AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15263, 29 March 1913, Page 9

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

NEW SOUTH WALES SHOW.

[from our own correspondent.]

. , Sydney, March 22. Of the topics nearest to hand • this week the annual phow of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales calls for mention as the one to which most attention lis being given in this State. It is in -truth a big show, and embraces a collection of exhibits thoroughly remarkable for quantity, variety, and quality. In the exposition it-self, and in the attendances of visitors, one sees reflected the prosperity which one expects to attend an estimate by the Statistical Department of a record harvest of over 30,000,000 bushels for this State. It may be described as in character an Australasian show. New Zealand is advertised by some fin© exhibits, notably in heavy draught horses. The breedeis of Clydesdales in the Dominion have for years past been looked to for the maintenance of a high Australasian standard in this section of live stock.

Show week is the time of year when Sydney holds most people. How all the visitors manage to find accommodation is a puzzle. Good Friday is counted as on© of the most profitable "days of the show. On it the attendance usually reaches the 100, COO mark, but on this occasion it was affected by the ferry strike. For a long while the churches • have been trying to induce the society to close its gates on Good Friday, but without success. The pressure by the Anglican Synod lias become so strong that Sir Francis Suttor, the president of the society, lias felt obliged to make a choice between his presidential office and a high position which he held as a member of the synod. He has given up the synodal office. However, Good Friday is regarded to the extent that some of the side-shows are now allowed to do business on this day., It is worthy of record as a matter of history that in 1913 the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales decided to wholly ban from its grounds "Aunt Sally" as being an "undesirable" side show. Snakecharmers, Siamese twins, seven-legged freaks, and all manner of other things are allowed, but the.black face of "Aunt Sally," with a clay pipe stuck in the mouth is as far as the society is concerned only a memory of our boyhood.

Viscount Deakin.

it seems to be taken for granted, in Melbourne, at any rate, that after his retirement from politics and the wider public life in a few weeks' time, Mr. Alfred Deakin will be offered some mark of high Royal favour, or will be sounded as to acceptance of such an honour in recognition of his services as an Australian statesman. Titles have no charm for Mr. Deakin, and he has previously declined knighthood, but it is considered that at this stage when no charge of hunting for personal glory can be laid against him lie may accept. Public men holding high positions and credited wi'n having somewhat of the confidence of still more highly-plated personages say. they think that Mr. Deakin will be offered a. peeragea viscountoy is mentioned. It is remarked that such strong Liberals as Mr. Morley and Mr. Haldane accepted peerages, and that the acceptance of such an honour by Mr. Deakin would open up •a worthy new career to him, since as a member of the House of Lords he would be eligible to become a British Cabinet Minister without being obliged to undergo the stress and strain of election. This tale from Melbourne sounds a little strange, but those who carry it say that fulfilment of what it indicates would be in keeping with a tendency in exalted places to broaden and strengthen Imperial ties. j — Cumpulsory Training. Military camps which are now in progress throughout the land, and Methodist Conference® have brought about a revival of discussion as to the merits and demerits of our system of compulsory military training of youths. It is already known how the Methodist Conference of New South Wales rejected, on only the margin of the casting vote of the president, a motion - denouncing the compulsory training provisions , of the Defence Act. The Methodist Conference of Victoria and Tasmania, now in session, has the same question before it, • and has adjourned discussion on 1 a motion declaring those provisions to be " premature, arbitrary, and, therefore, unnecessary." " That some of the gentlemen who have taken part in the discussion are not too well grounded as to facte, is illustrated By a fiery protest by one clergyman against the boys in the training camps being obliged to carry weights of from 941b to 961b. He was quite in earnest, and persisted that such was > the case, despite a flood of satirical interjections. One interjector said it was wrong to suppose that the boys had to carry their horses; the horses carried the : boys. Although there is apparently room for considerable diversity of opinion as to details of the system, an increasing majority of the community seems to. recognise compulsory : training 'of our lads as a good thing. / . The new Governor of this State, Sir Gerald Strickland, has just spoken in decisive approval from an Imperial standpoint. His Exceilencv said, "There is a valuable lesson in defence and statecraft which Australians have taught the Mother Country. I refer to the exalted and far-seeing statesmanship bv which universal service has been introduced and carried out. Thi= lesson has been taught to the Mother Country with a lucidity which is going to impose itself on the intellect of all who realise bow much there is to lose in the Empire."