AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1749, 13 September 1905, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(From Exchanges.) There is something in the weird loveliness of the Australian bush which prompts imaginative minds to hear and see strange things there. A correspondent of the “Town and Country Journal” of August 30 writes:—Great commotion has been caused in the Euchareena side of this district by the^circulation of a rumour to the effect that a hairy man, or gorilla, had been seen in the depths of the bush there. Two well-known and highly-reputable residents report having seen the fearsome-looking object. A youth, who unconsciously rode up ini close proximity to the animal, received such a start that he hit out for home in record time. He has no doubt whatever but that the animal is a gorilla. .'For years past strange sounds have been heard in the thick scrub close to where this animal was seen, and a project is now on foot to form a search party and solve the mystery. A man named Jones was shot with a s vpea rifle at Peak Hill while unloading rabbit skins from a vehicle in which the rifle had been placed. The weapon went off'accidentally, the bullet entering his leg above the knee, and coming out above the hip. The express train, from Melbourne, which arrived at Adelaide on August 22, performed the feat of “leaping the gap” in the neighbourhood of the “Desert.” A heavy goods train having removed about 4ft of one of the rails just prior to the express coming along, the latter, travelling at a high rate of speed, cleared the gap successfully. Thomas Hamlin was driving a baker’s cart near Gordon (Vic.), when the horse shied, and plunged over a culvert ing a drain, in which there was a quantity of water. After performing a com^ . plete somersault, the horse and vehicle became righted l , and the animal made off. The driver, who was left in the water unconscious, was rescued by anv other man.. Hamlin’s.back, face, and neck were injured, and some ribs were broken.

The police have furnished the Albury

Municipal Council .with a report as to the causes of 36 bush fires which laid " waste the district at the beginning of the year. The causes enumerated are: —By phosphorus laid to poison rabbits, 12; by wax matches, probably dropped accidentally, 2; ; by the sun’s rays through glass, 1; by persons wilfully, 3; by the careless use of fire, 3; by mar chmery bearings becoming heated, 1; by lightning, 1; by sparks from railway engines, 3; by sparks from lawful fires, 2; causes not ascertainable, 8. Total, 36, i

Mr W. Bassett, of Lockwood, near Ganowindra, had the misfortune to lose recently 50 mixed sheep, through their having eaten phosphor ised baits laid for rabbits. Mr Bassett was poisoning extensively, and mixed salt with the bait, to induce bunny ,to more readily take it. This, it is supposed, induced the sheep to follow the furrow in which the baits were laid, with the result that so \paany were poisoned. By the steamer Miltiades, which readied Sydney on the 28th, there arrived the Suffolk stallion Rendlesham Daisy Boy, and three pedigreed Suffolk fillies, for Messrs Mair and Learmonth, Burra Station, Tumiberumha. There have also just been landed from the steamer Moravian the Suffolk stallion Rendlesham Orion. for Mr A. J. Cotton; and from the steamer Tropic one Berkshire hoar and three' Berkshire Bows, for the Camden Park Estate Company, Camden. The whole of these animals were cAsigned to Messrs D'algety and Company, Limited. , In a case dealing with burning off heard at iStawell, the plaintiff claimed £75 damage to his property by a fire that spread from defendant’s land when burning off was taking place. A contract was let by the defendant to clear the land, and stipulations were made that precautions should be observed to prevent danger from fire. The judge said that if the work a contractor was (employed to do was not of a dangerous character, and any injury arose from the contractor’s negligence, then the latter was liable. To set fire to a large paddock filled with dry timber in the month of March seemed to> he rash in the extreme, and no possible precautions could make it safe. He awarded £2O damages, with costs. The oldest inhabitant of Bacchus

Marsh, who said he was 103 years of age, having been born at New: Norfolk, on 22nd April, 1802, died on 23rd August on a small property he owned, where he had resided some 60 _ years. His name was Densley, and his own version was that he left Tasmania in 1836 by the schooner Lilias, Captain Smith. The captain attempted to land on the Gippsland coast, before he struck the entrance to P'ort Phillip Bay. He ran cm a sandbank at Williamstown, and was stuck twice in the Yarra. Densley said the country was well timbered and full of blacks. He travelled up as far as Keilor-bridge, where he met Captain Bacchus looking for men, and engaged with him, remaining four years, when be started bullock-driving for himself. He had seen 700 blacks fighting In Bacchus Marsh, which was a great place of resort for them. They burnt the dead bodies of' their opponents.

Hensley was twice married, and his first wife had six children, and his second wife fourteen* He never smoked until he was 25 years or age, but smoked constantly since. He was a rober, industrious man.

As two clerks were carrying large satchels of silver coins of various values out of tho London Bank, Lydiard street, Ballarat, on Tuesday, one of the bags parted in the middle., and the money was scattered in all directions. The clerks made irantio efforts to recover the treasure, a goodly portion of which found its way into the street channel, along which a strong stream of water was roaring at the time. The whole of the money was eventually re(oovelred. Two thirsty-looking “sundowners,” carrying swags and billycans, watched the scramble for the coins with interest, and offered to assist in tho search. The clerks promptly hut courteously refused the offer, and one of the tramps replied, '"Don’t apologise, mate; there’s no harm done. We are not offended. :We just thought wed like to assist you in picking up the coins.” Ah unusual ease, affecting the lady hairdressers, was heard in the District Court at Sydney on August 25, before Judge Backhouse. Agnes Donald, wife of James Donald,, of Marxickville, brought an actdon against Gustav Van Brakhel and Ada Laura Baud, trading as Miss Van Brakhel. The case for plaintiff was that she went to defendants’ shop to get her hair dressed fox a wedding. When she took down her hair that night she found! that much of it had 1 been out off. Next day she called at the shop with her husband and mother, and complained of the loss of her hair. Olne of the defendants called the lady operator who had attended to the plaintiff, and her explanation was that she had followed the plaintiff’s instructions. Plaintiff, she asserted, had complained that her hair was heavy, and she had suffered from headaches in consequence. .The defendants’ case was that plaintiff’s instructions had Tbeen obeyed. Plaintiff took down her hair in Court, and later

on in the jury room in the presence of the Judge and counsel. Her hair, she said, formerly reached below her waist, now it was well above it. His Honour fouad for the plaintiff for the amount claimed.

A shocking fatal gun accident occurred on August 26 in the neighbourhood of Trunk Lead, eight miles from Ballarat, the victim being a boy aged twelve, named Eric Sim', the son of Mr J. A. Eim, farmer, of Cardigan. The hoy was shot by his brother Harold, fourteen years of age. The hoys, in company with a lad named John Carling, were in search of rabbits, Harold being armed! with an old breech loading single barrel gun. which was in disrepair, and which fee borrowed from an acquaintance. While he was taking aim at a magpie, his brother Eric ran suddenly to the front, and as he did so the gun, which was loaded with No. 3 shot cartridge, went off, and Eric received the full charge in the face, which was almost completely blown away, only the right eye remaining. Death was instantaneous.

The Commonwealth Constitution provides, under what is known as the Braddon clause, that for a period of 10 years three-fourths of the net customs and excise duties shall be returned to the States. At the last Premiers’ Confei’ence the majority of the States, including South Australia* agreed with the Federal Treasurer that the clause should be extended for 20 years. Soon after the present Ministry took office the Premil i s<£ New South Wales asked the Premier of South Australia whether the new Ministry were in favour of the extension. Mr Price has replied that- at present the Ministry are in. favour of

the provisions of the clause being extended for 20 years. The South Australian Government has sent a communication to the Federal military authorities calling attention to the unprotected state of Port Darwin. An agreement exists.- under which Port Darwin, in addition to other places, shall be protected, hut the Government has ascertained 1 that Port Darwin has been neglected, and in view of the unsettled state of affairs in the East the Premier has asked for an early answer. In the Melbourne Divorce Court ou August 24, before Mr Justice' a’Beckett, Clara Johnstone, aged 42 years, petitioned for a dissolution of her marriage with James Johnstone, lately a commercial traveller, aged 54 years, on the ground of desertion. The parties, after their marriage in Adelaide on November 12, 1889, lived 1 together in Victoria) till March, 1890. Then respondent, aftor threatening to kill petitioner and her children, went to Adelaide, whither slio followed him. There he said that in God’s presence he would destroy her and her children by scalping their heads off. In March, 1900, petitioner learned that respondent had been committed to the Parkside Lunatic Asylum as a dangerous incurable lunatic, with a delusion that spirits had sent him to kill her and her children. A decree nisi was granted. On the Ist instant a pretty little girl of about 8 or 9 years appeared as a witness at the Sydney Quarter Sessions. The child’s appearance in the box. had the effect of sunshine. Judge Gibson beamed kindly; the Crown j Prosecutor, Mr Hands, rose with a paternal smile. Bench and Bar prepared to rival in casting off formality, and to put the little stranger at her ease with, questions in the simplest form. At this moment counsel objected to the child being sworn, and quoted a Supreme Court Judge, who would not have the custom observed unless the witness “understood the nature of an oath.” This," however, did not appeal to Judge Gihso-n. “If all U * v .

witnesses,” he remarked, “were asked if they ‘understood the nature of an oath’ we should find that very many would not.” Counsel proceeded to talk of the necessity for the child understanding the “pains and penalties” of perjury. “Yes,” replied his Honor, “I know all about that. Sbme people tell witnesses that if they don’t speak the truth they will be punished when they go> to the next world. I don’t, because I don’t' know that.” The Court chuckled as if it appreciated his Honour’s courage. The Government Statistician reports that the birth-rate during August was tire highest for the last 10 years. In South Australia, last year the birthrate almost constituted a record. The number of children born in Sydney during the month was 1280, exceeding the number of deaths by 725. 'Both in the city and suburbs the loss of child life was small, andi the results were most gratifying. The rate is always lowest in the cool months, but, even so, the deaths are 27 per cent, below the decennial averages. In all the diseases to which children are liable the fall was noticeable. The general mortality rate, however, was not quite so favourable. Mr Tom Price, M.P., besides being an adroit politician and Premier of South Australia, is a mechanic of no mean order. What he does not know about stonecutting, few men, if any in South Australia, can teach him and! in other branches of manual work he is almost as much at home. He is a handy man about a house. A reporter and a cabman found this out in a most practical way on the night of August 24th. Although the head of the Government has a railway at his front door, he lives in a most awkward place to get at

Ernest James Daffy, a Melbourne baker, aged 42 years of age, shot himself on the night of August 25th with a revolver. Duffy had been ruffering from consumption for the last two years, and was six months ago discharged from the Eichuca Consumption Sanitorium. Since then he has been in too weak a state to do any work. He ha* a wife and four children, and his inability to contribute toward their support seems to have preyed on his mind and thrown him into a despondent state. He lies in the Melbourne Hospital with, a bullet in his head.

after dark, and he certainly has not been able to get a decent rood made to his domicile. The night was dark, the hour was late, and time was flying, so the horses in the cab trotted! speedily. A streak across the road looked harmless, but it was a deep invert, and when the cab bumped in and out again the driver and occupant were nearly bounced out of the vehicle. There was an ominous crack. The Premier was home making merry with his family. It was an ideal happy home party upon which the reporter intruded. Business was over in a few minutes, but when tho pressman returned to his vehicle he found, alas! that the kingbolt had been smashed, and in turning the eab the fore card ago had parted from the body. The horses were taken out, but it was of r.o avail, the driver and fare could not restore the status quo. Nothing was left hut to disturb the jovial household again, and this time the request was for assistance. “Come along, boys,” said the Premier, and Mr Price, with a long plank, and his two stalwart sons with a piece of quartering, and his wife and daughter with lanterns, came out. “This is like being stuck up in the bush,” said the man who in the daytime is the dignified Premier, and with a joke and a smile he set to work. Coat off, he laboured with his plank as a lever to lift the cab, and for half an hour he and his sons, with Mrs and Miss Price holding the lights, worked like navvies to get the vehicle to rights. A holt was wanted. “I’ve got one,” and off Mr Price went into his workshop, and produced a rusty one, a bottle of oil, and a screw-wrench. Then, crouched underneath the carriage, he screwed the nut home, got up with a jest and a. smile, hoped* everything was all right, and wished tfie driver and his fare a safe journey. As Mr McPherson Robertson, of the firm of Maoßcbertson and Go., was driving his motor car along Nicholson street on the evening of August 24th, he ran down a man at the intersection of Gertrude and Nicholson streets. The man was picked up, put in the motor car, and taken to the Melbourne Hospital; but on arrival there was found to be **

dead. Eixactly how the accident happened was not ascertained. The car was travelling at the rate of about seven or eight miles an hour when the man. suddenly appeared just in front of the right-hand corner of the car. The mudguard caught him, and he was thrown down. The body was examined at the hospital. There was a bruise on the face, a fracture of the base of the skull, and a large abrasion on the left thigh, where the mudguard of the car had struck him. The dead man was unknown. The only oln© to his identification was a union book of the Amalgamated Ironfoundries Employes’ Union, and in this was the name of J. T. Hall.