AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10621, 13 October 1896, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY.

Special—By Telegraph -Copyright. J Sydn-Y, October 11. j adulteration ov food. Parliament bos not beeu fruitful in topics this j week. The most. important subject that it tackled was tbe Public Health Bill. As well I as dealing with diseases that affect poor I humanity, tho measure goes on to make ! stringent regulations iv the matter of tho j adulteration of food whioh poor humanity : eats —so stringent, indeed, that the sins of the ' adulterator are oven visited ou the servants. The municipalities ate to have the . o'o cli.irge of administering the measure within their boundaries. The medical politicians were in great fettle over the bill. One wanted to see compulsory vaccination part of it, and drew a doleful picture of tbe fetst of death if an epidemic of smallmx visited Sydney. He reckoned, that 80,000 persona would go to au utitimr.lv grave. Another meiiical gentleman, oa the strength of his experience as inspector of a district in Lotidon, took up the opposite view. He objected to vaccination being included The hostility shown against the Patnnts Bill was renewed again,,although the Government made provision to prevent tho big oyauide companies from swallowing up thu little cyanide companies. The House decided to make assurance doubly sure by destroying the retrospective scope of the bill, the G-vernment voting with the minority. _ CAPTAIN SLOCUM.

Last week's hero looked very much liko becoming a _h_lt-.t__, or at any rate a very badly damaged, idol. This week ex-Conslablo -31-ccr, who figured as the hero of the shooiing affray with burglars in Sydney some year, ago, turns out to have sailed with Captain Slocum as third mate iv his vetscl, thu Northern Light. A good deal of commotion was made at tho timo by Slater's thrilling account of the cruelty practised upon him by Captain Slocum. According to the form.i-'s veraion, be was placed in a small oomp.rtment .ft by 4ft by sft, ironed with 831b chains, given a starvation allowance of biscuits aud water, and kept in durance for 53 days. Ho tells how he caught a rat, killed and ate it raw, so ravenous had he become. Slocum was lined 500dol iv New York for cruelty. Ou the other hand, Slocum admits being fined, but says that the judge expressed tbe opinion that he was not &ctu_tnd by malice, but by a desire to maintain discipline. Extracts from the Amurican papers ratbsr bear ou. Slocum. An alleged affidavit by Slater published by him shu-a that he (Slator) did not blsma Captain Slocum for his treatment, but rather that the chief mate wilfully neglected to give him food ordered by the captain, and that the suit which led to the captain being fined was instituted by designing persons for the Durpose of blackmail, Slater being made their tool. ANGLICAN SYNOD. The Auglican Synod crowned and concluded their labours by deciding to add to tbe dignity of the Church of England iv Australia tbe title of archbishop. As first submitted by ihe Dean of Melbourne, tha proposal was that the.title should ba assigned to tho primate, but iv deference to tbe ivquest and in view of the present uncertainty in reference to the election of the primate by colouial bishops, upon which question the synod had previously appomted a select committee to report, tho Dean accepted au amendment by the Bishop of Goulburn providing that the title should bo assigned to all metropolitans of cccle..iastic*l provinces. The Dean said that his object was not the aggrandisement of any individual, but to add dignity to tbe offia.. He simply wished to expr.s. the dignioy that was now actually inherent in tha office. A suggestion was made that they should lock to tho L-rab-th Conference for tbe creation of the office, but it was felt that it was well within their own power to confer it. It was for tba synod and not for the L .mbsth Conference to confer the title, and that the present was au opportune time. He did not want tbe pallium to come to them from Canterbury. He wished the primate to take his seat amongst the metropolitans of the old world as Archbishop of Sydney. Bishop Selwyn seconded the motion, which the Bishop of Goulburn supported, saying that the reason why they wanted the title of archbisbop was to get rid thoroughly of the uticanonical oath which the primate hid hitherto 1.2U compelled to take to the Archbi-hop of Canterbury. It was his desire that the primate, then the metropolitan, should be delivered from tha oath which he considered he had no right to tike. The proposal met with almost uuanimous and enthusiastic as-ont. A BRILLIANT METEOR. Another brilliant meteor has been observed during the week over - large part of the colony. It first appeared to ba of a reddish colour, but as ih increased in velocity it chanjed to a dazzlir-g b'mi.h white, disappearing with a blinding flash as it approached the exreb. It is described as equalling the moon iv size, and completely lighted the sky. Melbourne, October 11. AMENDING THS CONSTITUTION. Unusual int.r.s. is centred in i-rl.ament, the attraction being the debate on the second

readiug of the Constitution Act Amendment BUI. Tbe galleries were crowded with ladies, who were deeply eou_.rned in the f-te of that portion of the bill which proposed to confer womanhood suffrage. Sir John M'lutyre (leader of the Opposition), opened the attack, stating that the country hud not asked for the reform, and did not want the bill. He strongly opj'o.e.i ono rut—. one vote, womanhood sufl'ruge, aud the abolition of the ratepayers' roll, which are tbe principal proposals'of the measure. He urged that the dual vote should be adopted as a ennceasion to thrift. The _lsiin contention against giving tbe women tbe vota was tbat the softer sex as a whole were not a.king for the franchise. They wero perfectly satisfied with the present order of things. Thos. dera-uding the franchise were only a foi? agit.—»ro—freaks of ni—ura that had not been _a-.de men. He had personally acquainted himself, while iv Net? Zealand, with the effect of giving the franchise to the women there. He kuew that it h-d intsrferad with the tranquillity of domestic life, had brought the kitc'DKti into conflict with the drawing room, and th_ evil did not stop there. The women of New __>>a!and, having got tho vote, wero now asking for seats in Parliament and demanding to ba made police. Several oth'-r members followed ia a similar strain. The Government were charged with changing their views on the questiouc involved iv the measure, which, it was r.lleged, was brought forward to please the Labour party, by whom the Government were dominated. These charges wero warmly repudiated by the Government. The Kiini-terial party r-fraiued from speaking, and Premier Tumor refusing to consent to an adjoarmner-f, tbe Opposition kept up a stonewall throughout Friday night, the. weari*ome sitting euding in a triumphant majority in favour of the bill. Seventeen pairs were recorded. miscellaneous. The Factories Act Amending Bill was read a j second timo. Mr Murray Smith moved the abolition of the stock tux, which, he claimed, was cunning j serious damage to the cattle and wool trades, ! besides being opposed to the spirit of Fodera- j tion. Tho d_h,-o was adj.iurii.d. | The annual report of the Savings Bank l showed that tha deposits at the end of June I were £4-,3-9,000, being an inc_e-_e of £191,000 j corap-ied with the previous year. The number ' of depositors was increased by 5037. i The system of granting loans to farmers, ! reparable by annuiti-, is staadily increasing, j the increa- this ye.i- being £90,000, making the j total advanced to 3"il applicant. £168,000, on I the security of tenure conferred by mortgage, I Tbe fc. ran under which the loans are granted j are said to be much appreciated by the farmers. I BaisBAVE, October 11. j THE J-KJ-BRAT, KNABLING BILL. j Shelving the Federal Bill deadlock till Tnes- ; day gave tho Assembly an opportunity to put I the Land Biil through its second reading stages, \ and gcod progress v» - made with tho l_».i- j mate-.. The Colcuial Secretary stated that it . had become imperative to provide fresh legislation for the tr-atment, of the aboriginals. It ] wai- intended to collect tho blacks from thickly- i populated areas, and tbes., as well as those iv ! the north, would bo plsxed on reserves Bet apart , for lhe purpose, whoro they would be properly ( uroteeted, fed, and clothed. The Government ; had no intention to interfere with their : ft-sdom.. The native police would be abolished ' as an aggressive forco. Returns showed that then, were 25.000 -borijiues ill the colony, but tbe Government were inclined to think that the

number did not exceed 10,000. Tbe efforts of ] the missionaries on behalf of the blacks had in many instances been misdirected. . Many thousands of pounds had been spent without prootical results. "<' | THE i.—Tl. industry, i The development of tbe fruit industry forms ' part of the Government's general schema of im- i proving agriculture and developing an export : trade.. At a salary of £600 per annum they : have secured the. services of Mr Benson, the fruit expert of tho New South Wales Agricultural department. Adelaide, October 11. A liquor bill. The patched-up and practically reformed Licensed Victuallers Bill has finally emerged from Committee. Clauses were added penalising parents for sanding their children under 15 years for liquor; debarring brewers from holding utorokeeoero' licenses ; debarring both hotels and clubs from appealing to the Supreme Court against tho Lic.ni.iiig Board decisions;*1 and giving a two-thirds majority of tho electors tho right to veto storekeepers' and colonial j wine licenses, The House, however, went back '■ on iti previous decision,, and agreed to make au experiment with tho Gothenburg system at i Renmark. The Premier (Mi- Kingston) has • .promised to introduce a Civil Service Reform | Bill. j ADELAIDE HOSPITAL.. } Tho latest phase of the hospital dispute i- j tbe issue by the supporters of the Hoipital Board of a circular asking all upright meu > and women, if they now believe the iiistitu- i tion to be uniltir .-ilicient control, with Drs < Napier and Smith at its head, to show faith by j Bii—-ribing «■ fund to justify the Government in ] paying the ualaries of the assistant doctors j whom they "-re engaging in England to take tbe places of the junior humbugs lately resigned or : diiiiiisried. In tbo Asternal, the proceedings I throughout were more or leas w. loured by ever- ; green diipute«, and the I'mmier'* taking up the i championship of tho Hospital B-iard has laid bim ope'i to cudlcs- questioning and repeatedly warm attacks. The only satisfaction that-he | gave to the House was to intimate that the Governm-.nt intended to maintain the position they had taken up in the master. Dr Napier, having the confidencß of the Government, would be allowed to control tho operations at the hospital. He threw cold water on the scboni. for raising a fund to pay the salaries of the doctors intended to bo imported, aud preferred that tho Treasury should staud the expense.