AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Issue 14036, 17 April 1909, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

As the Governor-General and Ccm»toss Dudley entered the Sydney Zoological Gardens on the afternoon of April 5 a band of Germans and Bavarians played the National Anthem. Meanwhile, a band of Britonff< and Australians held a consultation across the road as to the best means of preventing hired foreigners play in, patriotic airs whilst subjects of ti jiing wore awaiting engagement. jhble arose out of the engagement uy. the Zoological Gardens Committee of the German Band to play at the afternoon / functions, and a number of musicians -—some of them members of professional musical associations—-decided Jo make hostile demonstrations. It was arranged that when the Germans had played ‘ God save the King ’ on the arrival of the vice-regal party, the local musicians should repeat it, and then give three cheers for Lord and Lady Dudley, but the plot leaked out, and Mr Lesouef, secretary of the Committee, had a consultation with Mr A. E. O’Brien, spokesman of the discontented - bandsmen, and the incident closed with a declaration by Mr. O’Brien that a verbal understanding had been given -that, so far as the Zoo Committee were concerned, 'no more German bands would play the National Anthem while local men were available.

Preaching at St. Mary’s Church, Geelong, Archpriest M'Kenna referred to the unemployment question, and remarked that it was deplorable in a young community like Australia to find so many idlers. In every Australian town idlers could be seen, and frequently they imposed on the good, nature and the charitableness of others'. Men utterly undeserving of assistance received help on the strength of some bogus story. There was work for every man who wanted it, but many so-called unemployed who cried out the loudest about their poverty, had not the slightest desire for work." The idlers seemed to be a growing force, and it was high time action was taken to prevent imposition. “Paltry .rumor” was the term chosen by the the Consul-General for Japan to describe the statement published a few days ago concerning a party of Japanese in Queensland whose movements seemed to the Minister of Defence (Senator Pearce) to be “not without significance.” The ConsulGeneral (Mr K. Uyeno) is reported as having said that he' found it bard to believe that the Minister could have lent the weight of his position to the statement which had been published. Senator Pearce, referring to the matter, remarked: “I did not say fiat the men were spies. I merely repeated certain facts which had been related to me. I will, however, add this: Since the matter has been mentioned in the Press 1 have been furnished with evidence from the department, showing that the military authorities were also in possession of information concerning the movements of the party, although they could not get any information of the statement that the-Japanese were acquiring information'calculated to be, useful, for military purposes.” Adeline Ethel Jones, sixteen years of age, was riding a bicycle down Muray street, Elstermvick (Vic.) on a recent afternoon. She turned into Wilson street a_s Archibald Edward Darlington was driving past on a grocer’s cart, Darlington noticed that she was not an expert cyclist, and gave her plenty of room as ho passed her. But the bicycle, swerved, and she was dashed against the wheel of the cart. Seeing that she was hurt,' Darlington got down from his cart, and, with' 1 the assistance of a bystander, took "her to her home, which was near by. Dr Travers was called in, and found that her jaw was broken, her eye severely injured, her chin badly cut, and her thigh cut and bruised. She appeared to rally during the afternoon, but died next day. Mr Sidney Kidman, in reply to an interviewer, said: “The Bovril Australian Estates, Limited, intend to treat the cattle at Wyndham and Blunden Bay by means of a floating abattoir, the like of which has never been seen on this side of the world. After this year I reckon that the Victoria River Downs, Carlton Hill, and Napier will be able to supply a total of 20,000 head of cattle a year to he canned; but the enterprise will also he a splendid one for pastoralists in the north of Australia generally and Western Queensland, 'from whom the company will be prepared to purchase stock according to price and the conditions prevailing. For years these pastoralists have had to travel their cattle 1,700 miles to market, and now an outlet will be provided for them at Wyndham. a distance of only 300 miles from Victoria Downs. Instead of . West Australian stock having to;ho shipped at Wyndham, for Perth,-they can he killed at the former place on the floating abattoir. The prime beasts can be frozen, and the rough stuff dealt with in another way by the company. It costs £3 per head to ship Jive- stock from Wyndham to Perth, whereas they can be carried dead for half the price, besides which all the wasting and knocking about incurred in transit will be obviated. If prices are satisfactory, the Bovril Australian Estates, Limited, will be prepared to purchase other properties later on. Altogether, I think- it will bo a splendid thing for Australia.! When I was in London an offer was made to float all my stations into a company, but I shall not decide what I shall do in the matter until the end of the year. The proposal may take me back to London next year.” . At a sitting of the Postal Commission, the chairman (Mr W. H. Wilks) quoted from an examination paper the dictation test for admission to the fifth class of the clerical branch, as follows: —“The science of the physician has latterly developed in two directions—a more sagacious perspicacity in diagnosis, and a keener exactitude of nomenclature. As to the former, nathology, in its inquiry as to origin: ] la s profited by the microscopic work • the bacteriologist, while the praci' of medicine has accelerated cures b\ new drugs and massage. Much contemporary phraseology is only veteran terminology masquerading in a novel garb. Where our ancestors suffered from sore throats, we now collapse from tonsilitis; the mysticism or the spiritualist dignifies itself as theosophy and psychical research ; toothache is neuralgia; appendicitis accounts for internal inflammation ; and the municipal health officer is a professor of hygiene.” In evidence the hon. secretary of the Professional and Clerical Officers’ Association, Mr M. D. Page, said ho did not regard the test as an unfair one for youths who wished to enter the service, as they were taught anatomy and physiology at school, and should he able to spell correctly some technical words and phrases; but such a test was unnecessary for men already in the service, who might be only required to show a good general knowledge of spelling and grammar. Some exciting incidents occurred in connection with a fire which broke out in the premises of a saddler in Murray street, Perth, a few days ago. The fire originated in a cellar, in which there was a quantity of straw and fibre used for collar-stuffing, and the smoko was remarkably dense. Sixty rrirls were at work on the second floor ofthe building, which is occupied by *’ Excelsior White Work Company. i;,,,, the stairway full of smoke, :■ -of the girls jumped from -the wi: to the street below, and were cai ,t in the arms of people gathered around. Several of the girls stayed to put on their hats, and were piloted by the firemen down the stairs. Two firemen were temporarily overcome by the smoke and fumes.