The dreadful state of affairs in Western New South Wales and Queensland. still continues owing to the drought, which hax even yet only partially broken up, coastal rains being almost the only ones that have fallen. The season has been one of great hardship and anxiety to all connected with the management of station properties. Official statistics show a great decrease in the flocks and herds of the two northern states. The Queens-Jand sheep have fallen in numbers from 21 millions to 10 millions in ten years, and New South Wales shows a shortage of 25 millions for the same decade. The general tion is modified to some extent by a hardening of prices in the wool market. The immense depletion of the breeding flocks and herds of the States render it practically impossible for stock-raisers to buy breeders from the neighbouring states, as they have done after former droughts. Meat, ix, consequently, almost at famine prices. Boof is quite a luxury and has now to be imported from Now Zealand.
The Federal Tariff.
1 Ministers are now finally de-in C the requests for min the made by the About 94 dispute, If unimportant. It is understood that Ministers will recommend compromises and will go a long way to meet the Senate, so that the tariff should soon be bract a lmown quantity. The Argus." says that "the reverie collected under the federal tariff last month (July), was larger than the receipts for any previous month since it came into force. The amount received in all the States aggregated €865.904, as compared with 669,485 collected in June. The total auth Aus... 63.219 Vest Aus... 143.472 Que-nsland.108.491 Tasman 28.381
Ministers are quite at a loss to explain why there should have been a sudden and large increase, in the Customs revenue, which is to them the more surprising in that it occurred after the House of Representatives had out down the revenue-producing capacity of the tariff by £1,000,000 a year.
The returns compared with the collections under the state tariffs last year as follows State Federal Tariff. Tariff. Balance New South Wales 171,804 307,736 135,932 Vict -ria 213,148 224,385-+ 11,237 Queensland......126,214 103,691—22,523 south Australia., 53,039 63,219-—10,18) Western Australia80,803 143.472+ 62,669 Tasmania...... 32,851 23.381—9,470
The monthly collections since the tariff game into force have been May: vs. 2-714, 381 Tune *-..-...669,485 July 11865,485
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.