AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1125, 12 May 1911, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

i —— THE REFERENDUM. ME. HUGHES STILL WAILING. Mr. Hughes is still wailing over the defeat of the Government and the Caucus on the referenda proposals (writes the Melbourne correspondent of tho Sydney "Daily Telegraph" on April 30). The trusts, the press, the motor-cars, the misrepresentation have all been exhausted as subjects for his pitiless indignation. Nonhe has discovered that a notice was posted in a "certain booth" ,in Sydney, advising the electors to vote "No." The deduction from this is not very evident, beyond the fact that it was no doubt an indiscretion that ought not to have been committed. Maybe the notice' accounted for the vote in West Australia, where the only "Yes" that the Caucus party had was recorded; Jlr. Hughes, who is quite savage over the notice, intends to have, it investigated. In his annoyance over the rejection of the amendments, he proposes to have a Bill drafted so as to prevent at elections and referenda publication in the press or statements from the platform not In accordance with the facts. What is required, he thinks, is something which shall make it an offence to say that which is not true regarding tho questions at issue. Additional returns from six of tho electoral divisions for Victoria bring the majority of votes cast in this State against the Government's pioposals up to about 98,000. There aro still from 8000 to 9000 votes to be received. The percentage cast here was 58.9, as against GI.SS at the greater elections. Much has been made by tho Caucus party of the fact that tho vote showed in some of the Stales a reduction on that of last April. Curiously enough, the only State to vote for the referenda (West Australia) had the smallest poll of the lot, while South Australia, which the Caucus was positive that it would capture, had the largest. It turned down both amendments by close on 30.000 votes each. The official returns for the aggregate vote for the Commonwealth give the majority against the legislative powers amendment at 249,219, and the majority aiainst the amendment relating to monopolies r.t 239,761. ■ NO PRECEDENT. "CARICATURE OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT." Referring to . the referendum, the Sydney "Daily, Telegraph" in a leading article states:—Mr. Hughes admits that as the result of that vote the Caucus is unable to do what in the interests of its party is considered vitally necessary. If this is true, it means that the Government has to accept dictation from its opponents, and until the people.rescind the mandate of Wednesday last remain powerless to carry out the most, immediately essential part of the policy with which it is identified. There is no precedent for a. Ministry occupying office in any British community under ' such garishly anomalous conditions. And as tho position involves a caricature of responsible government, Mr. Hughes is naturally unable to furnish other than a burlesque explanation of it. His reason why the Government is justified in ignoring this direct vote of no confidence from the constituencies, a vote which forces it to turn straight back in its tracks, is that "the other side" always denied that the referenda proposals involved a party question. The idea of delegating to "the other side" the responsibility of deciding what is and what is not vital to the policy of the Ministry is the newest thing out in connection with representative government, and the deliberate promulgation of it adds the last possible touch of irony to tho situation. The Government has the technical right to hold office for the next two years, no matter _what the people may say, and ho might just as weil admit that it means to stand on that right till the. last possible moment, and not trouble about whether it is allowed to act as a responsible Ministry, or put in the position of a rebuked-.and' ■ thwarted- one, whose leadership the country flatly repudiates and effectively prevents. DEATH OF A GREAT PASTORALIST. MR. W. I\ BUCHANAN, OS . "KILLARNEY." Mr. W. F. Buchanan, one of the foremost pastoralisls in Australia, br.s died at "Omaha," Lennon Street, Mosnian. He had been in bad health since the end of last August, when ho contracted pneumonia, and experienced a trying illness. After leaving his bed he lived for some time at the seaside in an endeavour to recuperate. However, Jlr. Buchanan gradually grew weaker, and about, eight weeks ago he was compelled to tak." to his bed. He grew weaker and weaker, until he passed quietly away, the immediate cause of death being senile decay .__ Most of Mr. Buchanan's life in New South Wales was spent in pastoral pursuits. Born in Dublin, he came to this State in 1836, and .performed much pioneering work in the unexplored parts of the continent by occupying, stocking, and bringing into touch with "civilisation large areas of the Northern Territory ot South Australia on the Victoria River, where ho held in his name about five million acres, stocked with enormous herds of cattle and horses. Deceased afterwards performed sterliw* services in improving and raising the status ot breeds.of sheep in New South Wales at his big station, ICillnrney. near Narrabri. Ho was a Fellow of the Roval Geographical Society, the Royal Horticultural Society, and the Royal Colonial Institute, also a member of tho Cloth-workers' Company. ' .

WONDERS OF RADIUM

SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OP HODENT ULCEUS.

The radium treatment of rodent ulcer at the Melbourne Hospital is proving a great success. Dr. Madc-iv] medical superintendent of the hosnital, states that in two years Dr. Herman Lawrence has treated about <10i> ravs, and liiwu have been what seems to 1m very satisfactory results. Some cases have been apparently cured, but they could not ynt tell whether these ear jPS had b=e<i permanently cured. That remained'to be seen. The patients practically attended to themselves. They came to the hospital twice a week, and in the majority of cases received one hour's treatment on each occasion. There was room for hope that radium would prove a permanent cure for ulcer and if this hope was realised, they might, in the near future consider the advisability of treating other forms of cancer in this way. Dr \jack-iv also stated that Dr. Clentliiinen, in conjunction with the X-ray. department ot the hospital, had, as w«ll as Dr. Lawrence been successfully using radium for the treatment of cases of rodent ulcer, etc. Ihe supply used by Dr. Lawrence in the skin department, although large is i private supply, but there is also V the hospita a second supply, which has been given-by the Wilson Estate (rustW llns second supply is the pronertv of Hit hospital, and is the one used 'bv Dr C ondinnen in the treatment of nafients who attend the X-ray department.- The results with radium have been ■ cqnalry satisfactory m both departments of the hospital. "