OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 146, 14 March 1908, Page 14

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

, ' (FROM OUR STECIA.L . COBEB SFONDEHT.),. ~ . ■ ; : THE'LOCAL ' OPTION VOTE. '.: : I \ Sydneyi" March.-7.-"The trade" has had its first , set-back . thiß week in its pffort to upsot tho substantial • majority ; for the reduction of the number -■■■■ of-licenses-is so many of tho electorates .of New South Wales! By to tho Full | • ■■■" Gourt, the proceeding'under which t]ie votes ■ which proved ineffective for no-licen'sp • were ■ added, for reduction, ;was-attacked, ; tho contention of - the appellants being- tha.t as -there was no provision in i the Apt t expressly .directing, some officer to add these | . votes; little'. ; sum-: in i additibn could '■ not ;bo''performed, • and-.henco tho ■ Licensing Courts which have been, reducing r. • liconses on4ho strength-,of .thesis' added; votes / have •' been- exceeding thejr.. powers. ..... The :-i'.;' f; grounds-.of the.'appeal: are thus set ;out, ..the ' ■;■ electorate' mentionedbeing that' of Alexan- -. ~ dria;—. ... - .•: . .; . ;■ : :' '- \ ■ - ' (1) That it not having been established in : evidence that a resolution in, favour of reduction had -been carricd.,in the electorat-O, the Court had no jurisdiction 'to causetho classification, of licensed premises ,to.bomade or to'issue or.-.proceed iii the matter; of .th.O ' : : .' Baid r - notice;'--(2)' that 1 ,-tho,;.''Gazette".;.dated November 30,,' 1907, is'-riot .syidSrice that a resolution in favour., of iredjictipn. carried in the' electorate;' (3) 'that'the ! Act'does i not authoriso the .person by tlic notico ■ > purports to bo signed to make the additions ' ' and /calculations ■orVto.'.a'sctrtain the facts ■- - - necessary- -for ; . ascertaining' that. reduction, or to notify/an., the '.'.'Gazettb".'that tho'.; res'olution.'iWasVcarried.qand tho'lnbtice.jis -no -.ovi-, dencevtliat:'.tlie:resolution'was'oarried,'-'and the Cojirt.v had: no jurisdiction to-: cause the i ' classification of: licensed premises to'bo.'mado or toifesuo orprocSed -in : the-matter of; tlie • (4) that even if j;tlio. votes in favour ,of" nd-l&«mM"c^n^.Saiid"-^ra336d J stb'rth'ft / 1 votes.in:.favbnr^6f : -'reduction, the Act con-- • tains no .provision :that in - such' an ,-event a ■■■' resolution in - favour of reduction -has been. or bcenl earned. . ' The Full Court, whioh consisted of Justices Cohen, -Pring,,'and.Sly,-unanimously took tho . view■; that', the'ithird'.-aiid fourth ?poih'ts -were V : - 'too he seriously With. • regard ,to the coiiteritibh 'fcliafc the resolution had.not been properly, notified, as'.required'by. section 69 *of,. the Act, Mr. Justico Cohen : pointed .-out.that.a-vivherp :;no pro-. . vision.'pn; tKj^'iuJ»jeg!tywa'siwasJnsud Vi v,to'leave -it f 'to Vtfae;discretion rofiUie,.general --Govismmeut to give off cot- on the .will : of Parliament..; Hence ■•'tlie 'V-'"Gazette";?notice, . from - this rilling; of. his .'Honour; is.; sufficient notice. ■■■.'■'"i.;;-;- ;■ JTius. in -.three- cases,-, affecting ithe electoriites of Alsxandi-ia\ .Camperdown, and St. George, the appeals were dismissed, .'and the ... ; work: of the Reductioh Goiirt-wiirstandi: - .Al-..lowri'e,;.tbe'Vcli^TaU).inyol^.'in:.the°-foyrth'.' appeal,-, is-nn a different position, and here f . • tho situation which.; arises as 'the _ result;' of the^ judgment;'of -.the .Full Court l .-is' worthy of a .Gilbert and Sullivan ..opera, i;:: AT; Allowrie ; there : was.:a 'tlirec-fifths ■ majority, in fairciutVpfi'-norlic^so',. ~b\lt ~voto ,in-. :! '. : ;effective' : for., tho; reason,-that.,those who went V. -.to the poll did not.-equal 30 .per cent, of those upon the .roll. •. -Now, when it is proposed,to : ' add'" th.e,ineffective, ,'nbrlicense;votes to : those ~ for -' reduction, - tho -Full -Court declares ' that • ••; this cannot he, done, since the provision in tho Act., by which., aro added, ap- ': plies) only where ; the number . cast - for nolicenso is not'-:sufficient' to giiro; a ' three-fifths, - majority. jHence this 1 curious situation- follows;. thati the,'licenses continuo /in Allowrie as at present; and 'that -th?' electorate which . . carried no-license r dbes -not. even': get'rediie-: : tion.;- However,impst,people:will agree with ; the State Premier' that' thero/ is; no real ground for complaint , on the part of- the Allowrie electors,if they.-were so apathetic that less thili' 30 pdr cent, of them went to the poll. • A FORTUNE FOR A HOSPITAL . ' PATIENT)-: 'The romance of a fortune.: of a quarter i •.: of a million was? revealed'this week ,in Syd- • ney, when the. rightful heiress was found, an . old woman of. 77 years of age, Mrs. Alexander Albion, who, !by reason of an affection of tho ■ heart; is an inmate of the .Coast Hospital. - She is' the , youngest;.daughter of the late Mr. Lawsori Whitley, a comber of a : wealthy Irish family, and was born m County Armaghi '.She- states, that ' she ran- away.-with her husband, with whom she came to New South Wales in the,Cressy. 53 v years ago. Albion,; a carpenter and joiner, obtained work .: at his'- getting .15s.''a- day|.-at that period of the StateVhistory'.:;.' He, died: sonjo time,- ago, and - -,fo'r eight ' years'- his 'widow was'receiving'the'old-age pension, but gave it up when" she entered .the Coast- Hospital; - old woman has received tho hews of her fortuno ''quite'placidly. ; 'for,;-it ..hascomo too lato.' "I'havevmy life pretty well spent." . . she remarked. "I won't live another , year, and as' it i 3 I '.havo .had a 'long. life...- What ■ ' is the use of-thosmoney'tp-me liowP 'It's.too late ; ; ;I .qan!t:. db anything .with: it. 'Beforell canid,;in' ; : here : I .-r.-as'/ very comfortable. I gave up my-home. : il.had a: r'bomi -ahd fwas .. 'getting;.along/-.uicely on the - ; £2 -3s. -4d.--'a . mouth •il 'received'from the Old-Aga l Pensions .Ofßce.-; What is the:.usQ of this money, to ■ ino - > nowj?"thc old lady asked. ",I 'am too far gono now; it did not come in: time to do mo any good. It will do those.who follow me ;/■; . ■'■; ssjmo good if they should get it.".'. Mrs,; AI- ; ■ bion has ,two' sons': alive .out' of. a family of .:. ' seven boysVand girls.The names of;the"son's are Hugh,..at'-present-..residing.,in. Queensland';, and',George, a.-resident"' bf'.Surry;h'ilU: , Tho search for Mrs. Albion has been proceeding since 1595.'--• MORE DOMESTIC SERVANTS : Another, bevy of ..domestic .servants; has come here by the: neiv',Orient; steamer -Astunas. and will no doubt, bo snapped up with' the. same eagerness '. as' those' 'who,'had ; pre-, ceded thom from the other side, of tho. world. ; .There • are about'fifty.. in.;-,the.; latest.' collection, and they are- not all general'servants, as- amongst them arc somo parlourmaids, cooks, -and laundresses., " One..girl,; whoso . - Vfather had been head clerk;to.'an attorney;'in. one : of' the, provincial; towns of England,: has novcr been.*;in' service .before,, but' she has learned ,a ; great deal \froni' her . mother, and she' has j resolutely; come, to the; other .side of the' world 'to take: up ; v/orlc with a light hoart and a determination to succeed. -Girls of thjs kind are worth their; weight 'in gold, especially in these'.'days,; when ; the .domestic servant, problem-; is ' so'.: acute. ; Her; .father -~ aiid.mothor are.'bbth"dead,"and when;-a friend; • ■ of-hers told : her she was,coming to Australia ,sbe:decide'd to join'hor, ;th'oiigh"the:ideaoF the'long voyage'.frightened , her., at first.'. *Wifclr,the ;good..education'.she possesses,•• shecould have gone as a governess, but:sho unhesitatingly declares that' she likes houso- , . work; better.' Sho must be ;a . treasure ! Another-; girl states that -from , what she has heard about-Australia sho is quite convinced that it is a long way better;to come here,than, to stay in* Englarid;.;workirig>hard "from": siin- : rise to sunset—till ]ato at night—and earning only iibouf 7s; 6d. afweck.-. "I camp Out; hereto :better inyself;"V«ho~said^:'Vlii)-Bolfaßt--I' l ca i ned £18 a year, but I am told that girls .in Australia get'as much as 15s: a week." . : This rate may be paid in some of the country . ; districts throughout the Commonwealth,.-but- ; jt'is not common, in tho cities. , • ', ■ A NEW DRESS SPOILED. ' In the. Melbourne County Court the other day,'.before Judge;.-, Chbrnley;- .Mrs.-', .Sylvia, Camorbh,. who is a "resident-of-Wellington, Now . Zealand, sued "the Ballarat Electric Tramway Company? for £8 Bs. for. damages paused-to her dress whilst' she was riding in bno'pf tho Company's cars. The evidencoof the: plaintiff went: to .show.', that .while wearing;. tho gown,"which l was of turquoise blup siTk,. and just put'-.on for 'the .first time,' >ho;took a'sbat in tho car,-but a quantity ■ . of grease was on ; tho ' seat,' and this betmirched'the'dr'es3 and ruined;it. When she ' , ; mudo; a claim upon the, Company, the reply of the local' manager was that tho' claim' was . ridiculous, :and tnat,'.the. dress' '.could, . be ':!ea'nod,.'but she' mairitaiiicd .that .that' was impossible.' Tho. defence denied; that there had been any" negligence on' -the part of--tho Coinpaiiy. Judge Cliomlpy reserved - his de- •: : cisioii. " • ' PI3ISONAL NOTES. ■ ; ;;' Mr. Charles .Vv'iis'oh,; Parliamentary Lib; . rarlnn in. New. Zealand, -• is sight-seeing in . .Sidney , just now. .: He'jvill bo here for- an-

other • week, and . will return to .Wellington by the'-JEowerii.- >; : ' 'i, i! . Mrs. -.Bland Holt,'. who : was attacked by typhoid fever. „ori her'.return from .her tnp. to England, has sufficiently recovered to be ablo .to: leavo for tho- hospital at Fremantlo, where'she has been'a patient'for some weeks. Her', friend,: Miss '.Coppiri, who was also suffering,from vfever .in .the same hospital,• is likewise well again. ■'• . ... Bishop Verdo'n, of.-Dunedin, who ; is on ;lus way' to ' Rome,' left Sydney by the Orient liner Ophir this\week. Bishop Lenihan, of Auckland,- will • continue - his voyage by the Mairama, which'is to leave for Vancouver on March 16.' j ■■ Mr. William Ferguson, general manager of the''WellingtonvGiis : Company, and- consulting engineer - to* the ' Wellington Harbour Board, .passed-through. Sydney' this week on his way •:to 'Melbourne, .where he ..is to advi'so the: Victorian Government concerning projected harbour works. . Miss ■ Florence Young, the well-known comiojppera singer j has: had to' submit, to an .operation on ' the ,throat this : week in .Sydney;' This operation, which was not of • a serious character,; was, performed at a private hospital by- : Dr.'-Sydney Jainieson, and Miss Young, who'.is here 'rehearsing for "The Lady' Dandies," which' ' is to' follow "The Dairymaids", at iHeri Majesty's, has now returned.!to.her. duties.', r ': ... _ ." Sir William' Lyne's brother, Mr. Bishop Lyrie, . district forester • (Lands .Department) was stricken with paralysis at Narrabri on Wednesday night, and died early tho following morning. ;-. • ; »' Mr.' W. B. Pearson, v of Wellington,, who hasvbeen on. a visit' to Sydney, is -returning to:' Wellington by the Moeraki. to-day. '/MR.'' GEOHGELAUiirSILLNESS. ■ Mr. ■ GoorgejLauri,';,the well-known .comedian, rhas- had''to retire unexpectedly from the .east..of "Tho'Dairymaids" at Her Majesty's, on account of 'a recurrence of the nervous attack which; prostrated' him in Auckland;. La/it year. '.Grave :rumours are current ,regar4ihg. ;his V condition, ...but though these are probably exaggerated/, there, is no doubt that ;h.is' illness.'is., serious, and that he will probably not return to tho;. stage for some least. ' He- has boen-_ordered coin-' .by. his: niedical adviser, and has gond. to, a quiet, seaside resort' near Sydney.