His Worship the Mayor and Councillors of the city of Ballarat were recently the Toong, 8 Chinese Benevolent Society. nests at a banquet given by the Bo
The occasion was the opening of a new Chinese amusement hall in Main St., Ballarat East. The healths of the civic guests were proposed and honoured in Chinese fashion, interpreters being present to translate all the nice complimentary remarks passed about the corporation and its works. Some of the European guests essayed the use of chops matter of courtesy to their hosts, but these were soon abandoned in favour of the more familiar if less Oriental knife and fork, with whose aid the shark's fin, diy dluck and other eastern delicacies soon disappeared. Several years have passed since Europeans have been present in an official capacity at a Chinese Danquet.- The last occasion was at a dinner given to General Wong Ho who was one of the late General Gordon's staff, Nationalisation of the Liquor Business.
The prohibition party is making one of its spasmodic attacks on the liquor trade. 'A deputation recently waited on the Premier with several requests in hand. These included prohibition of the employ-mont of barmaids, further extension of the Local Option Act, and a stricter onfurcemont of the law as regards Sunday trading. A, poll recently taken in the suburb of Melbourne North resulted in the closing of thirty-seven out of a total of fifty-three licensed promises. That is, the premises will be closed when the cash to be pai in compensation to the owners is available. At present the Local Option fund from hich the compensation claims are mot is still in low water, so that owners of condemned properties have a little life loft yot, perhaps five years. Western Australia however has adopted the Norwegian system of State-owned hotels, and now runs one on these lines in a mining township.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.