OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10306, 13 March 1895, Page 7

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

(Fhoji Oub Own Correspondent.)

Melbourne, March 6,

An astounding boom in the export of produce is in progress in Victoria, for it is fair to include rabbits and poultry in the term produce. Less than 12 mouths age the trial shipment of poultry waß despatched to London, and it is only half that time sinca the first experiment was made with rabbits. On Saturday last 40,000 rabbits and 8000 poultry were shipped by the Thermopylie, end tho next ateamer of tho same line—the Aberdeen—which will sail at tho end of March, will take at least double these quantities. In dead weight the Thermopylse took 200 tons of rabbits and poultry, and tho Aberdeen is expected to take 500 tono, and the Thercaopylie also had over 12,000 frozen sheep on board, many of them crossbreds weighing from 601b to 701b. This consignment is sent from John Hotson and Go.'a works at Newport. None of the public companies have got to work yet with premises of their own.

The butter export keeps up wonderfully well in spite of the summer weather. And tho farmers are fully alive to its importance. They have been iofcerviawing the Government in forco this week about reductions in freight, both oversea and by rail; aud thay have also secured a promise thac the bonus on cheese shall apply to all sold in London at 45s per cwt, instead of at 50s, sis iv the paat.

In 1889 the four colonies—Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia— together imported £9,087,488 more than they exported. But in. 1894- they exported £11,502,784 more than they imported. The swing ot the pendulum for the live years is therefore to be expressed by £20,590,282.

Sir George Dibbs has proposed a, no-oonfi-dence motion in tho Reid Government in New South Walts. His principal indictment is "junketing," and his priucipal objection to the Hobirt trip of the Premier. But Mr Raid replies that a Premier who went himself to Bugland, sent Mr Suttor to Canada, and Mr Barton to Canada, cannot take serious objectiou to tha small trips of present Ministers. The Labour party »re said to be highly indignant at the £4000 salary to Mr Eddy, but they cannot well support Sir George Dibb* on that matter, for he finds fault with tea Government tor not making the appointment absolutely, without leaving it for the sanction of Parliament. [Sir George's motion v/as lost by 66 to 27, the Labour party voting with the Government.]

The Clarke divorce case in Sydney continues to excite attention. The Key. James Clarke, against whom 3£r Justice Windeyer allowed the divorce, has been examined by medical men and declared to be sano. He was announced to preach on Sunday at the Hurstville and Kogamh chnrches, but he did not turn up. There seemed to ba an intention on the part of the authorities of the two churches to prevent Mr Clarke from occupying the pulpit should he put in an appearance, as at the entrances of both buildings police officers ware stationed under instructions that they were to remain there until the close of the services. The constables, however, were not required to act. The latest announcement is that the Primate has appointed a, commission, consisting of Archdeacon Guuther, Canon Sharp, and Mr A. K. Minter, to itiquiro into Mr Clarke's case.

The Protection policy in Victoria has come in for more hard knocks. At the Tariff Commission the other day some amusing evidence was given on caudles. Aq individual, who carried on busiueis both in Albury and Wodonga (towns on either side of the Murray) got his caudles from a Melbourne firm 2d a lb cheaper deliveredin Albury—where they had to compete with New South Wales's prices—than in Wodonga, so he adopted the expedient of ordering the wooie supply for Aibury and dropping the Wodonga requirements oub of the train as it pafEed through. The manufacturers in the end got so mad that they refused to supply him at all. Tha Metropolitan Board of Works, also, is calling attention to the fact that the duty of Is per cwfc on imported cement will run them into an extra payment of £7003 on 40,000 casks, they are inviting tenders for, tor the sewerage works, acd further, that the protective duty on sanitary fittings will mean a very big tax on householders under the new scheme. A case of smallpox has developed .in Melbourne. The Clonourry recently arrived with smallpox on board, and underwent the necessary quarantine. When she was released the second otScer went to live at the boarding house of a Mrs King, in Noith Melbourne. Mis King packed some of hits clothes for the laundry, and 12 days afterward:! she fell ill. All his clothes were carefully disinfected before he left quarantine, buc evidently Mrs King thus caught me infection. Everybody who resided in the lodging house, the laundry people, the doctors who attended the case, &c. &c. >ir« all being vaccinated. The Couservatorium of Music affiliated to tha University of Melbourne his been opened with 60 Btadenta, under Professor Marshall Hall, who perpetuates his contempt 'or Melbourne mufiic generally. Tha low state, he declared, oi' musical taste in Melbourue was indicated by the tact that audiences sat out performances of classical music which were given with no expression, no accent, no attention to the variations of tempo, or thecrescendi and diminuendi which were necessary to make the composer's meaning intelligible. Such performances resembled nothing so much as tho rending of s, passage from a book by a person who nmpronounced half the words, leftout a.l (he stops, and gave every sentence in a hideous mouotone, without any inflexion. He urged perseverance on his students by an apt illustration. Recently while dining with him, a young Australian student ejaculated, " Oh, for a laud where pineapples have no rind." _ In art there is no bud where pineapples had no rind. The sweets of success wera only attiiuabla by going through much toil and oxerciaing inudi perseverance. A very sad boating accid3nt has occurred in Perth. On Snnday a par'jy of six gentlemen, consisting of Mr Henry Darlot, Dr Fitzgerald, Mr Florence O'Driacoll (member of the Iloase of Commons for South Monaghan), Mr W. Driffield, ttr E. Fox, and Mr Hardinge (the three last-named being prominent miniug men), were out boating on the Swan river. When in Lucky Bay, near Fremantle, the boat capsized, and all of them were thrown into th« water. Messrs Darlot, Driffield, Fox, and Hardinge sank and were drowned. Mr O'Driscoll stripped and swam ashore, nearly a mile aud a-half distant. Dr Fitzgerald clung to the boat, und was rescued when on tbe point of drowning by another, boat. Mrs Driflleld was on her wa.y

from England at the time, and arrived at Albany by the Ophir. It ia said Hiat whilo coining to" Perth, and before any tidingu of htr io«s could reach her, she dreamt that her husband was dead. The news wa» broken to her shortly bafora she arrived in Perth, and she wan greatly prostrated. An interesting domestic incident is reported from New South Wales. A woman and her two married daughter?, living at Al'Lean, liava each during the past week given birth to twins.

At the sale of Mr Donald Wallace's stud, Major George, the owner of Nelson, got tho spleurlidly bred stud marst Muouva for 270 guineas; and Taihoa, with a Carbiuo lllly, wan also purchased on behalf of a New Zealander—Mr Eathbone. Major George nlao bought a filly by Carbine from Hustix. for 85 (;uiaeas. The colt by Carbine, from Novelette w»b bought for 430 euineas, it is understood ou behalf of thu Duke of Portland. When Wiljfa, with her filly foal by Carbine, waa submitted Mr Ckimside announced that if ne could get the lot for ZOO guineas he intended presenting the mare and foal to Mr Wallace's son. Mr Chirutida thereupon bid 200 guineas, and amidst cheers ho was declared tho purchaser, thero being no opposition.

Professor Halford, tho dean of the faculty of medicine at the Melbourne University, has resigned. He gives his reasons thus: —" First, T am vroftkor, aud get very soon tired over my work ; the second is that, in the iutcrcft.? of the university, a much younger man should .fill my place. I havo been here at work 33 years, and am now 71 years of age. Work and age have thus iocnvaeifcated mo."

Henry Boyd has been found guilty on a charge of endeavouring to incite- Chnrles G. Koylance to murder Henry Detnpsey in Sydney. Dempsey had an adoptod daughter named Marion Jones, aud had left her a large allowance, and it appeared that Boyd intended to forgo a will by which he would como in for it in the event of the girl's death. His proposition to Uoylanoe wai that he should go ta Auburn with him, get Dempuey out of tho way, and then hit the girl Jones on the head with a sandbag and throw her body into a fish pond at the back of the house. Boyd was sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude.

A boy, the son of Mr Edward Hamilton, of Bowraville, in Now South Wales, has met his death under singular circumstances. He bit his tongue in falling, and the wound bled, continuously for two days, at the end of Which time the boy died. Clara Madden, a married woman at Townsville, while suffering from delirium caused by dengue fever, killed her infant child by cuttiag its throat, and attempted suicide afterwards. She is now in the hospital. A shocking tragedy is reported from Nunnine, Western Australia, where John Sutherland, a well-known minor, was shot dead by his companion, Augusta Miller, who immediately afterwards committed suicide. The two mon had a lawsuit regarding the ownership of a dryblower recently, and an advarse decision appears to have preyed on Miller's mind. Miller, it is stated, had a largo independent income when in Victoria.

A terrific tug-of-war took place at the St. Patrick's Cathedral fair in Melbourne on Saturday night. One team was of Fitzroy lorry drivers, the other of men working on the city sawerage works. It began at 10 minutes to 10 p.m. In 20 minutes the lorrymen had gained 3ft, bub neither side could afterwards gain an inch, and after aa hour and a-balf, when nearly all the onlookers had gone home to bed, tho rivals agreed to Father Collins's proposal to declare tho contest a draw.

The Australian Workers' Union—really the Shearers' Union—has been sitting in conference at Aibury. A correspondence has taken place between them and the Paatoralists' Union. The shearers aßked whether "yonr union propoaeß any chauge in regard to tha coming season, either in toe agreement or the relations of your union to the Workers' Union." Mr Whitely King replied : " My council does not propose to msko any change in the agreement, and it trusts that the relations of members with their employees may be of a harmonious character. If any readjustment of rates be found necessary, notice thereof will be given by advertisement in the uKUiil way." Upon this the Worksw' Union evidently got mad, aud Mr Spsr.ce replied in a savage tone: "'The onus of all that took place last season rests upon the P.U., and the responsibility of all that may occur in the coming season must of necessity rest upon your union also. We note that whila your union expresses a desire for harmonious relations between its members and the employees, you do not propose by conferring with us to adopt the only method which can produce lasting harmony between employer and employed, and therefore you must excuse us for declining altogether to believe in the sincerity of your union's professions." Mr Whitely King now writes that, regarding this reply as a threat that the outrages ot: last year would bo repeated during ths coming season with the sauction of the Workerj' Union, and that the perpetrators oi such outrages would, as in the past, have the pecuniary assistance and support of that union, his council has directed him to decline to hold any further communication with Mr Spence and his union.

A sad occurrence took place in the Rip at Port Phillip Heads yesterday during a high wind. A squall struck tho small schooner Martha and capsized her right in the middlo of the Kip. The crew comprised three msn, who were seen clinging to the wreck for a time, and when it sank were seen to strip and jump into the water. They were all drowned. Evil news travels fast, and an example of the fact was given when, bsfore the news of tho wreck had had time to become generally known in Melbourne, Mr Cowper, the agent of the schooner, received a cable rmesage from Mrs Stutz in Tasmania, nis-kinj* anxious inquiries for news of her husband, who was the captain of tha illfated host.

A singular case has been before the courts at Bendigo. A constable was being transferred, and a presentation of a gold chain and locket was got up for him. Most of the money iv»s collected by Mr John Kelly, a retired enginedriver, and Mr John Price, an hotelkeeper. They purchased the presentation gift from Mr Herbert Credgington, jeweller, of • Bendigo. They paid £10 for the goods, but induced Air Credgingtou to make out a receipt for £12 10a, the extra 503 going to the collectors, to recoup them for the expenses they had incurred. The matter became public, and the police took m'Oceidings against Messrs Kelly, Price, and Credgington for conspiracy to defraud. The case lasted two days, and a strong bir appeared for the defence. The Bench acquitted Mr Credgington, who had not participated in any monetary benefit beyond his trade pro6t. but committed Messrs Kelly and Price for trial. Tha case had been postponed until the return of Mr Credgington from New Zealand, where he had gone on a holiday trip.