OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 9185, 14 July 1893, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

■ - ■" i' [From Our Melbourne Corrhspondent.] ? ;l ' Tuesday, July 4. ' I'OLIWCAL. • , i The Victorian parliamentary session was ■ opened on Wednesday lash la -. the • Governor's Speech it was announced^that '. during the recess the policy of retrench,- : ment had been carried out by reducing - departments and refraining from making now appointments. Further proposals would embrace not only temporary reduo* tions for the next .three years, but permanent ones appryirig to future appointments and promotions. Votes of public moneys would also have to be curtailed, and further taxation would be absolutely neoessary. Concurrently with these proposals measures were to be introduced for the encouragement of natural productions, including a Lands Settlement Bill to establish village communities, homestead associations, and labor colonies. The federal movement was thus touehed upon :—" At the earliest poasible opportunity negotiations will be opened ; I with New South Wales and the other colonies in the direction of making an advance towards intercolonial freetrade by reciprocity treaties. In many important matters our interests are diverse, but by mutual concessions an approach can be gradually made to uniformity of tariff without permanent injury to any existing interest. My Advisers will also propose to Parliament to join the other colonies in increasing the number of representatives for eaoh colony in the Federal Council of Australasia, and in giving to such Council further executive power. By the development of this central body into active existence a Bteady progress will be made towards that ultimate federation which on all sides is admitted to be necessary for guarding and promoting the united welfare of the people of Australasia." The Speech contained a reference to the recent terrible naval disaster in the Mediterranean, and the services rendered by the late Vice-admiral Tryon whilst commander-in-chief on the Australian station. The motion for the Address-in-Reply having been tabled on Wednesday, the following evening Mr Shiels, the late Premier, made one of his characteristic speeches, in which he waded knee-deep in metaphor, attacking the Government hip and thigh, and more especially calling it to account for its inconsistent action in connection with the Mercantile Bank case. With Sir Bryan O'Loghlen (the Attorney - General) Mr Shiels found fault because he,had not consulted the Crown Prosecutors before eomiug to a decision to enter a nolle prosequi. Sir Bryan O'Loghlen afterwards spoke in justification of the course he had taken, making a better defence than had been anticipated, and lie scored when he administered a dignified rebuke to MrShiels fordragginginto political discussion a case which is still nub jiulkt. It was also acceptable information to the House to learn that the counsel engaged for the prosecution, and not Sir Bryan, were wholly responsible for altering the charge in the case from simply concurring in the issue of a false balance-sheet to conspiracy to defraud, the reason being that evidence of what, transpired at the la3t general meeting of shareholders might be bronght in. It was at this meeting that such a delusive speech was made by Sir Matthew Davies. At the conclusion of Sir Bryan's speech the debate was adjourned until to-day. The Opposition have so far decided to postpone any organised attack on the Government. The Victorian and New South Wales revenue returns for the financial year just ended are anything but encouraging. The Victorian receipts were £7,702,158, or, deducting £738,866 realised from the sale of Treasury bonds in January, £766,280 below the revenue of the former year. The result is over £2,000,000 below the estimate formed by Sir Graham Berry when Treasurer. The New South Wales revenue amounted to £9,958,880, being £497,598 below what it was during die preceding twelve months. Mr C. Kingston, the new South Australian Premier, has announced the policy to be pursued by his Government. A deficit of £150,000 is to be added to the stauding one, so that it would be increased to £831,022. On the termination of Lord Kintore's period of office in November the duties of Governor are to be performed for an indefinite time by. Chief Justice Way, so that the vice-regal salary may be saved. The tariff is not to ba touched, and the duties tentatively collected on the proposals of the Downer Government have accordingly been refunded. The Government propose to put id in the £ extra on all land holdings of more than £5,000 unimproved value, and to charge absentee land-owners to the same extent one-lifth more taxation than local holders. An increased income tax is to be maintained, and the salaries of Civil servants from £l5O upwards are to be cut down 5, 7-i, and 10 per cent. Two new Ministers arc to be appointed for Mines and Industries, but no increased allowance is to be made to the Government. In the Queensland Assembly last Wednesday Sir Thomas M'llwraith introduced a "Bill to aid in securing Queensland traffic for Queensland railways," and explained that it was found to benecessary the colony should be protected in some way from " cutthroat competition " with the other colonics. The preamble of the Bill sets forth that the Government have expended large sums in the extension of railway communication to the southern and western districts, in harbor and river improvements, and in subsidising direct Bteamer communication with Europe for the carriage of goods and produce from Queensland ; and that it has been ascertained that differential rates on the railway lines of neighboring colonies have been promulgated to have the effect of diverting traffic which ought legitimately to be convej ed over the railway lines of Queensland, thereby entailing considerable loss in railway revenue. The principal clause provides for the imposition of a duty of 50s for every ton weight, or any lesser weight, of station produce exported from Queensland across the border. The owner of every station shall, it is provided, furnish his teamsters with waybills containing the description and weight of produce carried, which waybills must be shown to a Customs officer on demand. The penalty for non-compliance with the Act is £IOO, and the station produce and the teams involved are both liable to forfeiture. The Treasurer may, on the recommendation of the Railway Commissioners, in any case where, owing to favorable seasons, or from the geographical position of any station or other holding, it would be impracticable for the owner thereof, without pecuniary loss, to make use of the railway lines of thq colony for the carriage of his station produce, permit by notice in tho 'Gazette' such owner to convey his station produce across the border without paymeut of the tax. THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL. The Gaiety Company bring their season at the Princess's to a close this week, and a spectacular drama, under the management of Mr Bland Holt, is to have an unaccustomed innings at the fashionable theatre. The first piece to be presented is 'A-Million of Money.' Mr E. C. Corlesse and Mr Harry Norman, two old Dunedinites, figure in the cast. The Bijou has been reopened by the Greenwood Company with the oldfashioned and lugubrious play 'Leah the Forsaken.' At .the Exhibition Building concert on Saturday evening Mr T. M. Jackson, from New Zealand, made a successful appearance. He has a light and pleasing tenor voice. Miss Clara Mongredein (who has become a good, actress as well as a singer) and Mr H. Stoekwell also took part in the entertainment.

In Sydney, on Saturday evening, Mr Edward" Terry appeared as Dick Phenyl in ' Sweet Lavender' at the Lyceum, and the Brough and Boucieault Company produced ' The Amazon' at the Criterion.

Mr Alfred Dampier, the well- known theatrical manger, has filed his schedule in Melbourne. The causes of insolvency are stated to be losses in business as a theatrical manager and falling off in receipts in business. The liabilities of the insolvent are set down at £6,582 18s 2d, and the assets at £251 9s 6d, leaving a deficiency of £6,331 8s 6d. The assets consist almost entirely of personal property, not held as security, namely, insolvent's wardrobe, valued at £250, now in the possession of the directors of the Wellington Opera-house., The only secured creditor is Mr Thomas Heap, of the Opera-house, Auckland, £3O, money lent The total debts owing to unsecured creditors amounted Id' £6$S2; Titer* principal unsecured creditors are Finance

Agency and .Guarantee Company,' £3,134, rent of Alexandra Theatre during 1881-92; Miss Lily Dfcnpier, £750, salary*} Mrs Catherine Russell Damper, £570, salary and money lent; Miss Rose Dampier, £375, salary; Arthur Tisohbauer, £591, salary'; (directors of the Wellington Opera-houie, £6B; Coh"en and Son, £BO, hire of fuml%e jor stage,' Insolvent estimates that -Within ism ye*# prior tct-sequestratwh £9,582 in arid Other plays at the 7 'i&Jaxandra theatre and'at theatres in New Zealand. tJENEEAI.. ' A gold discovery at Wopd Point, in Victoria, has attracted some attention. A fortnight ago some excitement was caused by the exhibition of a patch of gold and quartz, found by John Foley at the Elbowturn, on the road to Gaffney Creek, a distance of two, miles and a-half from Wood t Point. During the following week several more specimens of equal riohness were exhibited by the same prospector, but the importance of' the discovery was not fully understood until Thursday, when a dish of golden quartz was brought into the town'ship by Foley. The dish and its oontents turned the scale at 2241b avoirdupois, and it was estimated that half of the stone, which weighed 107oz, was gold. This dish was the result of half-an-hour's fossicking in a hole about 2ft deep and 2ft in diameter. Altogether, about 200oz of gold are said to have come out of this hole, at an expenditure of about three hours' work. Larrikinism in Sydney has become such a threatening evil that the mayor of that oity has been induced to call .a public meeting for the purpose of devising means for its suppression. An influential deputation which waited on the mayor in reference to the matter pointed out the great and growing extent of the evil. Many inoffensive citizens had been assaulted, and " pushes " of larrikins had set up a kind of terrorism in some districts. The police force was too weak to cope with the nuisance, and was practically set at defiance. The hearing of the charges against John and James Stines, of robbing under arms the A.J.S. branch bank at Cargo on the 10th June, and against Thomas C. Love and Thomas Flood, of being accessories before the fact, occupied the Cudal Police Court on Thursday last. Edward Tinnock deposed that he had overheard the acoused Flood say, in conversation to a Cargo storekeeper : "Something will happen here before long that will open your eyes. Love and John Stines are not .knocking about here for nothing." Jeremiah Powers stated that on the night of the robbery Love had called at his hotel at Cargo and bought 2s worth of whisky, which he took away in a lemonade bottle. A similar bottle was subsequently found in the paddock near the bank, through which the robbers would have had to pass. Constable Lord deposed to finding a piece of hare skin in the stable of a man named Weeks, brother-in-law of the accused Stines, where the latter had been staying just prior to the robbery. This piece of skin exactly fitted the hare skin which had been cut up to make the slipper which was left behind in the bank by the robbers. Evidence was also given to show that both the Stineses and Love had been seen together at Weeks's house. All the accused were committed for trial. The main outfall sewer being constructed by the Metropolitan Board of Works will be completed in about a fortnight, at a cost, including fencing, of about £240,000. The work has so far been done in a satisfactory manner, the progress has been rapid, and the cost, on account of the peculiar condition of the labor market, has been remarkably low. The more recent contracts entered into have been let at a lower price than the work could be done in almost any part of the world. At the present rate of progress Mr Thwaites, the engineer-in-chief, expects to have Melbourne connected with the main sewer in about twelve months. A barefaced attempt on the part of a couple of men to swindle Australian girls, on the supposition that employment was to be provided for them at the Chicago Exhibition, has been discovered. Circulars have been distributed among sewing girls conveying the information that a firm—Messrs Schulburg, Beyer, and Co., of Chicago—were anxious to engage as waitresses or " kellneren" (a German term signifying • waitresses in a beer saloon) a large number of young women to be employed in bars at the Chicago Exhibition. Those who desired to offer their services were requested to send their photographs to the "International Mercantile Agoncy," the address given being at 55 Collins place, Melbourne. Girls who replied to the circular were informed by letter that they would get free passages to Chicago, board and lodging, uniform costumes, and £5 a week, and all that was required of them was to pay a commission fee of 255. The swindle was too transparent to succeed, but by the time the police got " wind " of the matter the rascals had decamped. A suspicious fire took place early on the morning of Thursday at the furniture warehouse of Ryinan, Harkness, and Co., Kent street, Sydney. The fire was got under before much damage had been done. Subsequent examination showed that straw and shavings had been strewn and packed about in all parts of the building and tracks of Btraw laid up the stairs, so as to connect the different storeys. Traces of four or five distinct outbreaks were discovered smouldering mi-the ground* floor. At the foot of the elevator shaft, more straw was found, with a caniof oil in close proximity. Traces of fire were atao found on the second floor. The office books were found out of the desk and covered with straw, whilst generally it was apparent that most elaborate preparations had been made for the destruction of the building and its'contents, and there is not the least doubt that the scheme would have been successful but for the early discovery of che fire by a night watchman in the vicinity and the prompt action of the fire brigades. The building contained a large stock of furnivure, etc., the insurances of which t0ta1.£11,250. The owners of the premises state that the building was safely looked up at closing time on Wednesday night, and that there was then no straw about. The police have charge of the building, and the detectives are working up the case. It is likely that an arrest will be made soon. An interesting charge under the "moveon " municipal by-law was held in the Melbourne City Court yesterday. The defendant was Major Wardill, the secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club. On Saturday night he jvas with the Melbourne and Essendon football teams at the Princess's Theatre, and, as the curtain fell, made his way to the footpath in front of the building, there to wait for his wife and party; who had been separated from him on the seats. As he stood there Constable Holden ordered him to move ou, but Major Wardill, who could not sec that he was causing any obstruction to the traffic, refused to go away. An altercation followed, which resulted in the major being promptly arrested and as promptly bailed out. The major, when brought before the City Bench yesterday, admitted that he had—aucLvery naturally he claimed—refused to move on, and so„risk missing his friends. " Besides," he added, " where could I move to?" Mr Panton, who presided, ignored this question, and after informing Major Wardill that, as a military man, he should know the value of obedience, he fined him 10s.