The strike of Chinese operatives engaged in the furniture trade has been Settled. The dispute has lasted close on two months, For the first few weeks matters went. on quietly enough, but about a month ago, tue employers commenced importing operatives from Sydney. Within a few days of their arrival, Lonsdale St., the centre of the furniture trade, took on a lively aspect, and frequent and free were the fights indulged in. Employers and their imported labourers were alike mobbed, and the services of a large number of extra police were called in to restore peace and order. The employers have now given in and the situation has resumed its normal aspect, summonses and cross ditto have been withdrawn, whilst the ten per cent increase demanded by the.men has also been agreed to.
Theatrical Dispute.
theatrical case, Slapofiski_v. Musgrove, now proceeding, is attracting as much public interest as a lavishly staged comic opera. Plaintiff is the wife of an orchestral conductor, who has been recently employed by the @ofendant, the lessee of the Melbourne Mr. Chamberlain's meetings in Scotland and England since the Right Hon. gentleman's resignation of the Colonial Secreturyship; ho had just come frow the great meeting of the Free Food League at Queen's Hall; and he expressed the decided opinion that the sperch of the Duke of Devonshire hail, metaphor cally speaking, killed, Mr. Chamberlain, That, of course, is only an individ]
jon, and it may be an exaggerate-d opinion'; but the Duke's specclt has certainly put heart into the Free Traders. His opponents and even some of hix friends are wont +o charge the Duke with slow-mindedness ad sonmolency but there was no sleepiness no lack of mental.agility about, his uncompromising attack on Mr. Cham-Derlain—an attack all the more powerful because it was entirely free from that element of personal antagonism which detracts from the weight of so many Liberal speeches. The Duke declares that the proposals of Mr. Chamberlain would entail loss tothe consumer of at least £35,000,000 A possibly £50,000,000, in return for lich the revenue might gain a diminishing sum of '£8,000,000 a year while the Colonies could obtain 'a subsidy of £2,500,000 a year, which would be most unequally divided; New Zealand getting 6s. 8d. " head of its population; Canada, 3s. 2d.; Australia, Is. 11d.; South Africx, 3d., and India and the Crown Colonie—our best customers for our exports—nothing at all. "a. tae)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.