Telegraphic News

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume LIII, Issue 2771, 12 May 1903, Page 2

Telegraphic News

FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS. [By Telegraph]. Melbourne, May 11 Speaking at the Mayoral banquet, the Premier said come what might the community would never allow the control of its property to pass into the hands of any section of the community. Whatever they did, they would never hand clown to their children a heritage of surrender and misgovernment.

The Secretary of the Engine Drivers and Firemen's Association states that out of between thirteen and fourteen hundred members not more than fifteen remain in the service.

No trains were run yesterday. The Government is confident of getting a better seivice at work to-day.

The State has received numerous offers of assistance, and the Government intend to run a Melbourne Sydney express to-day at any cost. Several attempts to block the trains have been reported. Near Moonee Ponds a heavy rail was placed across the line, and it is alleged that the cause of the engine leaving the rails at Port Melbourne was interference with the points. The derailment of the engine at Seymour was clue to a similar cause The goods sheds at the Spencer Street Station are strongly guarded by police.

Already the shipping is beginning to feel the effects of the rush for berthing accommodation and more vessels will be put on.

Delay is being caused in the handling of cargo owing to the want of railway facilities, The real pinch of the position will not be felt for a few days. The large firms are taking steps to reduce tbeir hands as the result of the slackness of business. It is expected that before the end of the week several thousand employees will be thrown idle.

The " Argus " says the strikers have underestimated the steady, determined and unflinching front the community will oppose to the attempted dictation of a small minority.

The autocratic Governments of Europe have a short way through these cases. The strength of a Democratic Government in such an emergency has now to be tested.

All the leading inter-State newspapers publish leaders condemnatory of the men's act, and consider they have been badly advised, and that the blunder must end in lasting defeat.

The victims of the North Melbourne scrimmage were the drivers and firemen of the Korumburra train. They were hooted and hustled by a crowd of strikers who tried to coerce them to leave work. The driver refused, and was knocked down and roughly handled.

He made his way through the crowd with the aid of sympathisers. The strikers' efforts were more successful with the firemen, who joined the strikers. Two arrests have been made.

A few other isolated instances are reported, where by violent coercion or threats, chiefly from the strikers and their sympathisers, men have been prevented from going to work. The passengers by the express to Adelaide, amongst whom was the Hon. O. O. Kingston, Federal Minister ci Customs, had an unpleasant experience. The train was left stranded across the points at Stawell. Inspector Leslie, as driver, and a clerk, as fireman, took charge. A breakdown and a long delay occurred at Glonorchy. Another engine was procured, but was not sufficiently powerful, the greased lines on the gradients also impeding progress. The train arrived eleven hours late.

The strikers anticipate the levy on the railway men in other States alone will yield two thousand pounds weekly. London, May 10. Shamrock 111. has been rep.iircd and re started her trials.

Mr Conger, American Minister at Pekin, has cabled to Colonel Hay that the Russians re-entered Niuchwang, but subsequently retired. Other reports state that they have again withdrawn the troops from the forts at the mouth of the Liaos River. Colonel Hay has published despatches relating to China. They show that Count Lamsdcif, on being reminded of his promises regarding China, denied America's right to intervene between Russia and China. On being further confronted with tho pledges given by Russia, he repeated that he was still for the open door in Manchuria as understood by Russia. Mr Barnes, the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, has warned the local secretaries of the Clyde branches of the Association that they will be held personally responsible if they distribute benefits or incur expenses in connection with the stoppage of work.

M. Santos Dumont ascended in a navigable balloon and carried out successful evolutions.

M. Lebaudy ascended in a steerable balloon at Nantes. The weather was rainy and windy, but lie travelled 37 kilometres in ninety minutes, and made various evolutions at an altitude of 300 meties. The Benedir and Cabyle tribesmen in Morocco are threatening Tetuan. Muley Arafa, after a sanguinary fight, retired into the town, The insurgents are encamped on the outskirts of the town. Constantinople, May 10. After a desperate fight near Veles a hand of Bulgarians was surrounded and lost 32 killed and wounded. The survivors escaped during the night. By throwing a collection of bombs they inflicted great losses upon the Turks.