OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Evening Star, Issue 12261, 30 July 1904, Page 7

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

[From Ouu Svecx.vl Coreksuokpem.] SYDNEY, July 23.

THE LABOR MINISTRY.

Tire Federal Labor Ministry are gradually becoming overpowered in their struggle to retain office. This week they suffered another defeat over the Arbitration Bill, then proposal to include ocean-going steamers engaging in the coastal trade within tin provisions of the measure being negatived by 26 votes to 22. Notwithstanding tin strong view on tho subject announced by Mr Kingston when he left the Barton Ministry, the issue is not now reckoned to b; vital by tho Ministers, and they are hanging on to office with Micawber-liko fatuity, in the hope, that something will trim up in their favor. A desperate effort is being made to revive tho fiscal issue by the Doakinitcs who have gone to tho assistance of the Government, but it is a forlorn hope. Thu attempt is evidently inspired by the ‘ Age,’ to “ draw a red herring across the scent,' 1 and operate against Mr Reid’s chances of coming into office. 1 indicated some time ago tho probability ol this journal trying to unsettle the faith of Froetrade Ministers, and am not at all surprised at the present move, although it is in direct contravention of the cry raised by Mr Deakin at tho last elections for fiscal peace. It is indicative of the insidious Press influence which is being used on Mr Watson that he was led this week to confess that he repented voting for making tho Tariff so low in pome respects. It has been suggested in some quarters that, in regard to the Arbitration Rill, the Government, have been riding for a fall, and that when the measure comes to be finally dealt with and they arc worsted an appeal will bo made to the Governor-Gene-ral for a dissolution on the points in dispute Tire Capital Sites Bill is at present being proceeded with, but when the recommittal of the Arbitration Bill takes place tho matters on which tho Government have been beaten, including tho shipping clauses, -will bo again brought forward. THE NAVIGATION BILL. . Tire . Royal Commission on tire Navigation Bill have commenced taking evidence, and have examined Dr Wollaston, Comp-troller-General of Customs. This official explains that Mr Kingston,-when Minister of Customs, commissioned him to.draft a Bill on tho lines of the latest Imperial and Victorian legislation, and to include a provision that Australian wages shall bo paid on ocean liners trading in Australian waters, -'ll' Kingston left the details of the measure to be formulated, as the judgment of Dr Wollaston directed. No officer could be found better qualified for the work, as Dr Wollaston has ample legal training,., and has Lad a lifetime of experience in Customs and shipping matter.-. t 10 Bill, he told fhe Commissioners, has oeen based on the Imperial Merchant Shipping Act, hut he has .also drawn on the Consolidated Shipping Act of New Zealand and derived considerable assatanco from a report of tire New Zealand Committee. The New South Wales Act of ISOO and the Victorian Act had furnished material which has also been availed of. The shipping laws of Canada and tire United States arc to some extent reflected in tho Bilk. One object is to secure tho well-being of ocnrnen, and to improve their status, with a view to rendering sea-life more attractive to youths, so that in time there will bo vn Australian mercantile marine. Jt is also desired to secure tho thorough seaworthiness of ships, the employment of British seamen, end tho uniform treatment of shipping, whether British or foreign. It is provided that on a British vessel sailing an Australian port, the officers must be British, and also three-fourths of the crew. No seaman may bo shipped unless lie "understands English. The SydneyChamber of Commerce had urged that ft would have been better to follow tho Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, hut according to Dr Wollaston that Act is full of anomalies. Under it the. Teutonic, tho largest ship afloat, might go to sea with only tho certificated officers besides the master. If she carried no passengers, she might voyage without employing a single certificated officer 1 . Experience has shown that many details are best left to regulations, which can Iro altered from time to tirno an experience dictates. The unadvisableness of dealing with other than questions of principle in an Act has been, shown in the matter of explosives. After it was enacted that explosives should be carried on tho deck of a ship, it was found that this was tho most dangerous place for such car q < ?- I has, it was legislated that a man could be fined for carrying explosives in what might really bo tho safest place for them. Iho Chamber has also raised an international law bogie, about which there need bo no fear.

As to pilotage, Dr Wollaston points out that it will be impossible to have uniform mtes tor tho whole Commonwealth \ shm has only to bo piloted a few miles in fcydaey, whereas in Melbourne thirty or forty miles have to be covered. If,, does not see, however, why Ml pilots should not be Government officers. At present the \ ic ton an pilots form a closo corporation, the members of which woik under license they provide their own plant, including two steamers, and the dues are paid over to them afar a certain deduction has been made. Whilo the Melbourne pilots earn about £6OO a year, tho salaries of tliosc'hi byc.ney range from £3OO to £4OO.

A DWINDLING INDUSTRY. I J - ' instance of the evil results af 311 Sydney is afforded bv ho industry. From small beginnings, relates the ‘ Herald,’ the trade grew by rapid strides, and in 1901 it "live employment to over 300 skilled workers, besides bremen, yard hands, packers, and carters. I. Hat year there were six factories m full swing at Lotany. The possibilities of the trade arc indicated hv the fact that in the year previous glass bottles were imported to the value of £40.960. The tradesmen earned, from £3 lOr, to £4 per week of five. days. When large contracts bad been entered into the men demanded more pay and less work. They threatened that if they did not get 15 per cent, more wages they would strike. The masters gave way, and agreed to higher wanes’, shorter hours, and improved workin" conditions. It is a peculiarity of the° trade thut to work it* profitably, in competition the furnaces should be kept going night and day, but the men declined tornccept the twoehitt system. The men demanded pay whether they worked or not, and so whenever a team was thrown idle by the absence of a “blower" or other leading man the masters had to pay money for nothing. The conditions .were legally ratified by the process of the common ride, and matters reached such a pass that factory after factory shut down; The men thrown out of work started a factory of their own, and, it is said, the conditions of labor and rate of wages imposed on private enterprise were flagrantly broken in the men’s factory. Even then tboir venture was nnnrofitable.

and so they imposed a levy on the men employed at the private factories. The einploycrs had either to grin and bear it, for this class of labor is scarce, aud there was 110 hope of replacing discharged men, or ose close down. One of (lie largest firms did the latter. After eighteen months the union factory gave up the ghost. The importation of bottka increased, and the number of unemployed bottle-makers increased. Instead of there being-seven flourishing factories. only three of tho smallest remain, and 50 per cent, of the bottles used in Sydney arc imported cheaper than they can'be made locallv, despite a handicap of 50 per cent, in freight and duty. Then the men began to see they had made a mistake, but still they were not prepared to accept conditions which the masters thought, fair. They agreed to a percentage reduction in wages, but, wjth curious inconsistency, demanded that the yardmen and others who earned only laborers’ money should also have their earnings reduced. As if to emphasise the argument of the masters At the time of the common rule application, that tho men were making a rod for their own backs, a. Melbourne linn brought over thirty men and started a factory. They ran it on Melbourne conditions, and the Sydney union; having no funds, could not lost the matter in the ourts. That factory worked night and lay, and the unemployed men had to nurse heir chagrin. Employers arc afraid to alter into contracts; they are completely t tho mercy of the union, even as to the mgagement of men. Tho masters errainly seem to have a genuine case, for the Vustralian Drug Company’s factory was •losecl down and offered for sale as a going concern. Rut there wa,s no buyer, and the , vholo concern is now lying unused. The non arc now waiting for the tide to turn heir way—not that it has turned the way t the masters —and their hope is: a proVibitive tariff.

TWO RICH MEN WHO WERE MISERABLE. Wealth does not always bring happiness, 'mined wc have the authority of a good old mok that quite the reverse Is tho fact. At ny rate, that prosperity does not agree vith sonic people was exemplified in two omarkablo cases which have recently oc ■uiTed in Sydney. It was announced in lire 'ally Press that a relative of a deceased ■quarter, who left an immense estate, had died in a private hospital. His remains

were transferred to « hotel, whence an ostentatious funeral took place. lb was Blended by many leading citizens, while ! li-veral wreaths wore forwarded as maria; j ■•f respect. The people whose names ; received prominence in the Press in i connection with the funeral were doubt- i ’css unaware of the fact, but Hie! 11 private hospital ” where the deceased drew | his last breath was a notorious house of jp. j fame. Here the man had been indulging in drunken orgies for weeks, and lie had used his cheque book so freely as Vo make him a rare prize for his loose companions. ! Thus was the hoarded wealth of the old I ■quarter squandered. Through it (he I young man became a disreputable drunkard, j and but for the hypocrisy of society his I coffin of polished cedar, with silver mount-1 ings, might have been inscribed ‘‘A I wretched victim to alcoholism.’’ 1

The other case to which I refer was | that of a past oralis t who, although of con- ! sidorabla means, allowed himself to brood j on the possibilities of misfortune, and ultimately got it into liis head that he was quite penniless. .An a subject of melancholia, he was placed in a Darlinghurst private hospital, and just after shaving one, day took the opportunity of cutting bin i throat from ear to oar. A nurse was iu dtcadwicc, but he was too quick for her. She placidly closed with the man, who watrying to do himself further injury, and in tho middle of the struggle the doctor and another nurse appeared on the scene. The man was then held by the two nurses while the doctor attended to his wounds, hut the original one caused his death within a brief period, the large arteries and windpipe being severed. The' experience of the first nurse j was a most, unpleasant one, her hands being j ranch cut with the razor. At the inquest- j tho coroner complimented her on her i bravery. A BRUTAL MURDER. ! Mrs Vciteh, wife of a baker at Clifioas Hill, a suburb of Melbourne, mot her death in a fearful manner on Tues- . day morning. Hi r body was found lying close to. the kitchen door in a pool of blood, her head-bang ulipqst severed from her body. The wound had- evidently been indicted with a sharp butcher's knife. (She bad a long buggy whip clasped firmly in her right hand. A bundle of blood-stained bakers clothes were found in an outhouse, and in consequence an apprentice. aged nineteen, named Charles Williams, was avnated. IJo first of all denied that lie waf, concerned in the affair, hut afterwards "confessed to the murder. He said ho had hurt b;j thumb while working in the bakery, tuvl deceased, hearing him use strong language, severely admonished him. Williams replied: “Hind your own busmens.” Mrs Vciteh became enraged, and picked up a knife and buggy whip, and advanced towards Williams, who grappled with her. Mrs Yeitch, who was? a woman of big build and muscularly strong, held her own in the contest; for some minutes, but finally Williams secured a knife, and, he says, plunged it, deep into her neck. Before she (ell dead at hie feet lie drove the blade into otb r -r portions of tho neck. Realising the awful deed be 'had committed, Williams hid tlm knife behind the flue iu the fireplace, and hastened to clean up tho evidences of the ciime that might tell against him. The murdered woman was about thirty-six years of age, and was Veilch’s second wife. Her grown-up stepdaughter was in the house shortly before the murder wne committed, but bad to leave her stepmother in order to go to a position she had accepted. Mr Veitch says young Williams seemed to be of excellent disposition, and bad always gone about bis work quietly and inoffensively. His wife, he eays, was also possessed of a kindly nature, and was loved by all who knew her. A WOMAN’S MYSTERIOUS DEATH. A sensation has been created in the City of Bathurst iN.S.W.) by the discovery that an elderly woman named Mrs Alexander Riper, of Stoney Creek, whoso body was recently interred after a formal inquest, had been fatally shot. Though the woman’s body and clothing wore riddled with shot and there was blood on her face, nothing was apparently suspected by tho relatives who attended to the corpse, and the police were not acquainted with the incriminating facts until after tho interment. The husr band of the deceased had reported that lie found her 50yds from the house in a semi, conscious condition. He asked her what happened to her, and sho replied that she could nob say. He dragged her homo and partially undressed her. Sho died two days afterwards. After the funeral a son of tho deceased asked his father for his gun, and it was missing. The eon then became suspicions, and on searching the locality where the old woman had been found saw a tree bad marks of shot 4ffc from the ground. The clothes which had been wo hi by deceased were then examined, and as many as twenty shot-holes were discovered in some of the garments., There were also bloodstains on the inside of tho stays. On the" body being- exhumed no marks of any kind were visible on tho face, but when the back was exposed to view a number of perforations were plainly seen. The marks extended from the nape of the neck to the knee. One mark was seen at the root of the hair, while, on the back, between "the shoulders, and downwards, was a group of about twenty' marte. This patch ochld be covered with two hands. On the leg, cloee behind the .knee, another mark was visible. That the bodv had been washed after death was shown by tho fact that under the left check was a small spot of clotted blood, which must have escaped the notice of those who dressed the bodv for the grave. At a second inquest, which has* been adjourned, no evidence was forthcoming as to who shot the deceased, and tho missing gun has not vet been discovered. HOUSE WRECKED BY A HURRICANE. Last Sunday a hurricane passed over a narrow strip of country near Seymour (Vic.) and completely demolished the house of Mr 'Talbott. Mrs Talbett, who was in bed with two ■ children, ono infant only a fortnight old, and another child two years of age. was struck by a sheet of iron and killed before she realised even that her life was in: danger; The same sheet of iron killed the baby. The other child was blown clean

out of bed, and, falling to the ground dear of tho debris, escaped injuries. Another room was occupied by Mr Talbett and Mr Coles. They, were lifted out of their beds and whirled into space. Mr Talbott was struck on the head aud' body by the collapsing walls and seriously injured. DEALING WITH DRUNKARDS. A deputation representing a committee of of Melbourne citizens formed to consider the 1 best means of dealing with drunkards waited on the Victorian Chief Secretary to urge the introduction of a Bill on the subject. The Rev. Dr Bevan said the present Victorian law was ineffective, and a Bill on tho lines of the New South Wales Act was desirab.c. There should be legislative power to restrain a.drunkard for a period recognised as sufficient to restore him to a sound condition. It was proposed to deal with persons who were arrested by the police, or who voluntarily asked that they should bo taken care ‘of, or whose friends applied for assistance; and the Committee rrou.d like to bo consulted in connection with the preparation of tho Bill. The idea was to remove tho inebriate from criminal treatment, and apply remedial measures. Sir Samuel (Jfi.ott promised that he would urge the Cabinet to introduce the legislation asked for. He thought if absolutely imperative that the State should intervene in such an important matter. A STRANGE CASE. Rufus Dawes—an historic name in Australian annals—a week ago purchased a revolver from a Sydney gunsmith, ami returned with a request that the firearm should he taken back. Dawes made the remarkable assertion that he had shot himsrif three time* in the head. He appeared to be uninjured, but his strange behaviour caused the gunsmith to send for a constable. Dawes then pointed out a wound m h;s head to the policeman, who removed him to the Sydney Hospital. He. repeated Ids former, .statement at tho institution, where Dr Sharpe made an examination, am) succeeded in finding a bullet in the top of his head, flattened out against the skui!. All efforts to trace further missiles failed, i although another wound was discovered or. |- the top of his head, as if caused by a bullet 5 After having his injuries dress’d, Dawes f was taken to the central police station. If. / nplioarsd before Uic Lunacv Court aud vrat£ ordered to be conveyed to Callan Park As.--11 lum. ' A STEAMER STRIKES A WHALE, ii The passengers and crew of the steamer Kyogk, of the ilcet of the North Coast 'V'- Company, had a sensational experience tee other jiiglit, when on the wav from rt.* t. kroner- River to Sydney. The steam r i was speeding along at the rate of 12 knots, .'■.. leu suddenly there was a terrific impact. “ cr, , ! Home amount of consternation on. 1 .-lard, and Captain Farrell was at a loss for-

moment (o account for tire obrtrucl; on. Some, of the officers feared that the Kyogie .-vui colhdoo v.'itu submerged wreckage. Hut all Mount was dispelled a minute later wnen on immense whale alongside the. ship s"i'.t up an enormous sqronfc of’water. which xteially deluged the ship. Captain Farrell, when seen in recard to his? remarkable <‘x pet.'once, said :* I ‘The first impression an*o;u I hose on board was that one of the larrync.na pipes had burst. This conclusion w,:--riived at from the facts that the Kyoglc -. derated from stem to stern, and that tic .‘ruouri Tvas followed bv n. .'.a of hissing as of escaping steam. The hissing was the result of the spout. TV ; suspense was quickly relieved when w,- I-,-! .armed thus? on board that (he ship ’ J iK-rely struck a whale, and it had rei iioil on the navigating officer's.” THE PA.KENHAM OUTRAGE. At the Victorian Criurnal Court a named Charles Samuel Williams was i- ■■ Hotcd of setting fire to the residsrir; . Daniel Bourke. at Pafccnham. Mr Just; . 1 Hodges ’ said the accused had very lie i ■:(,nso 0 f hi., moral responsibilities, and hj i would therefore direct that sentence ofdwd. ! up recorded. This was the second trial e'i accused, the jurv fading to agree on (I,- 1 'a ret occasion. A 1 fortnight. a‘Vo Wilii-.rv was acquitted of iho charge of criminal! ■* assaulting a -servant trirT employed bv Mr Bourke. COMPENSATION FOR CLOSED PUBLIC-HOUSES. The compensation w.hich will have to be paid in connection with- tiro .public-lions -s to be closed at North Melbourne is es;imaled to come to £50,000. Mr Bent pro poses to ask Parliament for authority {■■■ .stay the .proceedings', of the Court..,: ‘Mi; rt a- perfect farce.” comments Mr Bent, “for tire Court to order the payment of £50,000, when wo have not sufficient money to meet it, and it would he on I,raucous to 'borrow for such a purpose. ] thought at one time compensation was a. fair thine, but in vii-« of the exorbitant amount of-tho awards I am beginning to change my opinion.” ASSAULTING A FOOTBALL UMPIRE. At Geelong a young man was fined for assaulting Henry Crapp, a well-known umpire, at the conclusion of a football maten between Geelong and Carlton. The gam? resulted in n draw, a number of local residents making a demonstrstiori against the umpire in consequence. Tire Bench intimated that the next time an umpire was assaulted imprisonment without the option would bo inflicted upon the offender.