AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 20 March 1909, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

AN ACTOR'S DILEMJIA.

As notified recently by cable, Sir W. S. Percy, at present paying Joe Mi'tnt iu "The. Dairymaids" at tier Majesty's. Sydney, has been compelled to gently but firmly decline to bo adopted by an inmate ol Gladcsville Asylum. U« laid tho full particularti of hit case before the Master-in-Lunacy the other day. That official had communicated with him requesting bis attendance at bU office, when be would be deairad to state the amount ho would be "pre. pared to contribute towards tbe rapport of vour mother, now an inmate of Gladesvillo Asylum, and to furniah Ml particulars of her property, if any." Mr Percy informed the Master-in-Lunacy that his mother had been dead some years, and furnished him with proof of that fact. The comedian waa allows a pilo of correspondence that bad col* lectcd on the aubject. Thia waa put before him by way of an apology. "It's a peculiar thing, ' Mr Percy stated, "but this in the second time 1 have been claimed as a son in tbia irregular way. Onoo when 1 wa» appearing at, Bortio Boyd in "Tbe Shopgirl" a woman insisted thst I had run away from her 12 year* before, Her nam* was Boyd, and aha witnessed a performance of the piece, and nothing I could say to the contrary would convince bar that I was not her Bertie. I told bar my name waa Percy, but all to no purpo.se. Sho waa alio 'foozled in the filbert,' poor thing. I thought at firtt that it might be the same woman oil this occasion, but the name ia different. This particular form of mania is becoming a trifle monotonous."

A GRUESOME EFFIGY.

Tho other morning many persons were attracted to view a rather gruesome tableau at the foot of the Proprietary mine tailing)*. Suspended from an improvised gallows was the effigy of a man dressed in ordinary clothes with a mask for a face. A placard alongside the swaying figure boro au inscription evidently intended to ftt one of the mine officials. Beneath the gibbet were two graves, formed with tho uid of loose- tailing* from the dump. Each was decorated with headboards indicating tho supposed owners of them. They were intended to represent the graves of two of the men who remained on the Proprietary mine. A few half-withorod pepper tree branches served as wroaths. The inscription on one of tho graves ended with the old saw, "As I make my bed t*y I lie." The effigy was taken down by the police and removed in the police cart.

AN UP-TO-DATE FIRM

The firm of Ilurroughs, Wellconie and Co., manufacturing chomittt, are believers in the value of idea* and Itlggestious emanating from employee*, and in encourage originality there is a "«uggestion box" in a prominent position, where each employee is invited to drop particulars of any improvement that may occur to him. Whenever the ideat are utilised tliev are paid for, and each vear special prizes are given for the best suggestion and to the one who sends in the Most hints for improvements. The scheme has home good fruit, and in every part of tho building ••an be found labor-saving device* and iilher improvements which have come directly from the "suggestion box." In each department the work is system - alised. Indeed, throughout the promises system lias been brought to totneihing approaching a fine art. There is in rush or hurry, everything being carried out in an orderly, methodical way that ensures absolute accuracy and ren--lers mistakes quite impossible. There is so much checking and counter"hccluug, testing and analysing of each product that n mistake, if it did occur, mild not go undetected. The importnice of this becomes at once manifest »licr«t drugs are concerned. Poison* have n department, all to themselves, and he|H even greater precautions are taken. From beginning to end the »orks all'ord a splendid example of what can be achieved by modern science in tho production <.f pure drugs, and nerliiips the most gratifying feature to the visitor is the knowledge that Aimralia has Wen made n maiiulactiin •entie by the firm.