AUSTRALIAN NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1745, 16 August 1905, Page 69

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

The following items are clipped from recent Australian files: CHRISTIAN ISRAELITES. Very disconcerting stories were at)road in Melbourne some weeks ago regarding the welfare, physical and spiritual, of numbers of Victorians who early this year left for the Christian Israelite settlement in Michigan, IT.S.A. Among other things, it was stated that the leaders of the contingent, “Prophets" Mary ancl Benjamin, w'Kose ministrations m Melbourne caused such a sensation, had deserted with the capital of the party_ as soon as the ship touched America, that the enthusiastic travellers had left the boat, in which they had been “packed like sardines" for very hard work and. unsatisfactory conditions, and that the whole party, with the exception of the evangelists, was anxious to return to Victoria. Mr W. H. Edgar, M.L.C., received a letter from Mr Joseph Hamnaford, in Avhich it is desired that these statement© should be denied. Mr Hannaford writes from Benton Harbour, Michigan, U.S.A., and states that “the new home and all its surroundings and conchtions are pleasant and satisfactory. He declares that there is no desire on tne part of the. party to return to Melbourne, and denies that “ Mary" and “Benjamin have proved deserters. It is expected by Mr Hannaford that another batch of convert© will shortly be leaving Melbourne for America. TAT TERS ALL’iS SWEEPS'. There is a prospect that an active campaign will be started shortly by the post office against the agent© for lattersalls sweeps. Tlie Tederal Crown Solicrlxrr nas reported to the Postmaster-General that there is power under the Post and telegraph Act to atop the transmission of all letters to firms who act as agent© for Tatter sail's, either in Tasmania or on the mainland. The bulk of the applications for ©weep tickets are now sent as parcels by certain carrying firms, while in lasmania a number of people are known to receive dozen© of letters which are suspected of containing applications for tickets. These applications, it is said, are handed to Tattersall's office in Hobart, and tickets are posted to the applicants in due course, there being at present no legal bar to the transmission of as many letters as Tattersall chooses to send to any part of Australasia. Tho whole matter is now under the consideration of the Department, and in view of the Crown Solicitor's opinion, steps may he taken to cut off the postal facilities of all agents for Tatters all's. THE PREVENTION OF PLAGUE. The fact that plague rats still continue to be found in Sydney shows that the disease still exists, despite the strenuous efforts made' to stamp it out. Fortunately, these diseased rats are now only met with at infrequent intervals. One of them has lately been discovered above the Pyrmont bridge The president of the Board of Health'points out that during the past few years the warehouses iu the vicinity ef Darling Harbour have been put in good order, and. cement and concrete floors are becoming general, but very little improvement has taken place in the construction of wharves. According to recent experience, the dangerous centre has shifted from below Pyrmont bridge to above that structure, thus indicating that the putting down of cement floors is a most effective way of getting rid of the rats. If the rats are kept out of the habitable buildings, plague will be practically killed. There might be a few cases on the wharves, but there would be no cause for fear about the disease spreading. The City Council has been working on the line© of laying down concrete and cement flooring, and in qther ways preventing the rats from gaining access to or making a home in the buildings. This work, Dr Thompson pronounces to be exceedingly effective in securing the end sought to be obtained. This is proved by the results. In the first outbreak there were 303 cases, m the next one 139, and in the last one not more than 22. Dr Th'oinpson naturally regards these figures with much satisfaction, as showing the success that has crowned the efforts of the authorities in coping with the disease. - EMPLOYMENT OF KANAKAS. The prosecution of several person© for employing Kanakas in Queensland serves to call attention to a risk which a number of persons in Brisbane run, as many of these men are engaged in gardening work, etc. The prosecutions were laid under section 10 of the Pacific Island Labourers Act of 1880 Amendment Act of 1884. In all respects, what are known as exempted “boys" can be employed just the same a© white men; but the same restriction a© regal’d© the sale of liquor applies to them as to other Kanaka©. But how few of these exempted “boys" there are in the State may be imagined when it is stated that each one of them should be able to produce a ticket of exemption secured on or before 31st August, 1884; when they must have satisfied the Minister that they had been resident in the State for five years. Naturally there can he few of these men left Of course, there may be a few Kanaka© who have been born in the State, in which case they would be free to take employment. In every other

case an agreement is necessary and an agreement can only be given where tne employer can show that he has land for tropical or sub-tnopi.cal agriculture. Every Islander must then- be signed on in. the form prescribed in the schedule to the act. It should be understood that a time-expired “boy" is not a free boy". It is easy to ascertain whether a person is safe in employing a Kanaka, a© he should be able to produce his exemption ticket, which is on parchment. In any case, tho Immigration-- Officer or thq Pacific Island Inspector could: give the necessary information. Very few of thq Kanakas whose agreements are expiring are being allowed to leave the State, as the high wages, bonuses, etc., offering have had the effect of tempting them td sign fresh agreements, some of thenj! right np to the time allowed by the Federal Act. A matter which occupies the attention of the Commonwealth. Government i© thq policy to be adopted with regard to th® deportation of the Kanakas at the end oj 1903, and Ministers will shortly be asked to make a definite announcement on this subject. While no decision has yet beeq, arrived at, the matter has already been frequently discussed by the Cabinet in connection with the sugar bounty question and the opinion would seem to be that it will not be very difficult to deal with, owing to the natural exodus, which is expected to fake place before the time fixed in the Pacific Island Act. The only assurance that can be on* tained is that nothing will be done of an arbitrary or inhumane nature. THE DAIRY ACT. The operations of the Dairy Product Ant are apparently much, to the satisfac* tion of the authorities, according to th® remarks of the Minister for Agriculture* In Queensland, the legislators had to face a different set of conditions to those In existence elsewhere, inasmuch as the eream was delivered' much less frequently, and it had to be transported, a' greater* distance in most cases. The great feature of the Queensland Act is that it pro* vide© for inspection from the dairy to the ship, this being the only State of colony which has such a measure. . A marked change has already been noticed as a result of this preliminary inspeCj tion. As to the value of grading, its chiefl use comes in from the education it give® the factory managers. Thus, the grauet, has- to seek the quality of the produce, and where it is low in any the factory manager is acquainted, and steps can be taken to remedy the defect. TIN MINING. There is great excitement in; Tasmania, throughout the whole of the joortheastern tinfield, extending from Scottsdale to St Helens —nearly sixty mile& Prospectors are at it in all directions, and the ground has been pegged in all parts. When dealing with some miningmatters which came before him, the Minister fo-r Mines (Mr Stewart) said he wished, tq sound a note of warning in regard to thq present boom in fne tm-mining on north-east coast. The public should be cautioned to make thorough inquiries into any properties before investing their money. He was aware that a lot of old ground was being placed on the market, and excessive values placed on it. Although the Government would reap some panies which were being floated, yet the. result of the boom might prove disas*trous. A MINIMUM AND A LIVING WAGE* During a sitting of the West Australian! Arbitration Court the president (Mr JuSr tice Parker) drew a distinction between » living wage and a minimum, wage. His Honour said the berms were not synonymous. A living wage and a minimum! wage were not necessarily one and the same thing. If an industry could not aFford to pay a living wagb bo its workers it had better be closed down. Therefore; the first consideration of the Court wo* to provide a living wage. Then they had to cunsidei* what the < minimum wage should be and in considering that- point they had’to look at the industry as 4 whole. THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. Mr Rogers, representing the British!! Columbia Sugar Refining Company of Vancouver, ha© arrived in Fiji to takeover the properties which hi 3 company has lately acquired in Navua. A gentleman, resident in Honolulu, in passing, through Suva, informed the reporter of the Fiji “Time©" that there were thousands of Japanese coolies employed on the sugar estate© there. The matter ift ; occupying the attention of the Planters 1 ' Association of Fiji, which has procured a copy of the agreements made between. Japanese labourers and employer© in? other parts of the world engaged in the cultivation of sugar-cane, with a. view_ or obtaining labourers of a higher intelligence than the Indian coolie, not for the production of sugar cane only, hue. for the other various tropical products;.