Mr. R. B. Levien, Victorian Commercial Agent, received the following telegram yesterday from Mr. Sw Victorian Minister for Agricul-have arranged for the Eastern and Australian Steamship Ca. to extend monthly service to Shanghai, I will telegraph again when the sailing date of the first steamer has been settled.
"There is every prospect Mr. Levien is of opinion that the first steamer will leave Australia in January; and it is gratifying to know that the long-desired service is likely to be a reality so soon. The opposite seasons make direct communication specially desirable, for there sre many articles of commerce that exil changed by Australis aod China with ber of steamers for which employment cannot be found is increasing and that since last year versals aggregating 55,000 tons have been wrecked, with the result that employers are dismissing officers and engineers. The number of men holding oteushu (first-class certificates) and out of employ at Kobe and Osaka was six hundred at the end of Avgast. Engineers are finding work ashore, but navigating officers are na-taraily finding it difficalt to do a0.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.