OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 467, 27 March 1909, Page 12

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

FATAL BOXING CONTEST. [FROU O'uß own correspondent.] Sydnoy, March 20. . A youth named Frederick Fowlor suddenly collapsed whilo engaged in a boxing contest at l'enrith one oveuing last week, and, before medical aid arrived, ho expired. A police officer examined tho gloves before the,.fight commenced, and found thorn to bo above six ounces in weight. During tho first four rounds, neither Fowler nor his opponont gavo nor received any severe blows. At the beginning of tho fiftli round, just as tho combatants wero shaping for the fight, Fowler seemed to got giddy and sank to tho ground Tho post-mortem examination revealed tho fact that deceased's heart was in a very weak state, and tho only verdict that could bo returned at the inquest was that death iiad been caused from exhaustion of tho heart, while deceased was engaged in a boxing contest. Footballers Disagree. For somo timo troublo has boon simmering among the delegates of tho New South Wales Rugby Football Leaguo, but it fairly boiled over at an excited meeting recently held in tho Queensland Chambers, Bridge Street. At first there was some doubt as to whether tho press should be admitted to tho meeting, but, as tho majority of voters wore in favour of keeping nothing from the public, tho reporters wore admitted. Then exception was taken to tho presence of strangers other than representatives of the press, and a few people reluctantly left the room. Mr. C. Hoylo, who was lately elected president of tho leaguo, occupied the chair. Ho explained that, at tho last meeting, there were two nominations for tho position of secretary, and when one of the nominees withdrew from tho contest, ho declared the other oleoted. He asserted there was nothing irregular about tho proceedings, and there was no necessity for a vote on tbe subject. Only one candidate was proposed for tho position of assistant secretary, and he was accepted. A delegate claimed that the whole of tho business transacted at tho last meeting was illegal. Then all,was chaos! Tho president ruled that there was nothing informal about tho last meeting. Delegates questioned this ruling and criticised it. Tho secretary, who had hold offico prior to tho last meeting, claimed his right to retain that position until ho was informed of his retirement by this mooting. The assistant secretary asserted his right to act'in that capacity by yirtue of tho fact that ho bad been appointed to tho position at tho last meeting. The chairman refused to accept tho motion that the services of the late secretary be retained until another was elected at this meeting. Then tho motion was put to tho vote, and the voting was even, but when a ballot was domauded, tho result was 14 for and 11 against the motion. It needed a lot of argument to persuade the chairman to accept the proposal oven then. At this stage a member moved that as tho last meeting had been illegal, all tho minutes of that meeting bo struck off tho records, and another election of officers take place. He had proof that the letter announcing tho election of two Newcastle delegates had been a forgery. The chairman replied that ho had a letter that would prove tho contrary. The letter had been written by the wife of tho secretary of Newcastlo, with his authority. Ho repudiated tho statement that tho affairs of tho leaguo had been mismanaged by Mr. Giltinan, Mr. Trumper, and himself, and ho asserted that neither ho nor tho gentlemen referred to had made a penny out of the league. Mr. Knox objected to tho way tho balancesheet was kept. Apart from tho absence of an account of a certain unauthorised trust, there was. nothing to show what had become of the proceeds of certain matches—the Maori match at the Agricultural Grounds, for instance.

Mr. Trumpor said everything would be satisfactorily accounted for when the financial statomeivt, which was now being prepared, was ready. Mri Knox had asked for information concerning the trust account, and it had-, been- forwarded to him. Both Mr. Hoylo and himsolf had done tho best they could in the interests of the league-. Tho motion was then put that new officers bo elected, and, for tho remainder of the evening, tho business of the meeting was transacted in comparative quiet.

The Plague Scare. The bubonic plague wbicli made its appearance in Sydney, Perth, and Nowcastlo this summer, and has been responsible for a number of fatalities, lias claimed no now victims for soveral days, and thus -it is concluded that the outbreak has been successfully dealt with. The Mayor of Sydney assures tho residents that there is no cause for alarm, and all over the city the work of clearing up is vigorously carried on. Every summer since this pcstilenco made its first appearance in Australia, this town has undergone a more or less effective "clearing up," according to the seriousness of the outbreak. Consequently, it is quito a common thing to hear that ono,or two infected rats had been captured from tinio to time, and these reports led the public to congratulate themselves on tho efficiency of the Board of Health staff, and to have implicit confidence in those guardians of public health. The discovery of 235 dead rodents, all plague infected, on ono sot of nretnises alone, has somewhat shaken this confidence, and tho fact that tho offices of the Health Department have not been scrubbed out for six months might provide reasonable excuse for attributing tho present outbreak in Sydney to the carelessness of those whose duty was to guard against uncleanliness. Two inspectors have been suspended during tho week for failing to make a proper inspection of premises throughout their districts. From tho establishment whore the present outbreak of plague originated, between fifteen! and twenty cartloads of rubbish have been removed, and the public are rather anxious to know if there are many more undetected plague nests in the heart of tho city. '

Tho Mayor has issued definite • instructions that all restaurants in'tho city are to bo specially dealt with, and householders are advised to co-operate with tho authorities in their efforts to deal with the trouble. Any resident who is awaro of tho presenco of rats in his dwelling has only to not'fy tho town clerk of the fact, when an officer will at once be sent to inspect the premises, and take prompt action to get rid of them. The outbreak in Perth, which has so far been confined to two sailors, seems to havo been imported by the steamer Zoroaster. Tho patients wero taken to tho now quarantine quarters at Banbary, and the steamer ordered to i proceed to tho quarantine station at Fiomantle, Tho only case recorded from Newcastle v. as that of a man who had been engaged in Sydney cleaning up in tho plague-infected area, and who had been sent to Nowcastlo to assist in making that city proof against the scourge. It was found he had brought tho disease from the metropolis. At ordinary times, rats aro abhorred by almost all people, but when plague is known to exist in Wig vicinity, this feeling of repulsion is greatly accentuated. "Fedora" was tho play at one of the theatres on Wednesday night, and Miss Madge M'lntosh and Mr. Gaston Morvale wero on tho stage. At a rather tense moment of tho play, a disturbance occurred in the family circle. Shrieks and cries of alarm wero heard, and all was confusion. On tho ledge outside the baluster of that portion of tho house a rat appeared. It was a sloiV-moving, woaiylooking animal, suggesting that it might havo escaped from an exhausting chaso or was suffering from some form of illness. Women had charge of the proceedings for a while. Then Mr. Gaston Me.wale, all unconscious of the causo of tho excitement, sternly rebuked tho noise-makers, and advised them to leave tho theatre if they did not like tho play. For a moment ah "• \ quiet, and . "Fedora" proceeded along her tragic way. But for tho remainder of the evening tho play failed to regain its grip of tho audionce, and there was an obvious restlessness among tho spectators in ti. family circle.