ARMED BURGLARS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 7, 9 January 1912, Page 8

ARMED BURGLARS.

PURSUER FIRED AT IN &YDNEY. Armed burglars aro becomng a menace to peaceful householders in Sydney. The police have several men under surveillance, and only wait a favourable oppoitunity to effect an' arrest. During the early hours of Saturday, 30th December, Mrs. Esther Hardman's boarding establishment at Neutral Bay was alarmed by an armed burglar, 1 who effectod an entrance and secured a quantity of jewellery. It appears that at about 2.50 a.m. Mr. Lionel 'Wiltshire, a solicitor, who was sleeping in .a tent in the grounds, was awakened by hearing tho footsteps of someone prowling around the garden. Ho popped his head out of the tent door, and in thu bright starlight espied a man carefully picking his way past the tent. Tho visitor immediately bolted,- followed by Mr. Wiltshire,' who hung on to his quarry in a fifty yards sprint down the road. When this distance had been coyored, tho burglar, finding that he was being overtaken, wheeled smartly round, and, pulling a revolver from his pocket, fired point blank at his pursuer. Luckily tho shot was a wide one, and Mr. Wilfc. shire escaped unhurt. The desperado then followed the shot with tho pointed remark, "Will you come on again?" Seeing that discretion was tho better part of valour, Mr. Wiltshire, who was unarmed, retraced his steps, leaving tho robber to continue his hasty flight unmolested. Meanwhile the residents had been awakened by the shot, and when Mr. Wiltshire returned lights were flashing 'from the windows, and the inmates, who were flocking round excitedly, plied him with questions. ,An examination was made, and it was" ascertained that a quantity of valuables was missing. On a search being made of the grounds and -the roadway several articles, ol jewellery were picked up.

, Included in the loan estimates (amounting to £4,000,000) which were brought down recently by the New South. Wales Government were amounts of £500,000 for railway rolling stock and £150,000 for tramway ditto. This will add over £20,000 a year to the permanent interest bill of the State (remarks tho Bulletin). The rolling stock will be a mere temporary thing for ten years or so. •Died the other day, over in South Africa, George Page Shakespeare, at one time among the best-known men in Central Queensland. He had in his day played many parts : railway man, storekeeper, hotelkeeper, commission agent, racehorse owner, all-round eport and good fellow. Barcaldine knew him lor years as its most go-ahead citizen, and told with pride how he ran his own "consultation" against tho mighty "ratt.'s," and even engineered his own brass band. Subsequently (remarks the Bulletin), Buluwayo and Johannesburg experienced his varied activities, and he ran his last race in the land of tho kloof and the donga. Great alarm was caused at the Maribyrnong Cordite. Factory, Victoria, when j the fracture of an iron vat allowed nitric a«id to stream among cases of high explosives. The promptitude of the manager (Ml 1 . Leighton) and of his assistants prevented, a disaster, but the consequence are n^rious enough, for the manufacture of cordite will have to be suspended. The nitric acid vats were made at the Lithgow Iron Works, New South Wales. Why one of them cracked under the action of the acid will not be known until an analysis of the metal' lias been completed by Professor Payne at the Melbourne University. Federal Ministers draw between £1600 and £2000 a year each, but (remarks the Melbourne Age) they offer only £050 a year to men in whom they expect the hjghest professional qualifications. That is the figure fixed for the experts to fee appointed to control the settlement of the Northern Territory — the Lands Commissioner, the Director of Agriculture, the Protector of Aborigines, the .Sur-veyor-General, and the Commissioner of Railways. It is the figure for which the Minister for External Affairs expects to get a permanent railway policy. Mr. Thomas has announced that Mr. Francis, a Victorian railway expert, appointed at £650 a year to superintend tho existing railway of 150 miles to Pine Creek, has been instructed to report as to the railway he .thinks desirable for tho development of the Territory. The railways will cost many millions; and they are to be designed for £650 ! Mr. -Thomas will be wise in giving reasonably paid assistance to Mr. Francis in this great task. Messrs. Brand and Johnston, at their rooms, commencing at 1.30 o'clock tomorrow, will hold their weekly sale of household furnishing*, comprising piano, by Kirohner,'. Axminster carpets, graphophone and records, etc. On Thursday, at the residence. No. 7, Lloyd-street, off Pirie-etrcet, they will sell, under instructions from Mr. W. H. Stone, the whole of his furnishings, full details .of which will appear to-morrow. On Friday and .Monday, eoinuaenciiisr eivch day at 2 o'clock, they will hold a final clearing sale of the whole of the balance of Greishaber's' (Christchurch) assigned stock of jewellery, c.p. ware, etc., without reserve, by order of the assignee in tho estate. air's. Creighton Hnle opened yesterday v branch of har London Institute of 1 Ma&saga»

Owing to th* large number of oceangoing and coastal steamers in port, there is a pronounced shortage of labour on tho wharves to-day. What attitude the Tramways Union will finally take up at the adjourned enquiry of the City Council into the case of Inspector Fuller to-night has, not yet, been divulged by the. executive. It "is understood, however, that the union secretary (Mr. A. Sutherland) will attend, , but. if the council insists on the provision that each side may be represented by if it so desires, will refuse to go on with the proceedings. The meeting is iked for 7 o'clock. No official 'announcement of the arrangements for training the Territorial Forces is yet available, the authorities being reticent on the matter. A Post representative was informed to-day that training would commence aßout the middle of this, month. The location of camps has not yet been made public. Towards the ena of the present month a staff tour wili take place at Otaki for the instruction of officers in field tactics. Mr\-W: W. M'Cardle, Mayor of *Pahiatua, is laid aside by a serious illness. The Hon. W. W. M'Cardle, M.L.C., and Mrs. • M'Cardle (parents of the Mayor), and other members of the family, have arrived in Pahiatua. Over-the-water residents, temporary and permanent, will b© .nterested to learn - that the Harbour Ferries Company's directors have signified their willingness to go with their deck-hands and ' nrefnen to the Court for a new award. The directors hold, however, that as there is an award in existence it is binding on» both parties. Any fresh arrangement 'that*is made as between the company and its men should be binding on both parties. There are sixteen men affected. Mr. G. G. Farland, secretary ot the Waterside Workers' Union, who is taking up the demands of the ferry boat hands, said a ballot had been taken' by the men as to whether they would strike or not, but the result was not availaole for publication. The Federation of Labour ha 6 taken up the men's case. Mr. S. Bolton piloted a large .party to the top t of Wharite a few days ago, and amongst those that negotiated the 3000 odd feet was Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh. M.P for .Wellingtons South, who has I been staying at Oete with Mr. Bolton, his brother-in-law. The Woodville Examiner states that the party were rewarded with a magnificent view of the surrounding country, but owing to intervening clouds the great mountains in the north were only partially seen. j The Perth City .Council has resolved to take steps to raise £525,000 for the purchase of the Perth Gas Company's plant and works, the price of which was fixed by arbitration at £419,312 apart from costs. Messrs. A. L. Wilson and Co. insert particulars of a sale of household furniture, piano and effects they are holding at their rooms, 26, Brandon-street, to- ! morrow, at 1.30 p.m. ; they will also offer Simplex pianola and a large glass showcase. Mr. G. H. Knibbe, the Commonwealth Statistician, complains of public indifference to the recent enquiry into the cost of living in Australia, carried out by him. It is pointed out that budgots of income' and expenditure w4re received from anly 222 families, though approximately 1500 budget books were distributed. It was found necessary to reject ten books aa unsuitable for various reasons, such as incompleteness or obvious inaccuracy, co that the contents of 212 books only were available for analysis. Commenting on this, a representative member of the Victorian Chamber pf Mines expresses regret that in this matter, as in many others, apathy is shown in a matter so closely touching the interests of practically the whole community. Information of this character is of special importance in Australia, a country in -which" attempts are being made to develop on new lines, and in which social and industrial legislation of a novel' character has' been enacted. In JMew Zealand 1000 such books were distributed, and 70 to 80 were in which an honest attempt to supply the information asked fof were :eceived. A corresponScnt of tho Oamaru Mail writes: — I have never seen the crops looking better on tho Pupakaio Plain, and 1 have known the district for fortylive years. Tho wheat and oat cropb are a 1 * high a* fences I stuv a paddock of 150 acres, on Mi.- David Corbctt'ss freohold ' farm close down to tho sea or water's side, ot waving .yellow wheat crop looking likely to yield 50 bushels per ncre,- and rape and turnips looking splendid, There is grass everywhere. c This, is one of the fat years to make up for the lean ones. The shearing among the small or Crown tenants is over, and they are well pleased with the results. There will h& fat lambs early this year for the freezing works, nnd if wo get good dry weuiher there will bo new oats on the maricei in four week*. Mr. John Corry is-eytting a splendid crop of oats pn his farm (Broad 'Gully) ou the Waik&kahi Eatat*.