OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Evening Star, Issue 12094, 15 January 1904, Page 8

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

.SYDNEY, January 9. THE WAR CLOUD. . The impending straggle between Russia " nd Japan has led to some speculation as to what the future has in store for Australia. The conclusion arrived at is that there is most danger to us in a victory for Japan. With anything "like a dominating position in the East, Japanese ambition will know no bounds, and* the 1 northern shores of Australia will present a tempting field for conquest. . According to visitors to tie Easf, the little Jap has already got his eye on Australia, and talks glibly* enough about -what he is going to do. The significant remark of an officer of one of the warships that recently visited us was:—"We have ' a little land with a big population, and you have a big land with a small population." % And yet Japanese are shut' out of this big land. That Alien Restriction Act-rankles sorely in the breast of the yellow man, and there b little doubt that he will do his best to be even with us some day. Supposing Russia, does not give Japan a " licking," and the breast of the little man is heaving with all the audacity and assurance oi the British Jack tar as described hi ' Pinafore,' he may take it into his head to call the attention of his faithful ally to that ridiculous little embargo set up by "a White Australia," and demand to have it removed so far as he is concerned. Britannia, after giving assistance to the black man to beat the white man, would have to explain that her daughter had a mind of her own, and the black man would find a pretext for taking it upon his shoulders to deal with that daughter. His method would be to land in numbers on the uninhabited shores of Northern Australia, and proceed to settle a vast country, which the -white man cannot use himself, and from •which he at present excludes the black man. To the mind of the black man there is v brought that little fable about the dog in the manger. The small Jap has feelings just the same as the burly Britisher, and docs not contemplate such fables without finding his gorge rising in true English fashion. The cry of "foreign devils" did not keep Englishmen out of China, and the ' Commonwealth banner, "A White Australia," will not stop the progressive Jap. Unless something is done to reduce the size of his hood and subdue his swelling breast be is just as likely as not to attempt to force his way into Australia. Perhaps, when the Commonwealth Government liven up to the situation they will admit that the retrenchment knife has been used too unsparingly on the defence vote, and that money must now be spent in filling up the ugly gaps which have been created in the forces.

THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. Ifc has been arranged thai on the meeting of the Federal Parliament the Arbitration liill shall be proceeded with. If the Government adhere to their former attitude 1 hero ought to bo an interesting development, for the Labor party are determined to Lave Civil servants brought within the scope of the measure. Sir William Lyne is to have charge of the Bill, and, of course, * if it ia at all practicable the sails «f ; -th.B Government barque will be .trimmed to the favoring breeze. It'is quite possible the Government v may say such a provision is, .after all, a matter of detail for the House •to settle. At any rate, the Labor party intend to fight hard for the clause, and may seek to turn the Government out over the point. The''situation as to parties is decidedly mixed, and it is now suggested that if Mr Deakin succumbs the most likely outcome will be a Radical Government under Mr Kingston. Mr Reid ridicules any suggestion of a coalition against the Labor party. His recent journey to-Perth gave currency to an idea that he went west to talk over a possible combination of Ministerialists and Opposition to smite the Laboritta. He was, therefore, -met by the inevitable interviewer in Melbourne, and specifically questioned on the point. His trip was a holiday one pure and simple, he explained, and he 'never mixed up politics with holidays. A good rule, no doubt, but there are of course exceptions, and it does seem strange that for a holiday Mr Reid should have chosen that awkward sea journey for pleasure so soon after his political tour in the yresL

MR TOM MANX. Mr Tqm Mann, the Labor advocate, who came to Victoria from England fifteen months ago, and has been associated with the Melbourne Political Labor Council and SCradea Hall, has announced his intention of retiring from public life. In the course of an interview he said: "My organising work concluded with the Federal elections. I was asked to accept a further term until the State elections are held, but declined. There has been no disagreement between myself and the Trades Hall people. I have been pressed by three constituencies to allow myself to ba nominated for the State Parliament, bub I have no wish to enter the politcal arena. The fact is my tastes do not tend that way. I could do nothing special as an ordinary member of Parliament, and do not care, therefore, to undertake the work. I have resolved to retire from all public engagements for some years at least. My present idea is to tak9 up land and settle down as a farmer. I shall most likely leave Melbourne, but probably not Vic-/ toria. For some time past I have been endeavoring to form a co-operative farming settlement, but it would, I find, take a long time to perfect, such a movement. I have • given up all hopes of success in that direcfon, and have resolved to commence farming on my own account." Mr Mann was nominated for ballot by the Labor organisations as a candidate for the Senate, but did not secure enough votes. THE DETERMINATION OF THE SEE GOVERNMENT. For brass-faced audacity the New South Wales politician surely takes the cake. During two sessions of Parliament the See Government have flouted the will of the people in regard to reform, and the Labor party have insisted that there should be no reduction of members, and now we have the Premier, the Attorney-General, and the Leader of the Labor party expressing their unswerving determination to see that, spite of all opposition, the referendum shall be given effect to with the least possible delay. One would think that they had a desperate battle to fight with the Opposition. As the result of a Cabinet meeting, Sir John See has intimated that Parliament is to be called together on the 19th insfc. to consider a' Bill to reduce the membership of the Assembly to ninety, and appoint commissioners to make the necessary alterations of the electoral boundaries. Announcing the rwult of the Cabinet to the reporters, Sir John See said that the decision was.intended "as a complete contradiction to the insinuation that the Government are not sincere in their desire to meet the wishes of the people. _ We shall appoint an independent commission, and give individual members of Parliament the right to appear before the commission, and state their case where they feel that they have been unjustly dealt with.. The Government won't interfere in , any way. That is just what the newspapers ' want us to do, and we won't. You want us to make a political question of it, rnd have all along, but we won't. This will be an entirely non-political commrs- . won. lam not going to subject myself to the unfairness of being charged with interfering with the commissioners. They will have full power to give effect to the wul cf the people." The announcement of the Governments decision has been followed up by an elaborvnte piece of special pleading in Mr B. R. Wise's most fluent style in defence of Ministerial tactics. Mr Wise contends that without this latest strong mandate from the people in the shape of the referendum it would have been impossible to get a mi- , . jonty of the House to indulge largely jn ■ what amounted to " political,suicide.'l There .. is a good deal in favor of this view, but. the See Government, although pledged to reduction,' refrained as long as they dared from doing anything to redeem their promise, and whenever the subject was' brought up' in. Parliament treated it as a huge joke. At i&st, just before going to the country again, they have realised that this .question of reduction is no joke. But the sudden assumption of earnestness on the part cf the Ministry is.

...;' Mr JfGowan, Leader of the Labor party, > is more candid than Ministers. He says: "A» far as oar party is concerned, we were Tent reducjtion of metoben.

mil .-the iffcrriidum being in favor of reduction we have rublvej to carry it oat. We ore very much concerned in all arrangements for completing this' matter, £9 that tr«s next House may bo elected on tie reliUC';i': DHsis." ■■■•••'',. ■! ■ ■': THE COOGEE. COLLISION. ' . The inquiry ol the Marine Court in Melbourne regarding the collision between the steamer Coogee as J the Italian ship Fortunato Figan has tMcited facts which, suggest that the precautions BouaJly adopted during fogs to prevent disaster were not in fial operation. The foghorn an the ship, wiieh, according to the regulations, should have been operated by machinery, was being blown by mouth in the old-fashioned way, and the seaman charged with tho duty admits that he found it an irksome one. Then the Coogee was travelling at o- high rate of speed, and those on board the snip insist that they heard no sound from her until the swish of her bows immedLitely before the collision sounded ominously on their ears. That there were many faint hearts among, the crew aboard thestcamer is evidenced by their conduct directly after the impact. Instead of remaining at their posts to aid passengers, they lost no time in jumping aboard the Italian ship. They were headed by the chief officer, but his is that he discovered aQ the boats on the Coogee were useless, and he boarded the other vessel to get boats. The investigation is being conducted in a very searching fashion, and everything is being elicited which will aid the Court in coming to a true conclusion. A MYSTERY OF THE BUSH. A strange affair is reported from Terrible •Tale, twenty-four miles from Tamworth (N.S.W."). Emily Hebblewhite (16), stepdaughter of Charles Ball, a railway ganger, was engaged in domestic duties in the kitchen of their house opposite the Terrible Tale railway platform, whei. she was shot through the window, and she expired ten minutes afterwards. At the inquest the following evidence was adduced : Senior-constable Gardiner, of Currabubula, four miles from Terrible Tale, deposed that he received certain information, in consequeace of which he came to Terrible Vale, where he saw the dead body of the girl Emily Hull Hebblewhite at the residence of Charles Ball Witness-was handed two single-barrelled muzzle-loading - guns, • one of which bad been recently discharged. He also received a pair of boots and "a bag, which had been hanging over the kitchen window, through which it was said the shot had been fired which killed the girL Hazel Isabel Ball, mother of the deceased, stated that about half-past eight the previous night Emily Hebblewhite was making cocoa in the kitchen for her and. her husband,«when she hoard a-report, which she thought was caused by a cork flying out of a yeast bottle. A ■ few seconds after, as they wwe leaving the sitting room, where they had been sitting, her son Albert Henry came running to them from the direction of tbei kitchen, and said that Emily had been shot. Witness and her husband rushed to the kitchen, and found the girl lying on the floor in a pool of blood. They lifted her up and took her to the sitting room. . Senior-constable Gardiner, recalled, produced the bag and a pair of boots which ho had received from Albert Henry Ball. A portion of the bag was burned when the boy handed him the boots. The constable asked him if those were what he was wearing yesterday, and he said "Yes." Hazel Isabel Ball also stated that when, tbey rushed into the kitchen a portion of a bag" hanging over the window was smouldering. The window was situated near the fireplace, where the girl had been making the cocoa.' The gun produced, which the constable stated" had been, recently discharged, was usually kept under the bed occupied by her daughter.Kate. Witness did not know when either of the guns produced had been last used.

Kate Ball, twelve years of age, deposed that Emily Hebblewhite, George Ball, and Albert Henry Ball were in the kitchen with her. The former was making cocoa, and the latter was standing near the front kitchen door. She heard a shot, and saw Emily fall down, and the bagging on the window alight. The report came from the window near the fireplace. She did not see any gun in the kitchen or any other 'place. Edward Purcell,' farm laborer, stated that Albert Henry Ball borrowed two caps from him,- saying he was going duck-shooting. Ball had a gun in his possession, which wit--11 --ss idftntified as being one of those produced in evidence. Senior-constable Fleming, of Tamworth, stated that he brought an aboriginal tracker to Terrible Vale. In company with the tracker, he found tracks of nailed boots near the window, which corresponded with the tracks made by the boots worn by Albert Henrv Ball.

Albert Henry Ball, who before being snom was cautioned and told that he need not give evidence unless he liked, deposed that he was fourteen.years of age. As his step-sister Emily was- in the kitchen making cocoa he walked out of the" kitchen to the kitchen front dJor, and just then he ■ heard a shot fired, and he rushed into the sitting room and told his father, who was comingout Witness got a can of water and put out the bag covering the window, which was alight. He did not go duck-shooting as he intended, and had lost the caps he borrowed. [A cablegram received afc the end of last week stated that the.boy Ball had been arrested, he- having confessed to having killed the girl accidentally.] A REMARKABLE RESCUE.

Three visitors to Beaumaris, a marine picnic resort not far from Melbourne, had a marvellous escape from death last Sunday evening. They were fishing in a boat about half a mile off the shore, when a heavy gala set in. Seeing the mouth of Beaumaris Cave at the foot of the cliff in. front of them, they headed for it, thinking to find safety there. The cave was reached safely, but as there is only one channel the sea came dashing into it with ever-increasing force, and cut off all chance of the boat again getting out. Their place of safety began to look like a death-trap, for the waves in the cave tossed tue'boat about like a cork, banging it against the rocky walls of the.cave. "

The cliffs are about 60ft high at the place, and the cries of the 'entrapped men for help were, drowned in the roar of the breakers. At last they managed to get the boat back to. the mouth of the cave, and one of the men sprang on to a rocky ledge, to clamber up the cliff. After an exhausting struggle he reached the summit, and sought assistance in Beaumaris. Most of the residents were soon down on the cliffs. A boat was launched, but was swamped before it could reach the cave. Two ropes were then lowered over the cliffs,

one as a guide rope, and the other to pi up the two men, one at a time, .The v>h at the time was blowing a hurricane, ,'ai much difficulty was experienced in thrown the rope within their reach. At last succe was attained, and one of the men tying £ rope round,hi3 waist signalled to be*haul up. Slowly he was hoisted, and just as ] 'wits swinging clear of tiie boat ,his coi panion became alarmed and sprang up ai clutched him by the waist The .rescue on the top hardly knew what to do. pulling both men up one might be knock off, or become exhausted and let go. Th could not, however, be lowered back to t boat, for it had been smashed by t waves. There was nothing for it but ri pulling up both together. Siowly the 10 came over the cliff, every mom mc the sp< tators expecting to see one of the men cir back into the sea. The bottom man, hoover, had a grip of desperation, and ma aged to retain his hold until they were to drawn in safety to the top of tlie cli They were both much exhausted, b speedily recovered.