AUSTRALIAN NEWS. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 46, 24 February 1908, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

RISKS THAT JkHXERS RUX. Two miners named Robert Hepburn and Ernest South were killed last week in Burbanks Birthday mine, Western Australia, in which mice they were ongaged with a paity of tribut-ers known as> Cough aud party. One of the party reported that he had heard Hepburn moaning, and gave the accident signal. A search was made, and Hepburn was found lying in a drive under a stope. Both Hepburn and South had been engaged running an old stope at No. 2 level in B shaft when they were, caught by falling debris. Hepburn was removed to the surface and taken to Coolgai'dio Hospital, but he died soon after admission. A search for South was taken up, as about 80 tons of {-tone had fallen. It was necessary to remove- the, whole of it to discover where South was. ' A band of willing workers soon set to work, ancl the stove was shifted in comparatively quick time. About 5 o'clock they came upon tho body of South buried beneath about 30ft of stone. Deceased were both young married men. Hepburn's wife and children had only a few days ago left for & holiday in Perth, while the wife and child of South aTe at Burbanks. A remarkable incident in connection with the fatal accident is the fact that Mrs. South had Tecently been absent from Burbanks, spending a 'few days with her friends, and dreaming that her husband had been, killed, she returned to Burbanks earlier i than she at iirst intended. South narrated this fact to his mates on bib wife's return. ■ , THE DEFENCE SCHEME. The Federal .Minister foT Defence has receivedv replies to an invitation to alk ranks of the military forces to forward their opinions on the new defence scheme. Tho invitation& were issued through the Commandants of the States. It will be impossible, Mr. Ewing says, for him. to ivado through them all. He is, however, perusing a large number. Some of the ' writers had gone to considerable tiouble, and their opinions are embodied, in quite formidable documents. A groat majority of those which the Minister has seen approve of the proposal for compulsory training. The writers recognise, says Mr. Ewing, that it must >bo mado the duty of every man to participate in the defence of his country. He intends to have the view's tabulated, so that tho balance of opinion on various points may be gjiuged. MALTESE AS IMMIGRANTS. The efforts of New South Wales State to advertise itself as a. field for immigiynts have attracted attention in isolated Malta. Mr. F. X. I'enick has written from that ishnd to the Sydney Chamber of Commerce, sugg-sating that many of 1m countrymen would be willing to go to Australia if assisted. He says : "The' Maltese are- skilled artisans, labourers, and sailors, and also understand the rural- industry; and their constitution, character, and conduct are not infeilor to those of other civilised European nation?."' Mr. Trehwny at the council meeting of the Chamber recently, gav.e it as his opinion that the Maltese were the best sailors in tho world. The letter was forwarded to the Intelligence Depaitment for attention. SUNDAY CONCERTS. Madame Melba says one thing she misses in Australia is Sunday music. "I cannot sco," she states, "why Sunday night concerts at popular prices can't bo held both in Melbourne and Sydney. I know that I will get into trouhlo amongst a, section of tho clergy. for r,sytlns, but I must say 'it, for i cannot st-u hew anyono can be harmed by hearing the mu&ic of great masters ; and -it must be remembered, too, that thousands of pooplo have only Sunday nights .upon which to hoar music. I beheno that concerts 01 this kind would bn tro monrlously palroni&cd. Any objection to tho public pcrformanco oi" fino nmsic upon Sundays seems to mo rather narrow. I suppose 1 will catch it for tlm, but. I am -sure there will be many whp will approve. I have hoard a great many promising voices both in" Sydney and Melbourne, and have advised them to study in Europe ia quite a number of casns, moro perhaps than during my last \isit." \ r . INFANTILE MORTALITY. Owing to the heavy infantile mortality in tho Sydney metropolitan area, Alderman A. Kelly urged the health and bylaws committee of the City Council to take fctops to bring about an improve- j ment. Uno way to do this, ho eaid, would be by the establi?hment of municipal milk depots, where poor people could get pure milk free of cost. Ho moved that, Dr. Armstrong furnishy a report on v the subject. Alderman Harris jaid that the benevolent asylum supplied fooc( and milk in cases of noce&sity. j The benefit of supplying fresh milk to children was shown in a- case which occurred only a fortnight ago, when a woman, with four children, practically ] in a state of starvation, sought assisttanco at the asylum. Sho was duly atiorded it, and eight days afterwards tho children were so improved that thb doctor did not know them. Alderman Meagher said he supported tho action of Alderman A. Kelly. The trouble in connection with the establishment of ] milk dopols by tho council was' the old one that it would interfere with private enterprise, but in &pite of this, he thought they should get this report, and uo matter what Dr. Armstrong said, hie' ■would not nccess-arily bo bound by it. As a fact, he was going bald-headed for the establishment of these depots. Tho motion was carried. CHILD LABOUR IN FACTORIES. Five shocking cases of neglect in the education of children — who wero pro\cnted from attending school through their parents sending them out to work for a paltry few shillings a week — wero brought under the notice of the South .Melbourne justices in connection with truanry prosecutions recently. The worst case, according to the evidence of Inspector Beeching, was that of James Patterson, who was prosecuted on four charges in regard to his daughter, Emma Patterson. The girl, it was stated, was aget* 12 years and 7 months, and a return produced showed that she had not attended school sinch March, 1904, when sho was in tho first class. During the past 12 months she has been working in a mattress facory, and had little or no education. Mr. Hartnell, chairman of the bench, said, that child labour appear to be taken advantage, of in many of our factories, and it was the duty of the proper authorities to check it at once. Other cases wero of a similar character, and a line of 5s was imposed 111 each. -A SOIL MAP OF AUSTRALIA. Ono of the most important matters which tho proposed Federal Agricultural Bureau will take in hand when it is constituted next year id a soil map of Australia. This map is expected tc> bo of considerable assistance to the High Commissioner's office in London, when the Ucnernnient's! advertising programme 1^ fully do\oioped, besides being of great use to farmers und Illinois in the Commonwealth when . developinc the rural and mmmc ind.uatri_qs,