AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16273, 25 July 1918, Page 8

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(FROM OUE OWN CORRESPONDENT.'! SYDNEY, July 17. "SEETHING WITH DISLOYALTY." Romarks made in a newspaper interview in New Zealand by the Hon. A. L. D. Eraser hare caused considerable resentment in Australia. One can only say that, if Mr Eraser has been corroctly reported, he must have been unfortunate in his experiences in Australia, and that, even if his impressions were accurate, he has permitted his enthusiasm to ruu away with his discretion. 31 r Eraser is reported to have said that "the groater part of Australia is seething with disloyalty." The ActingPrime Minister, commenting on this statement, which appears to have received ■wider publicity than its authority desorves, said that "he supposed there was, in Australia, a small section that might bo tainted with this disease, but he was quite confident that the great bulk of the Australian people were as loyal to-day as when they entered the war. He thought that one of. the drawbacks of politicians, as a class, was that they had a tondencv to libel those who were opposed to them. This was no time for that sort of thing." This is milcl comment. The harm in Mr Eraser's remark was that it is not justified by facts, and tends to cause bad feeling arul misunderstanding between two Dominions whose interests and future demand that thev shall work harmoniously together. The country is by no means seething with di.clnvnlty. The total of enlistments urtd°r the voluntary svstem is. in itself, sufficient evidence of that. The trouble is that the peculiar superstitions wliioh govern public life in this eountry allow freedom of speech where, under war conditions, there should be strict control, with the result t-hnt cranks, fnnat'Vs, nnd irresponsible politicians of all who never nt

any time exhibit anv ppnse of puKli" deoeiipy, rrinlce tbe cTny birlnous fith thr* ar Tmittoringrs of tbetr so-cai]orl nronpfrnndfi. TW annear to be a"ti-Trnr. nnd anti-nritisb—but one must ''Pmembfir tbat thev are antievo'j+biTKT. _ TVy aWnr to be a dif , nn< , f>rt'norJy niiTinrrms tribe, b'lt. as a n very Rmnii proportion of tbo Aircfrnli/nvt;, who. as a n lo. pntf j n f nV n"r of +Tie fi . +. vtil v^" + nrv fs n-ort. V'P'tnro f 0 Ans+mlia. w t, o coo onlf pnn«7ous nor+^T, q of fbp Fn*w C ta te 3 , are very Trt Inert) n<»rer>oof?To

AN ALDERMANIC PICNTO. An example of the sort of spirit that pervades Australian Bumbledom is afforded by the Sydney aldermen and the town-planning conference at Brisbane. lhe City Council received from its Finance Committee a recommendation that 12 aldermen, out of 26 on the Council, and four officers of the Council, go to tho conference at the ratePay| r s' expense as the representatives °f Sydney. Promptly, tho aldermen split into two camps. First, there was wio party headed by sane and capable gentlemen like ex-Lord Mayors Meagher and Sir Allen Taylor, who urged that, in the interests of efficiency and economy, the representation be as small as possible, say, .five aldermen and three officers, and the Labour Party, which was determined that, if any Httlo jaunt like this was possible, each and every jv an of them was going to be in

The -wrangle lasted for hours. The Irades Hsill party insisted that every Labour alderman had been a passionate disciple of town-planning all his life, and. could not possibly miss this opportunity of learning more. Therefore, it was argued, the whole Council should go.

Alderman Meagher was sarcastic. He pointed to the hideous, haphazard arrangement of ngly buildings in most parts of the city away from the main streets, and to the fact that a considerable nroportion of the noorer residences had no bathing accommodation, ana he suggested that, before spending hundreds of pounds attending the townplaning conference, thev should try to abolish some of the things in their city that wero condemned even by the systern tnev now follow. But the Trndes Hall was not to be denied. All the nldermen who wish are to attend the -onfe-en-e, hut only three or the Council s officers irmv go. The total cost will he about £300.

I I.W.W. CASE AND A MISSING WITNESS. j It will be remembered that, something over a year ago, twelve members of the I.W.W. were sentenced to terms of imprisonment varying from' five to nfteen years for setting fire to buildings in and around the city. "The time of the I.W.W. fires" is still a popular way of referring to a certain period in 1916. From the moment of the conviction of that gang of international adventurers and criminals, the I.W.W. men liberty set afoot an agitation for their release—and anyone acquainted wi ,th I.W.W. methods and beliefs will know what that means. The I.W.W. creed is akin to the Prussian's —that any means justifies the end. The I.W.W. rr«n approached the Labour unions, and the unions, except in the cnso of a few extremist organisations, treated them_ with contempt, •put they were not discouraged. Bringing into force all the power of their patient, slow, insidious system of penetration, they have gradually got influences to work in the various Labour bodies, and more and more of the unions of extreme views joined in the cry for a re-trial. But even that was having little effect until, last week, there, arose the case of Scully. Scully was a chemist's assistant who ? HHQsr the pernicious doctrine of the I.W.W, At the famous trials he gave evidence for the Crown, and told how he instructed the I.W.W. incendiaries and assisted them in the use of various chemicals which were placed in certain of the doomed buildings, and which, after a certain time, burst into name. His evidence was a most important link in the chain which drew the criminals into gaol. Certain Labour extremists got up in Parliament last week and demanded a re-trial, on the ground that Scully had gone back on his evidence. Inquiry was made by the Ministers, ahd it was then found that Scully, a fortnight earlier, had been shipped off to America b'y the police. Of course, there was a political sensation, which the extremists did their utmost to turn to their political advantage. It was suggested that the politician had conspired with a corrupt police to defeat" the ends of justice. The true and simple explanation turned out to be that ever since the trial the police have had to maintain Scully and orotect him aga'nst the vengeful I.W.W. followers, who threatened bis life and so persecuted him that no employer would keep him in liis service. Finally, to Eolve •an embarrassing problem, they sent him to America—a fact of which the I.W.W. advocates were well aware when the subject was raised in the House. All they have is an unsigned statement alleged to have been made by Scully; but, Prussianlike, they are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. ISLANDERS AS SURGEONS. The New Zealand Government, which has some difficult problems in the direction of providing medical services in certain of the Pacific Islands which it! administers, may be interested in an sxperment wheh has been made by the Gilbert Islands administration. There are, in the Gilbert Islands, ! seventeen atolls, on each of which there is a fairly large community. The islands are so far apart that it is difficult to communicate readily with most of them. The natives, like most of those in the south seas, are very subject to many minor forms of sickness

which, failing adequate treatment, are liable to end fatally. In addition tuere 13 a fair proi>ortion of surgical cases. There should be three European doctors for this group, but, owin" to war conditions, there is only oatT and ho could not be all over the group at once, as tho calls on his services suggested -was necessaiy. 0 So the administration established a hospital on each island, very simplv equipped, and trained native "dressers." The latter were taken from among tho most intelligent youths, were given a sort of first aid course, and graded into three classes. A first-class dresser, aided by a thirdclass dresser and some police boys, was put in charge of the larger hospitals, a second-class man in charge of smaller hospitals, and so on. In each of the three most important hospitals was placed a native surgeon. The Gilbertese were not sufficiently advanced for this, and one Fijian and two Tongans, each of whom had had a high school education, were selected. They were given instruction in how to treat the

forms of sickness which are commonest and most easily recognised, and were shown how to carry out simple operations, like amputating a limb, dressing a severe wound, or setting a broken 1 bone. They were also shown how to give anaesthetics. The experiment has proved a remarkable success. The white doctor visits the hospitals as often as possible and treats difficult eases, but the dressers and native surgeons have proved themselves capable of treating successfully all minor ailments. They cannot make a difficult diagnosis, of course, but they are careful, devoted to their duties, and scrupulously observe all the rules of hygiene. Thus, much saving of life has been effected.

STATE LABOUR PARTY AND RECRUITING. There has been nothing, in the whole history of the association of organised labour with the war more contemptible than the present attitude of the State Labour Party towards recruiting. Last week, in accordance .with the promise given a considerable time ago, the State Parliament adjourned in order that all the members might join together in a vigorous recruiting campaign. Then the State Labour members announced, in a peeved sort of way, that they would not meet the men of the National Party, on any platform, recruiting or otherwise. It appears that they have a whole host of grievances that nobody can clearly understand, but the burden of which seems to be that the whole body of Nationalist politicians are the corrupt tools of the capitalist, and must-bo excom municated, or smothered, or something, before Australia can turn to the less important business of doing her share in the war.

For many months now, the authorities have tried by all means to get the Labour men to assist with recruiting Conscription wag twice refused, under the Labour slogan of "Voluntaryism only." Then the Nationalists said "Very well, we'll stick to voluntaryism. Come on in and help." But Labour was very Bby, and suggested a whole array of conditions. The Government was still persuasive, and oh«j matter was discussed at a oonferonco, at which the price of Labour's co-opera-tion in recruiting was definitely fixed. Tho Government did its part—and still the Labour men hung back, and argued about it. Finally, they have taken up the definite attitude, so far as this State is conoerned. that they will do nothing to help recruiting. Instead, they have I thrown in their lot with the I.W.W. agitators, and the energy* which migiit have gone in getting reinforcements for the Australian army in the field they are devoting to a howl for the re-trial of tho I.W.W. fire-bug criminals. It is this sort of thing that Australia so misjudged outside. Ninety per cent, of tho jjoople are perfectly loyal, eager to assist recruiting, and contemptuously hostile to the I.W.W. and all its activities: yet th© other ten per cent., largely consisting of agitators whom they permit to represent them in public life, succeed by their clamour in misrepresenting Australia.