OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13691, 6 March 1908, Page 8

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

[FROM our own correspondent.l

Sydney, February 26.

EARLY SESSION OF PARLIAMENT. In accordance with a promise made last session by the Premier of New South Wales, Jlr. Wade proposes to call Parliament toother on Tuesday, March 10. The object of this session is to face the position which will be created by the expiration of the term for which the Arbitration Court was established. "In mv opinion,'' says -Air. Wade, *' it is not desirable to cut tilings too closely, and to be faced with the situation of the present Act expiring before the new one is in working operation. So I have decided to meet a little earlier than we intended, have a short session to deal with this question, and resume for the main work of the year later on." The present Arbitration Act will expire on June 10, and in its new legislation the Government will probably propose that the Court, should be replaced by wages boards, following in some degree at; least the lines of the system in Victoria. Though the primary object of the early meeting of Parliament is to consider the Arbitration Act, it is likely also, according to the Premier, that members will be asked to discuss the situation caused by the action of those lessees whose improvement leases jt is sought to cancel. They have instituted a suit in the Equity Court, which is certain to be a protracted one, and pending the hearing of the suit have obtained an injunction to restrain the Crown from throwing the land open for settlement. Thestj proceedings will naturally delay considerably ■the closer settlement policy of the Government, so far at least as it relates to the vast areas locked up in these leases, and it will be interesting to see what action the Government will take in the matter.

THE TWO HUNDRED POUND SACK.

The Federal Government having declared that the weight of grain bags .mist not exceed 20011), and having 1 published an official proclamation to (hat elf vet, which is to come into operation after .May 15, it is interesting to learn that the millers have discovered that a. bag of the size prescribed in this proclamation will not hold 2001b of wheat. It will. it. appears, be three-fourths the size of the old bag—Win by 23in are the new •dimensions—whereas to hold 2001b of wheat it should be five-sixths of the size.. Tests have been made by McLeod and Co., of the Great- Western Flour -Mills, Wellington, arid these go to show that the objection is well founded. They state in their report upon the subject: Having gone carefully into the matter of the size of the Chapman eornsaek, we find that the size as fixed— viz., 41in by 23in, quality 8 porter 9 shot, does not hold 2001'o of wheat unless filled under extremely favourable conditions, and .only then with wheat of the primest quality. Our trials gave the following results: — With wheat weighing 65jih per bushel, the sack held 1981b; at 62jlb per bushel (this season's f.a.q.), it held 1791b. The wheat was well rammed into the sackin fact, almost to its bursting point. We are therefore of opinion that the new sack will only hold on the average 31b 3 bushels, or 1801b of f.a.q. wheat, when filled under ordinary harvesting conditions." The grain section of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce lias -made a similar experiment, rilling a bag half nil ,inch"larger than the official size, with 'the result that it was found to hold only 1881b 12oz. It is possible that Mr. Chapman may not be satisfied with these trials, but to the ordinary observer they appear convincing enough. They go to show that in his anxiety to reduce the weight of the bag to reasonable dimensions the Minister has cut it down a trifle too. much. Meanwhile an important lawsuit, which will probably raise the whole question of the rights of the State in relation to those of the Commonwealth, is promised over this bag question, as Mr. Wade announces that he proposes to appeal to the High Court in order that it may be determined whether the regulation passed by the Federal Government fixing the weight of grain bags is not ultra vires. v. 1 -'?.: '* ■/ >• t • 1 " OPIUM SMUGGLING. There was a. further important seizure of opium.by the Customs authorities this week —this time in Sydney—3oo tins being secured on Saturday on board the steamer Empire, wliith arrived List week from Japan jtnd China, and was quarantined because of the discovery of a case of small-pox on board. When the work of discharging the vessel was completed at Circular Quay on Saturday officers of ■ the Customs Department went on board and made a search, with the result that the opium was found eonhealed below deck. It was promptly confiscated and lodged in the King's warehouse. Now comes news • that the police at Port Adelaide have unearthed a huge opium smuggling conspiracy. A man named Ellison, who keeps a shop opposite the P<?rt Adelaide railway station, was suspected, a.nd the police watched his premises, and afterwards searched them, "accompanied by Customs officers, but without any success. Then the party took a cab and drove with Ellison to Lis private house. There another search failed to reveal anything, until just as the task was about to be abandoned one of the officers noticed some freshly-turned soil, and - upon digging at the spot the parts' found several tins of opium. Ellison, who asked to be treated leniently, was taken, before the Deputy-Commissioner of Customs at Port. Adelaide. There he made the startling confession that he was the agent for ■Adelaide and Broken Hill of a gigantic opium smuggling company, which had establishments' at Port Darwin, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and other parts of the Commonwealth. The opium found in Ellison's garden came from Sydney. It is hinted that revelations of a sensational character will be made in a day or two, and that some business men of standing and one Customs official are involved in the scandal.

JIU-JITSU BEATEN IX THE SURF. Even jiu-jitsu is powerless against the surf of the Manly ami Bondi beaches, as Professor" Stevenson, the exponent of .that interesting science, discovered while surf-bathing-at-Manly yesterday. A mass of seaweed entangled itself in his legs, and he found. himself swept out by the undertow. The seaweed, he learned, was a much more difficult proposition than a human adversary, for the science knows no trick, or blow, or Herve-paralysing grasp, which will heat, the ■jmdertow. The man's Jong hair, tossed on llhe surface of the rollers as he was carried •out,- attracted attention, and Mr. H. 11. Arviott, a fellow-bather, seized the lifeline and lashed into the water. Meanwhile Stevenson was carried further out, swimming desperately with bis arms alone. Nearly a.juarter of an hour elapsed before Amott reached him, and by that time the rescuer himself was almost in a state of collapse. In fact, it is questionable whether he could have retained his hold on the drowning athlete had not another gentleman fully dressed gone to their assistance, while a courageous girl bather caught Stevenson by his waving locks and towed him triumphantly ashore. "They all did their best, and I'm thankful enough to them," said Stevenson, "but all The same I never had such a time in my life as when they started to bring me to. Talk about jiu-jitsu, it was a parlour game for .-little boys by comparison. They nearly broke my neck, nearly broke my arms, and nearly broke my legs. 1 wasn't properly conscious, and 1 dreamed that J was having wrestle with an octopus, one to win, for the championship of the Pacific. However, they meant well, and :t it handn'f. been for Mr. Arnotfc and the rest they'd have counted ten I over me sure."

AN OLD WOMAN'S ADVENTURE. A singular adventure this week befell on old woman of 83, living at, Concord, a suburb of Sydney. She was missed froir. her home early in the morning, and a search was made in the neighbourhood, but without, success. The local police were then informed of the. oceinrenee, and Sub-Inspector Baxter sent out a force, of plain-clothes mid nuiform constables to set; it they could discover the. missing woman's whereabouts. When making an exhaustive search in the scrub and .swamps round about Hen and Chicken Bay. AbboUtord, Corn-table Holp-i-cmim heard a low moan from among the mangroves, and discovered the old lady in ii pool of slimy mud, about 3ft bin deep. .She was lying on her back, only her face being visible. Sub-inspector Baxter and Sergeant Jones hurried up to give assistance, and Constable Holpseaum waded in to rescue the unconscious woman, and in doing bu lacerated his leg.-, with some jagged pieces of wood sunk in the mud. The sufferer was taken home and placed in bed, and after a while her 'condition improved, althou di naturally the results of being out over eight hours m heavy rain were bound to be severe It was a marvellous thing that: nothing more serious was the outcome of this adventure, lor the muddy water that filled the poo j flowed from a tannery in the vicinity, and it is certain if she had not been discovered very toga she v.oukl buvc becu smothered.