AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14668, 17 May 1913, Page 15

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(rSOM OUB OWS CORRESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, May 12 BURGLARY BOOM.

What we ftad tliouglit to be tho height of tbo burglary boom in the chief cities, especially Sydney, lias been quite exceeded during the P^* , week, and if matters go on at the prosent pace, we havi» a <-' nlincc ° putting up records that will take a lot of beating for a civilised community. Burglary sensations havo become so common that they havo ceased to be sensational unless thero are features of a quite phenomenally startling character. At the time of writing a small army of mounted and foot police is hunting for a young man, who at three, o'clock on Wednesday morning was j discovered in the bedroom of a laundry i proprietor, Mr E. J. Overtoil, living I at Manly. When challenged, the in- ! truder deliberately fired a revolver at Mr Overton, wounding the latter in the shoulder. Mr Overton, who is a strongly-built man, nevertheless engaged in a desperate struggle with tho intruder, and was getting tho upper hand, when he was shot again, this [time in the abdomen. Tho result was a very serious wound, which will very likely causo his death. Weakened by tho second shot, Mr Overton relaxed his grip on tho visitor, who bolted off into the outer darkness through a door tliat Mrs Overton had opened to atj tract help for her husband with her screams. It seems that the polico havo. by a bit of good luck, got hold of a young man, who, according to messages left by him for his victims in the houses which he visited as a burglar, calls himself "Tho King of Thieves." Tin's boastful criminal was in ono case found under tho bed of a householder, whom ho threatened to shoot with tho householder's own revolver. The householder backed out of tho door, which ho bolted, and rang up the polico. But when constables arrived, they found that tho bird had flown, or rather had hopped out of a window 20 feet above tho ground. In another case, tho "King" called at night at the house of an alderman, gathered all tho servants 'together in one room at the point of a revolver, and locked them in, and then ransacked tho servants' qunrters, taking away a lot of silverware. In a third case, tho "King of Thieves" broke into tho house of a bookmaker, got away with about £50 in money. an<l helped himself to a couple of boxes of good cigars. He- left a note, reading "Thanks for cigars.— 'Kiniz of Thieves-' " The perpotrator himself gave first news of tho robbery by. means of a telephone message, which ho sent to the office of a city newspaper. When asked who wa3 givint! tho information, tho fellow replied "Tho man who did it —the 'King of Thieves.'.'» However, a capture was made a few hours later. A young man called at a city wine, shop and left there a parcel for which ho would > call in a little while, ho said. Tho proprietor, out of suspicion or curiosity, opened tho parcel, which was found to contain, besides part of the burglar's booty, a revolver, a mask, nnd a couplo of electric flashlights. The polico were informed, and when the young man called for his parcel, he was qxiietly seized and tnken off to tho nearest police station. It seems that hn made a confession quite in the spirit of tho "King of Thieves." FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. Occasion is being found iu several recent cases for strong protests against endeavours to abrogate the heritage of freedom of the Press. You have already learned of tho operation of the new Federal law, which demands that all newspaper articles containing comment on the issues* or parties and' "persons concerned in Federal elections shall, if published between the times of tho issue and return of the election writs be signed by the Authors. You havo read, too, how a Federal Minister sent a couplo of officiate to demand from th« writer of a signed article proof of statements contained in tho' article. At Port Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, now under Commonwealth jurisdiction, Mr C J. Kirkland, editor nnd propriotor of the "Northern Territory Times." was fined £100 by a judgo who held that Mr Kirkland had committed contempt of Court. Mr Kirkland had deemed it necessary to writo some pretty strong criticism of proceedings in tho same Court, presided over by tho sanio judge, m connection with tho case of an official who was charged with serious offences in relation to a couElo of women immigrants. The ofcial was acquitted. It may be taken as an indication as evidence of strong local feeling over tho matter that Mr Kirkland, who refused to pay the fine, was allowed to remain only ono night in gaol before tho fine was paid for him by public subscriptions purposely restricted to small amounts. On tho evening on his release, Mr Kirkland was the guest of honour at a largelyattended social gathering. In Ms speech of acknowledgment, Mr Kirkland went further than he had done in his article and spoke about iniquity in high places. It would havo been quite consistent if Mr Kirkland had been brought before the Court again and fined £300. However, nothing more has so far been done to him. Newspapers all over Australia havo dealt with his case. It is pdinted out that whether Mr Kirkland's comments for which he was punished wero justified or not, he conscientiously believed them to be justified, and, further, that in a place like Port Darwin, with. a small white population and a relatively small percentage of Government officials, a public watchdog may bo especially useful. CHUKCH AND THE MASSES. A place of importance is now given in tho agenda papers for all tne big Church conferences and assemblies to the question of the relation of iho Church to the masses. Ihe admission contained in this new and very sunous survey is endorsed at each one ot sucn gatherings by statements to the '.'Sect that something needs to bo done to have the masses in closer and more sympathetic touch with our Church institutions. In this respect much irfterest is felt in tho communication to the Presbyterian Assembly of r»e\v South Wales, now in session in Sydney, of tho result of a plebiscite taken in relation to the problem of the dntt ot the masses from the Church. Summed up, the reasons given by the voters who acknowledged that there is such a drjit are as follows:—1." Church's unreality; '■> Church's ineptitude. 3. Church & loss of faith. 4. Church's loss of mteJlcctnal power. 5. Church s loss o. spiritual power. 6. Church's stationary character 7. Church> uncertain belief Church's isolation from tho neonl* A summary of the suggested Sdies reads :-"Let tie Church tako an active interest in social reform; oppose all that degrades; support all reasonable reforme—social, educational; side, especially in the .mtereete of Yonng women and Cirls." « »J? koenine with other endeavours to put Karl remedieß that tho of fe^^roiyhi«r^ qnestion or questions at issue mil proScTrcsultsshowin* that the probWi is not altogether beyond tne capacity of tho church people of Australia. VALUABLE SHEEP. South African buyers are tak.np away at hifih prices valuable *lud

sheep to an extent which is receiving considerable attention. Somo people express much satisfaction at those purchases as prooi that Australian breeders are producing splendid animals and can hope for reward from piaces outside of their own country. Others assert that there is somethiug wrong about the unrestricted opportunities now afforded other countries to establish themselves as competitors with Australia in wool production with tho aid of some of the finest products of long years of slowly-gathered wisdom on tho part of our own breeders and graziers. Two notablo sales of siud rams destined for South Africa are reported this week from South Australia. The Canowie Pastoral Company have sold one of their best rams for hundred guineas, as well as another for 450 guineas. Tho South African buyers hud made other important purchases previously in other States. It is well known that groups of graziers in South Africa are at present represented in Australia by gentleir.cn commissioned to buy very extensively, even at record prices if necessary, tho best tliat can bo obtained in tho way of stud sheep from Australia. It is also known that tho South African Government authorities are co-operating freely in this direction. These who sound warnings about a "penny wise, pound foolish," Australian point of view givo reminders to the effect that endeavours to obtain from South Africa ostriches for tlio starting of osirich farms in Australia, including the Government of New South Wales, have not been able to get over tho rigid restrictions imposed by the South African people upon the exportation of live birds to other countries. It is argued that South Africa rannot justly complain if Australia follows in respect of stud sheep tho cxarnplo set by So;ith Africa itself. INDUSTRIAL. One consequence of the all-round demand for increases of wages and of the upward tendency of awards given by Wages Hoards, is that employers who resent being called upon to submit to the directions of others regarding tho wages which they shall pay are retaliating by the curtailment to tho exact line of Wanes Boards' decisions privileges which their employees previously enjoyed. A notable illustration is to be found in decisions come to by tho Metropolitan Water and Sewerago Board of Sydney a couplo of j days ago. A recent Wages Board award j has increased tho wages of the men employed by the Board to the extent of j over £27,000. Consequently, the Board has revised the privileges which it! had previously allowed tho men. Hitherto tho Board has given full pay for ten general holidays in the year to all its regular employees, and also holiday pay to casuals with a month's continuous service. In future the regular employees will receive pay for only five general public holidays, and tho casuals will be paid only for tho actual time worked. Further, tlio Board lias decided to let, by contract a great deal of work which has been done hitherto by men in tho direct employ of the Board. This means that poraq SOO men ore receiving notice of dismissal from the Board's service. PUNISHING STRIKERS. "Reckless malice" was a phrase used by Mr Justice Heydon, president of tho Industrial Court, New South Wales, in giving his reserved judgment in tho prosecution by tho Minister of Labour of 49 men who took part in the recent strike of porters employed at tho railway goods sheds in * Sydney. His Honour observed that many strikers now seemed to display the character of reckless malice as if thoro wero ' a gj-udgo against society nnd a desire to injure it as much as possible. Thia might, he added 3 be ono of the symptoms which had led an observer with special opportunities like Mr Beeby (px-Ministcr for Labour in tho present Government) to declare that tho trades unions hero seemed to be unconsciously drifting into tho syndicalist attitude. The fines, and costs, imposed by Mr Justice Heydon upon the 49 men amounted in. all to £442 9s. Ho ordered that tho amounts of tho penalties should bo iv charge upon tho individual wages received by the men from their present or future employers, including the Crown. It was, in truth, as his Honour himself, an insignificant penalty after- all. Tho union to .which the men belong boasts of a membership of 15.000, and the burden, of the total penalties when distributed amongst all the members, as is being done, works out at about sevenpence a head. Thus wo read in newspapers which applaud tho denunciatory expressions used by tho jndjte contemntuous references to his "sixpenny verdict."