OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 11

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

(From Ot/p. Own Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, May 17. A COMMERCIAL FEUD.

The prosecution for embezzlement by MiAndrew Rowan of his former manager and partial partner, Mr Joseph Flanagan, has so far ended in failure. Mr Flanagan has been acquitted on two charges by the jury. There are, howeA-er, other charges to be heard. The case has excited great interest. Mr AndreAv RoAvan was for many years, and may be termed so still, one of the great financial magnates of Collins street. He was a director of the Trarmvay Company when the boom in tramAvay shares Avas on, and he was an exceedingly heavy holder. He purchased £5500 Avorth of tram shares for Flanagan himself Avhen they were £8 a share — the object, according to Flanagan, being to keep ..up the market. He was also a big holder of Goldsbrough, Mort, and Co.'s shares, which fell so alarmingly Avhen the boorii burst. It Avill serve to give some idea of his financial operations to peruse the list of the various accounts Avhich he operated upon during the years Flanagan acted as his manager, -and of Avhich Flanagan declares he had the management and control : Bank of NeAv South Wales, seAen, cpmprising a general account, secured account, the St. Hubert vineyard account, share account, station account, trade No. 1 account, and trade No. 2 account ; English, Scottish, and Australian Bank, four, comprising No. 1 account, No. 2 account, No. 3 account, Avhich Avere kept in Sydney, and a Melbourne account ; Bank of 'Victoria, two, Nos. 1 and 2 accounts ; Commercial Bank, two, a general account and a share' advar do account ; Bank of Australasia, cie, a general account ; City of Melbourne Bank, two, Nos. 1 and 2 accounts ; Goldsbrough, Mort, and Co., three, a station account, share account, and private account, — in all 21 accounts. Flanagan, as Mr RoAvan's manager, was almost as well knoAvn as himself. Eventually the tAvo separated, and became the most desperate enemies. Just lately Flanagan, to set himself right, as he declared, in view of RoAvan's detractions, published a pamphlet for private distribution entitled " A Sample of the Commercial and Financial Morality (?) of Melbourne." ihis Avas choke full of the most dreadful allegations against RoAvan— his dealings in tramway and other shares, his dealings with the banks which .had advanced money to him, and so iorth ;• and last, but not least, of. • course, his treatment of Flanagan. Within a fortnight Rowan had issued Avarratits against 'Flanagan, Avho Avas arrested on . the. .embezzlement charges. Naturally, therefore, under all the circumstances great interest was taken in the trial. Rowan did not go into the box himself, but a clerk was put forAvard to prove the case. Flanagan took' advantage of the accused's privilege under Victorian law of making a statement. Precious little of this Avas devoted to a refutation of the actual charges. It was mainly a repetition of his pamphlet allegations, the judge declining to stop him. One fact he brought out evidently weighed most with the jury VVhen Rowan and he parted they had a rough-and-ready squaring up. Flanagan paid RoAvan £1000 to cry quits ; and the jury evidently adopted his visav that this Avas to cover all deficiencies that might exist on his part. • Then, of course, there was the fact that Rowan did not go into the box, and that he took no legal action until after the issue of the damaging pamphlet. Consequently they dismissed the charges.

MR DAVID SYME.

Tli's famous gentleman, the proprietor of the Age, is before the public just now in a curious Avay. Mr Bym*. bought a property at Mount Macednn years ago, and afterAvards sold it to the Government for a Governor's country residence. Last session Mr Frank Madden (brother cf the Chief Justice) revived this little transaction in a raking speech, accusing Mr Syme of having got the land by dummying, "and of having " had " the Government of the day in the subsequent sale. Mr Syme replied in the Age at length, and made a good reply. In fact, he pretty well cleared -himself of the dummying charge, and if he did get a good price Avhen he sold the property he could not be blamed. We Avould all ' do the same.

Here, of course, the matter Avould have ended had the accused been anybody else than David Syme. Mr Madden had made his charges, and everybody Avas amused at the time ; Mr Syme made his reply, and the public verdict was that Mr Madden had overshot his mark. But Mr Syme has forced the Government into appointing a board of inquiry OA'er this dead-and-gone scandal. They Avould not have done it for anyone else ; but the Age proprietor lias frequently sliOAvn his power and influence over Sir George Turner. The matter is, not worth inquiry. And the inquirer is to be Mr Justice William?!, whose conduct of the celebrated Speight v. Syme erse certainly helped to Avin the victory for the defendant, and Avho is knoAvn to entertain no love for the Madden family ever since Sir John Avas appointed over his head to the Chief Justiceship. Probably enough there Avili be a disturbance over this question when Parliament meets. The Government has been very umvise to interfere in the feud.

THE HERESY CARE,

The Melbourne North Presbytery's actions in the heresy charge against the Rev. Hector Ferguson are bordering on the domain of a farce ; at least, they did so at last meeting. As one of the papers puts it: — " People passing along Collins street yesterday afternoon, about five minutes past 3, Avere startled to observe an elderly gentleman, in clerical garb and of mild demeanour, come hurriedly out of the front door of the Presbyterian Assembly Hall, and in an agitated voice summon the Rev. Hector Ferguaon three times. This Avas the clerk of the Presbytery of Melbourne North formally citing Mr Ferguson to appear before fche meeting to answer a charge

of libel laid against him. There was no appearance of Mr Ferguson, alid the clerk came back out of the sunlight emptyhanded." What Mr Ferguson had done Avas to forward 'his resignation by letter. But the presbytery regarded this as trifling, and formally resolved that " the clerk should go to the most patent door and cite Mr Ferguson three times." The result was a blank. Finally, the presbytery agreed to give him another chance, and to cite him a second time. Mr Ferguson has announced that he AA'on't pay any attention to them. Consequently they Aviil find him guilty of " aggravated contumacA*," and " drum him out.

The furious neAvspaper Avar betAveen the Rev. Dr Rentoul and Mr Ferguson continues. The main point is Avhether Dr Rentoul Avas telling the truth Avhen he said he had examined Mr Ferguson as to scholarship when he came to Melbourne. This morning there is a letter from a third party Avhich seems to completely confound Dr Rentoul. This is the Rev. George Tait, of South Yarra, Avho evidently feels he must see justice done though the heavens should fall — that even should Mr Ferguson (heretic though he be) score' a victory over so poAverful a pillar of the church as Dr Rentoul. He writes as a member of the Home Mission Committee Arhen Mr Ferguson presented his credentials from the Home church. Mr Tait declares that the question of his scholarship Avas neA r er raised — it would have been an insult to the Home church Avhich admitted him to have raised it. Hoav Dr Rentoul is to get oA'er this direct contradiction of his statement one can scarcely imagine.

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.

There is a stir in the camp of the party Avho desire religious instruction in the State schools. Mr Deakin is the cause of the stir. Mr ' Deakin has always previously I'een regarded as a champion secularist. He Avas claimed by the spiritualists once, and the orthodox shuddered at his name. Hoav far he has changed and Avhafc has caused the change are still mysteries. He has not announced his conversion to orthodoxy ; but he has announced that he now favours religious instruction — air-any rate, in some degree. He has met the Presbyterian' Elders' Association and the Ballarat Church of England Assembly ; and a warm Avelcome he has received, for he has promised to ask Parliament to agree to three things — that daily a portion of Scripture be read, a hymn sung, and a prayer offerail. Parliament is very unlikely, indeed, to agree, but Mr Deakin is a strong advocate, and' the 'question is bound to have new life infused into it.

c PHYLLOXERA., following closely upon the recent outbreak of phylloxera at Geelong, and also in the Goulburn Valley, comes the startling announcement that the dreaded inme'j has been found upon about an acre of vines" in the midst of the extensive vine-growing district of Rutherglen. The seriousness r-f this outbreak can be gauged from the fact that out of the 30,000 acres under vines in Victoria, about a third of that area is in the Rutherglen district. The Government are sending the experts to examine and report. They have recently imported from France a teacher for the new Viticultural College, which is situated at Rutherglen. He is M. Dubois, and as he knows a great deal about the treatment of phylloxera, probably effective measures may be taken to prevent the spread. So far there have only been two applications by students to join the Viticultiural College, so that it would .seem the yine-groAving industry is by no means flourishing.

The New Zealand polo team has concluded its Victorian tour. It had an almost uninterrupted list of victories until it met the Victorian champions— the Camperdown team. Camperdown is in the far-famed Western District, and its team contains three of the Manifold family. The founder of this family owned an enormous extent of freehold, which at his death was divided amongst his three sons. Their places are now perhaps the most beautiful, as well as the most vaiuuble, in the garden of Victoria. The younger branches have developed a wonderful ability in polo, and the Camperdown team might hold its own in England. No other Victorian team can hold a candle to it. The final contest was played on the Mooree Valley course in Melbourne. In their previous play the combination of the New Zea'anders was the .strong point which won them all their victories, but in the picked Victorian team they met more than their match in this particular department of the game, for the various members of it have played together •so much that their tactics appeared to be the result of one settled purpose, and they also kept their places in the field more consistently than their opponents. The brothers Strang made some brilliant dashes early in the game, and their brilliant hitting both from the backhand and the forehand evoked cheers, while Mr Baker and Mr Robinson also played a fine game, and Mr Baker several times swept the ground almost from end to end. It was early evident, however, that the New Zealand team were overmatched. The game ended : Victoria, 6 goals 13 behinds ; New Zealand, 1 goal 6 behinds. 'The Victorian ponies, on the whole, seemed to have a slight advantage in pace over the ponies brought from New Zealand, but the game was played at rattling speed throughout, and though the Victorians Avon in the end with a bit in hand, the play was more even than the score would seem to indicate.

A COURT SCENE,

The Perth Supreme Court witnessed a singular scene the other day. Mr William Smith, solicitor, sued T. Lyons for slander in having called- him a damned scoundrel. Mr Smith, in addressing the court in support of his case, called the opposing counsel a representative of Billingsgate, and also remarked that he had never been found on a doorstep drunk. — The Chief Justice (interrupting) : " I must ask you, Mr Smith, if you are quite responsible for your actions?" — Mr Smith: "Ask me whether I would endorse your Honor's bill ; that would be a te.st." — Later on the Chief Justice referred to the painfulness of the

scene, Mr Smith having behaved most eitraoi'dinarily throughout, and said he really was not sure that Mr Smith was quite responsible for his actions that morning.