AUSTRALIAN NEWS. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 31, 6 February 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

THE WORKING WEEK. Some unlooked-for opposition was offered to a motion for a shorter working week, at the annual Political Labour Conference in Sydney. Country delegates said that an eight-hour day met with little sympathy from the fanning community, anil Mr. Ti-cfle, M.L.A., put tha case of tho drover. It was quite impracticable, he said, that bush workers of this description could over hope to realise a 44-hour week. A delegate, representing ths butchers' employees, said that such restricted hours of labour would be out of the question in the trade he followed. Looking at the ladies, he asked would they favour batchers' shops being closed earlier than they at present were? "Yes," I hey answored, in a chorus. The butcher, without mentioning namM, i-pmariced that ho could sco among the delegates present several who late on Saturday night had requested him to put their meat in the ice diest until Sunday morning. At this a lady, with a shrill voice, exclaimed, "Butchers are the most independentest. lot. of people I over did see!"' Than, recollecting herself, she added, "And good luck to them." FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. According co ths Sydney Morning Herald, there is -a probability of the Federal Parliament occupying the year with a continuous session. It, depends, however, on several things. The Prime Minister's desire at present is to closethe 9110 now being continued from last year 'as early as possible, if rapid progress is made in the Senate with the tariff. But it also remains to bo seen what the Houss of Representatives gets thiough when it meets in March. Mr. Deakin taid recently that if it is found that Parliament does not cover a fair amount of ground, it may be desirable to go right on and pass the Estimates for the present financial year, and ths Budget and Estimates for the next financial year as well. . It was somewhat early, he remarked, to speak precisely, but the contingency of keeping Parliament at work till a somewhat later period of 1908 had not been lost sight of, and he would wait until the House of Representatives had been sitting some time before speaking definitely. \ THE SECRETARY'S "JOKE." A roport in the Melbourne Age, which stated that ths shire secretary, Mr. Riddle, had set out in the Dallhouse elecioral roll the occupations of tho Rev. U. M. Warry (Church of England) as "parson," and that of the Rev. G. R. Jones (Presbyterian) as "sky pilot," was .investigated at tho last meeting of the Broadford Shire Council, at the instance of Mr. M. K. M'Kenzic, elder of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. M'Konzic asked for an enquiry to be made. The secretary, in giving his explanation, stated that it was an overfight on his part in allowing the rolls to bo sent on to the electoral registrar without being checked. Ho assured the* council that no insult was intended to' either of the gentlemen named, and he intended to publicJy apologise to Mr. Jones through the .local press. The j councillors considered the' secretary had gravely insulted the gentlemen named, and intimated that it must not occur again. The council accepted itho ogy.PERILS OF SURF BATHING. At Bondi (Sydney) Beach on 27th January, a Mrs. Moore was observed to have been caught by the undertow. Mr. Jeffrey Cohen wonfc to her assistance, and, With the aid Of Mr. Donaldson, brought her safely ashore,' . but in an unconscious state. While this was being dono, her husband, Svho was also in tha surf, got into similar difficulties, and was brought out in a collapsed condition by Messrs. Orinsby and Gregory, of tho Bondi Life Saving Club. The lescued man was also taken to the club's I quarters, and the work of resuscitation was commenced. It 'was fulfy thcee hours before Mrs. Moore recovered sufficiently to leave. During the course of the morninc other bathers got into trouble. Mr. Eden Lovo, captain of tho Bondi CJub, vent out with a life line on no fewer than four occasions. Altogether he 'assisted ten bathers ashore. ! STATE GOVERNORS : THEIR LITION--At the A.N.A. banquet at Melbourne, j Sir Reginald Talbot, Governor of Vie- ! torn, ia his speech dealt' with the qu<»s'tion'of State Governors. Hp Eaid he. rovJd^iiDt conceal from himself that very serious discussion was poing on about I Governors. He felt as if ho almost bolong?d to a s»?pected class. (Laughter ) He did not think there was much personal objection to him, although sonift newspapers seem to attach considerable importance to the shape and )°n»Ui of his nose and to his saturnine and evilsneaking countenance-. (Loud laughter.) however, he knew that this did not affect serious-minded people. Ho knew that this campaign against Governors had been undertakci with sincpfity. especially by leading/ newspapers, and with a sense of great responsibility. With him it was not a personal question, at all. Tho public on their side did not care very much about the lengtn of his nose or his personal qualification!;. He could only say that he did not think i the question of Stale Governors had j bfen discussed from the right point of view. (Hoar, hoar.) Australia had .1 magnificent constitution. AIJ in reason that had been asked for had been given, and Australians lnd the most perfect system in .he world of true demacralic representative self-government. (Applause ) ' Supposing VirtoUT wilted to do cvay with the biatc Governors I appointed fiom Home. In the first I placr it was the silken thread thai bound 1 her to th? Mother County. It was. I however, something more: it was a I .(rand of wireless telegraphy (Applause.) Supposing a Stitc conctitu- ' tional question w.is raised, and* Ihai. jt, was admitted that there wfi:> no u.-e for the Stste Governors appoiil c d from Home They would either have governon appointed by the Commonwcal'h or elected governors. In cithsr. case (he man who vould succeed him would becumf; a political factor, dependent upon the ebb and flow of politiLA. 1l was most undesirable that this should be so. (Hear, hear.) , This county had had a peaceful time. Political opinion was active without being violent. There was no hitrcd of classes, but history would belie itself if they did not have strenuous and difficult times in future to go through. In that time it would be a great thing to have a man at the head disconnected with any party, and able to take an unbiassed 'and clear view of v the situation. (Hear, hear.) , In Canada, when ' the Minister of the day found the leader of the Opposition inconvenient he sometimes suggested that he should assume the office of Governor. (Laughter ) In America, where they had elective Governors, they had great election excitement, 'expenditure of enormous sums of money, and, in short, a conupt sybteni of electing Governors. Theiefoie he would ask tno peoplu of Victoria to seriously consider whetlipr it was in th/> interests of tho State thai, they should have niiolher system cm ••ontinue the present. (Hoar, he.v- ) He spoke disinterestedly. He had only

onp wish, and that vas for tho present and future advancement of this country PAROCHIALISM IN THE STATES. In the course of a speech at a convrvsazione in Sydney, Mr. Austin Chapman, federal Minister of Customs, said there was no doubt that federation had done a lot for Australia. It had met. with a good many difficulties at first, but difficulties were bound to como, and they flere only meant to be overcome. There were many difficulties which were not caused by federation, but could bo traced to the parochialism and individualism of men who posed as leaders of thought in the State. Who had over dreamt that when federation was inaugurated all the State Parliaments would remain; that there would bo 666 members of fourteen Houses of Parliament, and seven Governors in power to manage tho country? No one had dreamt that for a moment. Whose fault was it that such a stale of things existed? Ho said it was the fault of State politicians, nnd of the newspapers in Sydney, which tried to run tho . country, and who could not sco any good in federation. * THE GUAVA FRUIT FLY. The Melbourne representative of the Sydney Telegraph on the- 29th January telegraphed to his paper:— -"On 13th December last a consignment of oranges from Sydney was found by Inspector King, of tho Agricultural Department, to be badly infested with fruit-fly larvae. The matter was referred to by Mr. French, jun., Assistant-Government Entomologist, and he was supplied with specimen? to rear. A fortnight ago a number of Mediterranean fruit-fly developed, and within the last few days guava flies have emerged from the same receptacle where- the larvae from the oranges were placed. This is the first time on record, so far as is known, that tho guava. fly has been known to attack oranges, so that New South Wales orchardists have got another fruit pest to contend with."' In dealing with this insect, Mr Froggatt, New South Wales Government. Entomologist, some time ago remarked that it wns bred out from some infected guavas which had been condemned by Inspector Butler, who obtained them from Noumea, New Caledonia. When the guavas wero examined about a fortnight before, the maggots were very small, so that their development had been Very rapid, probably a month would be long enough for th& egg to hatch and evolve the perfect insect. The maggot of this fly (Tephritis psidii) did not appear to differ in any point from that of the Queensland fruit-fly (Dacus tyronii), but, as they were examined in an immature state, specific differences might have been undeveloped. Tho pupae bury themselves in the- soil just below the surface, and whon the pupa cases are empty are light yellow, about two lines in length.