TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13876, 29 October 1910, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

H the author of "SelfLabours Help" were alivo to-day, Innings, he would find much to in-

tcrest him in the careers of the members of the new Ministry in New South Wales. Nearly all are selfmade men, and most of them have worked tor their living with their hands. .Mr McGowen, the Prime Minister, began to help his father to build bridges when he was ten. Later on he applied himself industriously to shorthand after his long working day

of twelve hours, and was at ono time all instructor in the subject. Mr Holm--", tho Attorney-General, who is described as tho most brilliant man in the party, is a carpenter by trade and ~ lawyer by profession. When an apprent-:- in the furniture trade he burst upon » trade union meeting with a Mieech which formed the subject of ! ce'tveisat'on for the rest of the evening. ! You the word that "Holmau's up" | .(Min fills the House of Assembly. Mr | foidon. Minister for Mines, began life as a nit-boy in a Staffordshire mine at the age ot ten, and has also worked in mines in New ,__outh Wales. Two of his sons are Newcastle miners to-day. Mr Neilscn, the Minister for Lands, is a carpenter by trade, but ha., become! a farmer. Mr Troth? (Hon. Minister) is is. farmer and a newspaper proprietor, .'.nd has had a .allege education. He began to plough when he was twelve, and he is particularly proud of the fact that he was a champion ploughman while in his teens. Mr Carmichael (Hon. Minister) has been farmer, lawyer, and journalist, and Mr Booby, -Minister for Education, teacher, journalist, accountant, and lawyer. j .Mr Mncdonell is a shearer, and secreI tnry of tlio powerful Australian Workers' Union, which is said to be tho organisation behind the Federal Labour Party, and the source of tho Government's policy. Mr Griffith, Minister for Works, has boon a secondary school teacher. Ho is noted for his athletic prowess, having represcntc:! his .State at-football, and won an amateur boxing championship. Ho also wears a gold ni--_.il for saving life. The Prime Minister has also been a successful athlete. His cricketing days aro over, but he plays bowls, and fishes when he. can. He was in angling attiro when the Governor's envoy arrived to summon him to Government House. It is also mentioned that ho has been a | Sunday-school superintendent for manyyears. If we remember rightly, Glad- | etono at one time found timo to look ! after a Sunday school while he directed -tho affairs of the nation, and it will be interesting to sco whether Mr McGowen will be able to do tho same. A unique spectacle in a East uniotio exhibition is what Meeting one might describe a ForWest. mosan wedding which took place at tho AngloJupaneso Exhibition last month. It appears that tho two chief actors in tho ceremony had been betrothed in truo native fashion (a heap of skulls playing a part in the ceremony) in their island home, and now many years later camo the fruition in a wedding on tho other aide of tho world, amidst crowds of white, and more or less civilised, onlookers, in a Formosan village in an exhibition. The ceremony was a curious one. First of all (says tho London correspondent of tho Age"), spears in hand, and marvellously adorned with feathers, heads, and all sorts of tawdry finery, the braves of the tribes which had been imported to London for the delectation of the British peoplo, marched round the exhibition grounds, tho parade being but a mild imitation of the head hunt that was part of the business in the bad old days gone by. Then tho hut of tlio bride's father was attacked, and tho bride, more or less resisting, earned away on tho shoulders of the bridegroom. The wedding-feast followed, all tho inhabitants' of the village executing a war dance round a littjo Borkshiro pig, whioh ended in a spear being run through the unfortunate squealer's heart. After the nocessary preparations, it was roasted over a charcoal fire, ajad placed on tho festive board by the warriors who waited, chopsticks in hand, tho arrival of tho newly-wedded pair. The brido when she appeared was resplendent in scarlet and yellow, crowned with peacock's feathers, and with numerous necklaces enveloping her throat. Tho pair wero presented with a longhandled, double wooden cup, which in lieu of thoir native rice liquor, had been filled with gin. From this thoy both drank simultaneously, signifying to all and sundry that they wore now ono. Tho festivity concluded with a head danco round a pilo of skulls, tho while they prayed in accordance with their custom to their ancestors to watch over and protect the newlywedded pair. A quaint touch to tho barbaric solemnity was afforded by tho Society for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sending three of its inspectors and a veterinary suifgeon to see! thafc tho pig mentioned was decently slaughtered. Happily, they saw no occasion to intervene. The Bullfinch leases give proThe mise of another Eldorado, if Gold tlio opinions of experts and Boom, the activities of company promoters can be taken as evidence. "Richest thing I've ever seen," says a prominent expert, and he goes on to say that he could hardly bring ■ himself to guess the probable richness, as the value appeared to increase with the depth. Four hundred ounces to tho ton is considered a probable yield from some of the samples assayed. Tho boom is the biggest Australia has experienced since tho Coolgardie days, and Southern Cross, tho town nearest tho claims, is literally besieged with miners and their following of tradesmen. The latest mail advices hundreds were sleeping ontsido, and wero fortunate in enjoying fine weather. Our cable news, however, states that the weather has broken, and is causing much discomfort. While numbers of syndicates in Adelaide and Melbourne aro busy booming their leases, it is a significant fact that the "Southern Cross Times" i s not enthusiastic. On many of the leases, says this paper, there is nothing to enthuse over, and "cute gentlemen will have no difficulty in supplying an excited market with as much saftbush as it requires." It is pointed out that shares have been boomed in syndicates which hare not yet got a title to their claims, the ground being unsurveyed and in dispute. It is acknowledged that some of the claims will certainly yield their fortunate owners large fortunes, but the "Southern Cross" thinks that investors would do better, and the mining industry as a whole would be benefited, if the "legitimate propositions" scattered along tho sixty-nve miles of auriferous belt in the Gilgaran district were exploited as fully as they deserve. As it is, tho public are rushing in after interests in the Bullfinch locality at fancy prices, when Tilgarn mines are crippled for lack of capital. Other established fields of West Australia are similarly neglected. A good example is the district round the Idaho mine. Five men hold this property, and tho owners iv _ne day dollied out lOOoz of gold, and in four weeks recovered 1000 oz, from extremely rich stone.