Australian Summary.

Hastings Standard, Issue 491, 2 December 1897, Page 4

Australian Summary.

At, the Terih Ponce Court last week, sensational evidence was given in the case of P>ernard Goldstein and William James A nnstrong, who were charged with having an illicit siiil in their possession. Goldstein said he had previously undergone a sentence for running an illicit still. On coming out of gaol he met Inspector Newlands, of the metropolitan police, who asked him what he was doing, and how much it would take to start him in the same business again if protected by the police. He replied "£250." Newlands then told him to call at the bank within a week, and he would try to get a man with capital to go in with him. Subsequently Detective Lessy introduced a man named Carlisle, who put certain money into the concern, and agreed that the accused, Detective Lessy, Inspector Newlands, and Carlisle should share the profits equally. Newlands told the accused that he should be protected. The other accused gave corroborative evidence. Mr Pethei'ick, Customs officer, said the still had been seized by the Customs officers, not by the police. He stated he had received a letter from the Collector of Customs stating that Inspector Newlands was mixed up with the affair. Mr Moorhead, who appeared for the accused, applied for a summons against Inspector Newlands and Detective Lessy for aiding and abetting. The Magistrate said the most searching enquiry should be made, and in the meantime he sentenced each of the accused to twelve months' imprisonment. Inspector Newlands, when subsequently interviewed, said Goldstein's story was an absolute fabrication, and he would insist on a searching departmental enquiry. There was a rather lively scene at the City Court, Sydney, at the conclusion of a case of alleged bigamy against a mau named Jas. Edmonds. The evidence showed that after living for several years with Iris first wife, to whom he was married in New Zealand, accused was married to Jessie Sutherland, of the Duke of York Hotel, West Melbourne, at Holt's Matrimonial Agency. Previous to the marriage, be had been residing at the hotel. Accused was committed for trial. Soon afterwards Jessie Sutherland entered the Court, and addressing the orderly (Seuior-Constable Iveane), said, " Let me see the prisoner ?" Senior-Con-stable Keane : " Have you seen him since his arrest ?" Miss Sutherland : " Yes ; I have visited him every day." Mrs Edmonds (who was present during the discussion) rose and exclaimed excitedly : " I won't let him see her; so there !" Senior - Constable Iveane informed Miss Sutherland that she could not see accused, and warned her to be careful of his wife. Miss Sutherland (defiantly) : " Pooh ! I'm not afraid of her." A rather peculiar stratagem was resorted to by the Melbourne police in effecting the arrest of Ilenry Brittain, who was wanted on a charge of wife desertion, and who was unknown to the arresting constables. The desertion is alleged to have taken place in April last. About six weeks ago two of accused's children, who were living with their mother, were taken away from the Evelyn street State School by a woman who is supposed to have acted on behalf of Brittain. One day plain c'othes Con-tables Scott and Appleby discovered the children living with a woman in Brunswick West. While they were searching the house they found a letter from Brittain stating that he was coming to Melbourne by the 3 p.m. train from Gippsland. The constables decided to execute a warrant they bad for Brittain's arrest as soon as he arrived. They did not know him, but they hit upon the plan of making him betray his identity through his affection for his little son. The boy was placed in a prominent position on the platform, and as soon as the father alighted he hurried up to him and kissed him affectionately. This satisfied the constab'es, and they immediately arrested Brittian. The vulgar but pertinent observation—" They all do it," is the involuntary comment on the latest Customs offence which has been found out (says the Melbourne Age). No less exemplary organisations than the Religious Tract Society and the Diocesan Book Company have been fined £5 and £2 respectively, besides being made to pav duty, for describing packages of imports containing dutiable goods as "printed books," which are free. The Tract Society got in a whole lot of calendars under this heading, while the Diocesan Book Company introduced, similarly, a large consignment of birthday, wedding and condolence cards. Explanations were asked for, and the tract people merely stated that the imports were called printed books, because, in a hurry, the importer had not time to examine his invoice and discover that the packages contained anything else. The Book Company declared that it had not, for years, imported birthday cards. When it last did so they were free. It was not aware a change bad since been made in the tariff. The company bad presumed wedding cards and condolence cards would be treated in the same category as birthday cards. As some of them had two or three leaves the company had presumed to catalogue all the lot as " printed books." The authorities having noted these unconvincing details, inflicted the fines mentioned, and received the money with moistened eyes. A robbery of a particularly daring character was perpetrated at Forbes, New South Wales. Judge Docker, who was presiding at the Court of Quarter Sessions, left his coat in the retiring-room set apart for His Honor, leaving his gold watch and chain, a medal, his railway pass and some sovereigns in one of the pockets. At the termination of the business of the Court he entered his room, and was in the act of putting on his coat when he found that the articles enumerated had been abstracted from the pockets,

Messrs Vale, Tait and Milhs, members of the Victorian Temperance Alliance, took part in jt, discussion at a meeting of the Australian Natives* Association at, Clifton, Victoria, on a proposal to abo'ish barmaids. Mr Vale said the Alliance did i.ofc wish to cast aspersions on the character of •women employed in bars, but it cort jndtd that the vocation was attended with special risk, and a large number annually fell victims to the great temptations. If there were any good women serving behind bars they were good women put to a very bad use. Evidence taken before the Shops Commission proved that fresh young girls, with the bloom on their cheeks, came from the country and entered first-class hotels as barmaids. They soon went on the down grade, drifting into lower class publichouses, then to the streets and the haunts of Chinese, and finally to the hospitals and the grave. Should not Australia protect Australian girls from this dreadful fate ? The calling of a barmaid was physically injurious and morally degrading. The Alliance did not wish to suddenly abolish barmaids in hotels, but they did wish to obtain legislation to gradually wipe out a crying evil. Mr P. Tait said the tap-room was no place for the future wives and mothers of the nation to serve an apprenticeship. Mr Richard Capper said he had heard a great deal about barmaids, but what about lady doctors ? (Laughter.) It did not follow that because a girl served in a bar she was immoral. The essence of the failure of the Temperance Party was its bigotry and narrow prejudices. Intemperance should be reduced by moral suasion and Christian charity, not by arbitrary laws and sumptuary enactments. Mr Mills was of opinion that it was their duty to rescue girls from lewd conversations. Some inebriated men took a pride in offering disgusting insults to defenceless women behind a bar. A girl in that position become unwomanly owing to her continual contact with masculine depravity.