OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 225, 16 June 1908, Page 2

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

NEWS AND NOTES ON THE WEEK. THE' AMERICAN FLEET. [FKOII OUE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Sydney, June 6. Tho arrangements for the reception of tho /American fleet aro proceeding very well. It is probable that one of tho most interesting features of the proceedings in Sydney will be the display by the school children, whoso annual sports at the Sydneyv Cricket Ground aro to be held during tho visit of tho fleet. This event possesses great interest every year, but on this occasion it will bo of a uniquo character. Thousands of children tako part in the celebration, and it is proposed that they should form two living flags, those of Australia and America, with tho words "Hail, Columbia!" as a living scroll. Iho children, who will bo dressed in red, white, and royal blue, will sing such choruses as 'Advance, Australia Fair," and "The atar-Spangled Banner," and will then, in a series of intricato evolutions, transform themselves into the Union Jack, covering • 10 Cricket Ground. After singing Hie Red, White, and Blue," they will open their ranks in extended order, and givo an exhibition of flag-drill, each child carrying an Australian flag, and tho "Stars and otripes. Then will follow maypole dances an d gymnastic exercises. Sydney will look at its best during the visit of tho fleet. Tho illuminations are to bo oil a groat scale, as is indicated by the fact.that tho Commonwealth and Stato Governments between them will use about 12,000 oight-candlo power electric lamps, and that privato firms are proposing in their way, a largo expenditure ,for tho samo purpose. Amongst the applications received by the City Council for power aro tho following:— Sydney Morning Herald," 1000 lights; Union Club, 300 lights, and Colonial Sugar Refining Company, 400 lights. A -display is to be niado on tho night of the regatta, and it has been suggested that it should take tho form of a Venetian night, and that- tho owners of boats should illuminate them with Jantertis, etc. On that night thero will be a great exhibition of fireworks, from sixteen headlands surrounding tho fleet, and lasting for two hours. The formal reception of the fleet is to tako place in tho Domain, and buildings for (ho purpose will bo constructed oil a sito at the rear of Parliament House. The main structure, containing fivo or six great pillars, will accommodate about fifty people, but there will be on either sido of'it other buildings, one for tho Federal and tho other : for tho Stato representatives, and each accommodating about 300 people. Thero is to be a. review in Centennial Parky where a special building will be erected for distinguished visitors. , The regatta programme will comprise three sailing races—for 10ft., 16ft., and 18ft. boats—six rowing events exclusively for tho American fleet, and a special race for allcomers in scrvico boats ot aiiy description, rhere will, however, be no contests between tho British and American sailors. It, is stated that the reason for this is that' the Admiral will not permit tho rival sailors to nioet; but, whatever tho cause, it is "a pity a race for tho men of the. two nations can-, uot be arranged. _ It is proposed that on tho day of the arrival of tho fleet, Thursday, August 20, tho warships should be met at tho Heads as they enter Port Jackson, and escorted up the harbour. The Federal Government is tcv engage steamers to convey a largo number of peoplo to meet tho ships, and it -is :-.lso likely that thousands will assemble on the heights at South Head, above Watson's Bay, overlooking tho ccean, and enjoy tho fine spectacle which tho ships will present as ihcy approach the port. 1

Thqijo.nro to:.to State' banquets and various other festivities in Sydney ami Melbourne. .It has. been decided that in Melbourne tho American sailors shall march to the city from Port Melbourne. Addresses will .bo-presented, to tho Admiral at Parliament House. FEDERAL OLD-AGE PENSIONS.

Old-ago pensions, up to the present time within 1)10 jurisdiction of the States, arc nov to bo taken over by the Commonwealth, and the Bill providing for this course has been passed by the House of Representatives this wools. Under its provisions, the Commonwealth is to bo divided into districts, ".v.tli a Registrar for each, and the Act will be Administered by a Commissioner, who will have a deputy in each State. Every person who has attained Go years of age, or, who, being permanently incapacitated for work, has readied GO years of age, will bo qualified to receive a pension. Pensions may, by proclamation, be mado payablo to women at GO years, and to any persons under 65 ->n a certificate of a Registrar recommended by y Deputy-Commissioner, t and approved by the Commissioner. This section is not to apply to women after tho issuo of the proclarfia-* tion reducing their ago qualification to 60. I ersons naturalised for less than three years, or Asiatics, or aboriginal natives of Australia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, or New Zealand, will bo disqualified; but a woman will not become disqualified through having married any such person. Tho qualifications fur pensions are 'twenty-livo years' continm:Ua Yesideiice, good character, and fivo years' previous temperato and reputable life. Pensions will not bo provided to those who have accumulated property to the value of £HlO, or who havo deprived themselves of property in order to qualify. Tho pension, either old age or invalid, is not "in any event" to exceed £26 a year' pc-r person; nor is it to bo 'at such a rate as will make the pensioner's income from all sources, together with the pension, exceed £52 a year. AVhero a pensioner has accumulated property, deductions are to be made of £1. for every complete £10 by which tho net capital valuo exce«ls £50, except where-tho property includes a home, and £1 for every complete £10 by which not capital valuo of the property exceeds £100, where tho property includes a home. In'tho case where both husband and wife aro pensioners—except where they are living apart, under a decree, judgment, or deed—tho capital value is to be £25 and £50 respectively. 1 THE CRICKET INVITATION DECLINED. Considerable resentment is • felt amongst leading cricketers here and in Melbourne at tho tone of tho English comments concerning the decision of the Board of Control in Australia declining to join in the proposed scheme of triangular tost matches between England,' Australia, and South Africa. This decision was arrived at unanimously by the Board at a moetina in Mclbourno on Friday, i The view apparently taken in England, judg- : ing from the observations of Sir. C. B. Fry : and others, is that Australia whntS an un- i due share of the profits, and is angry be- i cause it cannot got them. This view, is em- \ phatically repudiated on this side of the i ocean. Interviewed in Adelaide, Mr. J. Dart ling (tho South Australian delegate to tiio c Board), upon whoso'motion the proposal was ; rejected, spoke as follows:—"It is a bit f rough on Australians. Speiiking personally r and not at all for the Board of Control, 't s :onsidor the triangular contests might be r practicable in England, but not in Australia o 5i- South Africa. It is necessary in tho interests of international cricket to havo homo uid home matches; and if these were only

played in Jingland undue advantage would bo given to Englishmen. In South Africa all matches aro played on matting. It is not so rauoli from tho financial point of view that the scheme was not approved ofbut just imagine two tcaniß visiting South' Africa or Australia at tho same time. Why it wou d mean financial disastor. And. moro than that, it is only right that Soutli Africa should be mado to provo that she is worthv of a triangular contest in Australia Australia has been to South Africa, antl defeated her in her own country 011 matting wickets which are not played oil her?, ami it is onlv right that before she is admitted she should pay a return visit to Australia first. Then again, South Africa has everything to nam and nothing to lose by joining in, whereas Australia has everything to lose and nothinc to gam, as she has a. good position now-? If these contests take place it would mean that we would not have an English eleven out horo so oftnn, and an eleven of Australia would uot wn to England so frequently,

Legarding tho financial aspect, which is not so important as maintaininc; tho standard cricket, Surrey people , will admit, and nave admitted,' that it has beeii tlirough Australian elevens visiting England that they nave been able to erect all those fine pavilions which thoy have. Once at LoiVs a 1. 05 ' match realised £2000, and what:about Australia getting all the cake? That'statement is hardly worth taking ativ notice of. because the cricket authorities in England Know quito well that Australian visits to past"" 0 *' lenl liandsomcl r ' n Mr. AV. P. M'Elhone, lion, secretary to tlio Board, speaks much to tho sarao effect, and emphatically declares that tho financial ,sido ot the problem was not taken into consideration at all by tho Board, "though,!' e says, there was good ground for obL C „' n » 011 , sfior ®- Each team was to leceivo a third of the gross gate, tho ground expenses to coaio out of England's share. J here was good ground for objection, looking at the scheme from this aspeefc. In the first, place, it costs moro to send a team from Australia to England than from South Africa. Secondly, the Austrat inn!? ?V flg " res tlla srea ' tor attraction, in 1802, the amount taken by Australia during the test matches was £4253 ss. Gd, ?, ln m} 9os tlle sum .increased to £5635 17s! Id. The South Africans received from tha tests played by them in 1907 only £2553' ls. s 6d., o'r about 5Q per cent, le'ss than the Australians. Clearly, tbo team from Australia is the greater attraction. But this view of tho matter was not taken into consideration at all, and I have no. doubt that if tho Board could have seen its wa> to accept the 'scheme no objection would have ' . been raised to Soutli Africa coming in or ' an equal basis."

THE RECORD-BREAKING MANIA. A feu months ago tho record-brcakin** craze was rife in Victoria, and now Sydney ;s tho scene of action. On Monday morning at an early hour at' tho Oxford Hall, in George Street, Jack Griffiths essayed to prove to the world that ho was its champion club-sv.inger, and from ' that until—a few minutes after midnight'on Wednesday he exercised continuously, and gaiiied for mmselr this coveted distinction,'having outswung the previous record man's time, by nve iniiiute3. Fivo minutes! Think of it I' lo practise gymnastics for : nearly ; three days and nights, ; for a'"matter of fivo minutes additional endurance! Even a few hours might keep the other man from undertaking the task again, but if ho is an enthusiastic club-swinger and record-breaker with,an ambition for notoriety, he will hardly permit five to stand between 'him and lame, unless, of course, somo of his friends stop him. Then Griffiths will have the whole performance to go through again. , " en . tins last effort was finished, tho champion declared that ho folt neither tired nor stiff. Fatigue is experienced only during the earjy stages of the performance. After theso efforts, sleep in no way refreshes him, but on the contrary it is % continual nightmare. Ho dreams that ho sees another man describing circles for fivo minutes longer than he, and who in somo way has, as be says himself—"sneaked" tho glory from > him. For a couple of days such terrors torture him, but after that presumably all is peaco and contentment, born of gratified ambition. It's "a pity such superabundant energy cannot be directed to.tho chopping of" wood, or. some-' thing el so useful to the community. Percy Freeman is another whoso energy w , el " e omptoyed in tho wrong channel. Ho s out for fame- as a piano player. Not as ■ the average student understands tho ' term, for there is 110 scioneo about his' performance. : On Friday' afternoon he appeared to bo improvising, without the" capacity to improvise. Thero was neither melody nor. harmony in what ho was play.' ing, and though lie had a long list of. tunes, of tho "Come, Birdie, Come!" class before him, there was nothing in his plaviiif to suggest ho was-finding the list "of ° any assistance to his memory. ' At that timo he had beeri;playing for, nineteen hours, and seemed cheerful and equal to tho remainder of the task, which required nupther thirty odd hours to complete._ A man at tho entrance of the'hall'was inviting the passers- . by to come in and sco "The world's greatest piano-player," while an elderly ' lady' and gentleman sat near tho piano, talking to tho pcrformor, by way of'helping to pass away the time. Had they been his re latives, surely they might have used their influence with him to try somo other' calling' loss idiotic. Freeman, , who is also at tho Oxford Hall, is to finish his task to-night. Ho is trying to break his own record of ,ul hours 5 minutes,- established -jn ■ Melbourne. 1 ' '' A NOVEL PLEASURE TRIP. A pleasure trip to the Antarctic certainly has the merit of novelty. A proposal has been •• made here to organise such a trip for the summer season, the' end of Decernher next. It is suggested that the expedition should leave Sydney about Christmas for Hobart, and then steer a direct course for the ice-pack, taking a. route which has not been traversed by any vessel ■ for 70 yoars. The excursion would 'occupy about a month,.and fivo or six days would be spent within the Arctic circle. Enquiries have been made of Messrs. Burns, Philp,. and Co., tho well-known shipping agents, on 'the question of providing .'a steamer. A guarantee has been given for 40 passengers at £25 a licad, but from SO to 100 would be necessary to make the trip remunerative. .