was the chief speaker at a large Free Food demonstration in Liverpool.

20. To fill the vacancy caused by the death of Sir William Allan (L.), Mr. Johnson (L.) was returned for Gateshead by 8,220 votes against 7,015 polled for Lord Morpeth (U. and Tariff Reformer).

At Adelaide the third test cricket match between England and Australia ended in victory for the Australians by 216 runs. Scores: Australia, first innings, 388; second innings, 351. England, first innings, 245; second innings, 278.

22. The town of Aalesund, on the west coast of Norway, was completely destroyed by fire, more than 10,000 persons being left homeless.

23. The appointment was announced of Sir John Anderson, K.C.M.G., to be Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States in the place of Sir Frank Swettenham.

Mr. Hutchinson, Nationalist, was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin by 41 votes against 37 given for Alderman Cotton, a Moderate Nationalist. 25. The Rev. Professor Collins was consecrated Bishop of Gibraltar and the Rev. H. H. Pereira Suffragan Bishop of Croydon in Westminster Abbey.

A petition in favour of the importation of Chinese labour into the Transvaal was presented in the Legislative Council in Pretoria. It was said to be signed by 45,100 white male adult inhabitants, about 70 per cent. of those available.

26. The library of Turin was destroyed by fire, involving the loss of many hundreds of valuable manuscripts.

After a trial lasting more than a fortnight Whitaker Wright was found guilty of having issued false balance-sheets of the London and Globe Finance Corporation. He was sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. Within a few minutes after hearing the sentence Whitaker Wright committed suicide by taking poison (see English History, p. 17).

29. A robbery of 12,000l. in bank notes in the possession of Mr. George Marshall was effected at the Hôtel Métropole. No clue to the thief was known.

30. As the result of the polling for the Ayr Burghs, to supply the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Orr Ewing (C.), Mr. Dobbie (L.) was returned, receiving 3,221 votes against 3,177 recorded for Mr. Younger (C.)-a Ministerialist loss.

FEBRUARY.

1. The report of the War Office Reconstitution Committee was issued (see English History, pp. 15, 16).

2. The King opened Parliament in person. The State Procession left Buckingham Palace by the new road down the Mall, formed as part of the National Memorial to Queen Victoria, but the effect was spoilt by heavy rain. Mr. Balfour was unable to be present at the opening of Parliament, being laid up with an attack of influenza.

3. The appointment was announced of Major-General the Hon. Sir Reginald Talbot to be Governor of the State of Victoria in the room of Sir G. S. Clarke.

4. The battleship New Zealand was successfully launched at Portsmouth, Lady Onslow performing the naming ceremony.

5. Large charitable bequests made by Mr. E. Dresden of Curzon Street were announced. He bequeathed all his pictures and 25,000l. to the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, 5,000l. to the National Lifeboat Institution, and the residue of his estate, probably making a total of more than 250,000l., to five London hospitals.

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