AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue LXVII, 30 January 1904, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

(For the week aiding Saturday-last.) LORD TKXKVTSOJ\'*S FAREWELL. Lord Tennyson was given ft hearty and affect ionatc beml-aff at Adelaide oh Thursday, when \v nude his formal departure from tho Common wealth. In a letter to the Premier, Ministers, and people of the <Cotninnn«-ealih, the departing Govern 7i--t.Jtnov.il staled that though for mnry reasons ho and Lady Tennyson were qlaii to be going home, still it na« wJLh unfeigned Borrow that the.y said jjood-byo iiftor their five moub huppy and mtKrestinij; years in Australia. They had received nothing but kindness at the hundt: of the Australian people — kindnets which they would never forget. Lord Tcnryson goes on to say that it hus been his iortunc to inherit a strong and passionate desire, to endeavour to the utmost to kham in helping tho British Empire to rail&io lißr mighty and manifold destiny. "My holicf,", continues his Lordship, "is thai this destiny will find its accomplishment through a yet closer union, which, while' pvojei'vmg, strengthening, and devnloprjig every individual part, will so bind *'ns whole together with a common loyaltyy alty and a. common patriotism, tlint v c slinll be able fearlessly to lead the; nations in the path of truth and justice, lighteowsness and freepeace ajyll progress." THE NJJ^VCASTLK ARBITRATION FAILURE. The New South Wales Arbitration Court/ now finds itself 'poweiless to punish/what ih, in effect, the most serious .repudiation of its awards that has yel iflAten place. As was sia-tcd last week, if 10 miners at the Uhonddn, Northumberland, and Northern Extended collieries, numbering about 220, refused to_ accept an award of the Couit reducing % their wages, and went on strike on its enforcement. The Colliery Employers' Federation summoned tho Colliery Employees' Federation and the individual "unionists for n. breach of the award in ceasing work. The Arbitration Couit.sat on Tuesday to hoar tho-ciibcs, and, , taking Uie cave against the men's uniouti fhst, decided that no breach of the award had boon committed. The President, Mr. Justlco Coh»n, in delivering judgment, said tliat. whilst resenting the conduct of the miners in refusing to work until at least they had given fourteen days' notico of their intention to discontinue, •and in obstinately and unjustly refusing to follow the advice given by tho executive of the lateral ion, he felt constrained to decide the application in favour of the union., as the awnul, though dealing with seven or eight conditions pf the trade, left untouched the obligation of tho miner to work unless he gave foiirteen days'- notice. . The obligation was imposed on him by tho custom of the district, which, being the custom, vias hard. But that condition whs not incorporated in tho award, and though a penalty could not be recovered in the Arbitration Court, there was no doubt on the evidence that the men were liablo before another tribunal. . He very much regretted that the men hnd not for their own credit's sake acted loj'olly by the Act. The employees' representative on tho Bench concurred in the judgment, while tho employers' representative dissented. The Court gave leave /or a criminal prosecution against tho men. THE .ENFORCEMENT OF AWARDS. The colliery owners met next day and decided npt to piosucute thu miners further. The Secretary informed tho ptess subsequently that tho owners felt that the men, especially the ringleaders, riejily deserved to be prosecuted, but as> they personally have nothing to* gain by having tho men, imprisoned and their wives and fumilios deprived of ' their support, they would take no further notion. It jvas ulso announced that the owners fdlt tho uselcssnfbs of continuing the Employers' Federation as on industrial union now that tho men had been allowed to flout the Court with impunity, artd tho owners alTectetl were left without remedy except criminal prosecution. Tho owncis of three collieries concerned decided not to prosecute the miners furthe present, and there is talk of introducing conl-cutting machines in some of the collieries, undof closing others perniuneiniy. The men have balloted in favour of continuing the strike, and on Saturday both sides were awaiting developments. COMMENT ON THE SITUATION. Mr. Wise, the State Attorney-General, who in the author of the Arbitration Act, is not inclined to regard tlio situation na exhibiting in any way defectivene«s in tho Act. If the award had been, drawn* up. a little differently there wouttd havo born no loophole of escape for t',)io men. In the Newcastle district tho Act hnd several times prevented strikes involving almost tho whole of tho GOOO miners engaged in the collieries. Tho luabour members interviewed on the positfDn have been exceptionally reticent, bub jfc is ntated to be apparent* that they are Mot entirely, in 'Sympathy Avitli the action taken by the miners at Ternlba. The Sydney Worker has, on tho other bandfc spoken out without hesitation, and cond'Bnined the attitude of .the men. Thew position, it says, is untenable, and can bo . supported by no true believer in arbitration, no matter how great their gfiowances. The Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Telegraph regret that the onus of prosecuting tho men for is. in the words of Mr. Wise, V a public nuisance," should be thrown upon private poisons. The enforcement of the Act, it is contended, is essentially 'the business of the State. Neither of the two great dailies have over regarded tho Act with favour, and both are inclined to s>eo in tho preserit nitwit ion only one more instance of its gross one-sidedness in favour of tho men. REFORM IX NEW SOUTJT WAXES. The long-promised redaction of members in New South Wales has at last been mnde. Parliament met on Tuesday, and the (iovernor, in a brief opening speech, announced that the bupinoss Mould be coulined to give Parliamentary Mind ion t,o tho vote of tho people in favour ot ;i reduction of tho members of Piirlianitnt from 125 to 90. It was decided to dispense with tho formality of an .MulreHs;-' iD-Kepty, and ,it once proceed ,: the Bill, Mr. Meagher first moving an 'amendment in favour of a reduction, to 78 members. This motion finding ouiy four supporters, Sir John See was given leave to introduce tho Bill, and tho House adjourned till the following day. On tho second rending debate on WYdnesday, tho Opposition made repented enquiries as to the personnel of the Commission that would bo appointed to inako the redistribution of &eats. After a good deal of pressing Sir John See gave a lUt of name? which has been universally approved as a certain guarantee against nuy chance of jerrymandering. After tho Bill had been put through the Council, the session came to an abrupt end on Thursday afternoon, tho Speaker leaving tho^ chair whilo n member was in tho middle of a speech. In the course of the day some rather warm pa.ssagos took place between Mr. Carruthers, Leader pf tho Opposition, «nd Mr. Crick, Minister for Lnnds, -who is frankly hostile to any l eduction in the membership of tho House. LESIONS OF THE DROUGHT. A series of interesting reports on tho means found most effective in resisting

the late drought in New South Wales has been drawn up by the oniccit, ot tno State Derailment of Agncuame. The coastal districts i-utfered comparatively little fioxa diought, and it is punned out that that little might easily have been less by therebeing better food storage and better methods of culiuie. The tablelands suflejea mure, tliguga not to tlie point of prosLiation. The western slopes and the wuuieiH plains wore the area over whidi the drought did its deadliest woik. Tho cu>=t of tiiu tlrought to the State is put at anything up io £50,0uu,U)0, but, haya the leleguiph, "it will be our own fault if we' have io count our lots in such colossal Jigures again." One oi the most gratifying of the facts noted — and one which vas veiy much in doubt until the be.ifeon bioke— is the i>ehabilitatioh ot nil the natural giusbes wlieiever r.yin has fullen. This seems to set' at lest any tears which may have oeen held previou&ly as to tho iudestrucubility of tho natural grass seed. The lessons of the thought as. deduced by tlie various departmental officers are in general — Conbcrwiliuu of more water, subdiviiion into much hinailer paddocks, deitruetioa of * uselcs tcrulw and the ringing of usoless timber, c«ueiul and judicious btooking of runs, having at leas>t one-third oi each run undecked, so that stock can always bo lemuved wheu requited, und befoini they damaged' the couutry; planting of cd:t>le plants, scrubs and trees, and the protection ot same ; cultivation of wheat and lucerne for hay in good .scufions, and tho careful aiming ot .same for uso only in timo of drought ; and last but not least tiic m>c<^iiy of' keeping the rab- » bit peht iv check by tome meai^s. AFFAIHS IN NEW GUINEA. Among the v.'sitois in Sydney during tlio week wa& tlie P.ev. W. 15. liroinilow, v.'ho lias been connected with the Methodist Mibsion at Dr,bu, in Kcw Guinea, for thirteen years. In view of the attitudo of Iho Commonwealth Parliament towards the liquor and hind question in 4 the dt'pendpucy, .Air. Diomilow was interviewed on the bubject by tho Sydney. Tclegiapii. U<? said that « communication had been received by all the, white settlers from the Acting-Administrator, asking for tbeii< views on theve matters. ,He pointed out that if settlement wore to .be en-, couraged, it was absolutely necessary to give long lejbes. They could not expect a man to take a least* of 14 or 21 years for a coconut plantation, when the trees required seven yeais to grow. On tho liquor question Mr. Bromho>v was equally emphatic. "Tho natives," ho said, '"do not like liquor, and, they don't get it. During the whole of- my 13 yeais' experience I have only known of three or four cases of natives drinking, and I have , never .seen a pativo drank. Tho magistrates conscientfou&ly cany out the provisions of the law prohibiting the supply of liquor to tho natives, and only a iittlc while ago a white man was fined £30- for .a broach of the law. The natives have- their own stimulant, which i» betel nut, pepper, and lime.'-' 'Cannibalism has not yet boon stumped out, but it is clecreasiug. Where tho influence of tlio mission has extended, tho cases are now very wire. EDUCATION IN WESTERN. AUSTRALIA. Considerable interest continues to be manifested in the prcs.s y on the qu&sfcion of education reform. As an instance of what • is being done elscirhere 'in this direction, the; Sydney Morning Herald, hap published a long interview Avjth Mr. W. J. Roonoy, Principal of the Claremont Training College" for Teachers in Western Australia. It i.t only a few yeiirsr ngo since, the State commenced to bring Tier system up lo date, but wonderful risuha seem to haw been accoinp'.i.*med. Au expert wao engaged ciid given a free hand to lift the system oat of tho .old groove. Tha pupil teacher is now an unknown quantity in Wet-tern Australia, where tho authorities no longer lielieve in allowing children to b* taught by a youth who is only learning how to teach, and who, too frequently, has nobody to 1 direct' liis experiment*). Ills place is taken by a monitor, a boy or gin wbo proposes to become a teacher., This monitor is attached to a clnjr.s, but he dors not teach it, and ther© is always a teacher present. Then tho head master of «i large school lias no teaching to do. His work is what it ought to be — the supervision of his staff, tins tjiicouVagement of good methods, and the oversight of the wno\e ichool. Again, tho in&p^ctora inspect ; they may . apply tots if they think it desirable, but whab they arc chiefly expected to look to is tho general work of the teachers, .-is shown in the method* adopted by them and in the tone, of their schools. " "Above all, the ptiptfei are not used ai raw material to be turned 'out r?gulath>n eize and shape. Their parsing is neglected, and possibly they could not analyse a sentence; but they-can put their 'thoughts into wonfc), and their memory is not cultivated 'at the oxpsiurc of thiur thinking mid considering powjsr;' they «ra taught to **c thoir eyas and their hands'; s well as their brains.