OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13268, 27 April 1905, Page 8

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

(Faou Obe Owk Correspondent.) MELBOURNE, April 20.

A LEGISLATOR'S TOUR.

A large party, of Federal legislators, under the leadership of the Primo Minister, is on a visit to -Western Australia! "'Mr Rcid has a difficult path to steer in politics a-t present, and ho ucglccts nothing that may conduce to his political safety. ; West Australia lias fivo members in the Houso of . Representatives and six in the Senate. ' Of these all are labour supporters with tho single exception of Sir John Forrest. ; Now Mr Rein's self-imposed mission is to. fight socialism, so he was treading dangerous ground when he undertook political work in West. Australia. But tho Prime Minister is not easily deterred. He had Kardly landed before it was discovered—what had never been dreamed of previously-—that he. was a warm advircato of tlio transcontinental line. In tho Lower House. Sir- John Forrest's pica for tho lino has been for a long time as a voico crying in tho wilderness. No member of the Ministry whispered a word in favour of tho line. In- a! 1 the pastern States it wa3 bracketed with the "bush idea''' as a gigantic scheme for wasting money. SirJohn Forrest succeeded 111 getting- a vote for a survey last session, hut that was generally admitted to be a concession to the genial knight's personality. And sn Mr Reid sails pleasantly through tho great State abusing tho policy of the elect of the people one night and obtaining-absolution on the next by a eulogy 011 Sir I John Forrest-, or a powerful plea in favour of that " indispensable step to progress" the building of tho transcontinental line.

Of courso some of this talk is likely to alienate those who are pronouncedly antisocialistio not merely as a matter of political expediency but by conviction. Nowhere but in West Australia would Mr Ileid,. for instance, have dared to say that when he was Premier iu New South Wales ho had had to fight banks and comnicrcial men and to impose measures that were intensely repugnant to tho Conservative element in the community. Undoubtedly ho did that—and did it with tho aid of therLabour.party. But when in Victoria or New South Wales tho doings of those days aro glossed over unless somo labour member bluntly recalls them. In West Australia Mr ltcid is " glad to rest his democracy upon tho democratic character of his-own political actions.'-' But ho lies, 110 says, right across the path of tho Socialist. However, such members as Mr Bruce Smith, K.C., from Sydney, aro not convinced that "lying across tho path of socialism" is sufficient at-tho present day. Ho thinks the Government should do something towards repealing tho socialistic measures of tho" past, four years," "which have mado Australia a laughing-stock among other civilised peoples and seriously discredited the name of the Commonwealth in the estimation of t-lio Mother Country." 111 cxpressins: theso sentiments to the Government Whip Mr Bruce Smith declined to atiend further the periodic meetings of the Now South Wales section of tho Rcid party. A MYSTERIOUS MURDER. A gruesome murder case, in-which at the outset there was not the faintest clue as to the identity of the victim or tho was brought to light during the week. The development of the story was watched from day to day with the keenest interest. The sccno of tho discovery is ,Girgarreo East, near Tatura, a woll-known north-central Victorian agricultural towri. As a channel guard named Crawford was doing his usual round along one of tlio great irrigation channels of the district he was attracted by a cornsack, containing something, floating in tho water 1 . He pulled it out and, prompted by a suspicion, opened it. He was horrified to find that it contained a human trunk far advanced in decomposition. The lower jaw remained, but the upper portion of tho head had been hacked away as by an axe. Tho legs had been "severed midway between the knees and the hip joints, and there was a gaping wound in the abdomendesigned, apparently, to allow tho gases to escape and thus nrevc-nt- the body from rising to the surface. Detectives and black-trackers were hastily despatched from Melbourne, and a solution of a mystery to which no due was apparent was entered upon. On Friday three days after the original find—the uniform police discovered tho remaining parts of a body ata point about three miles farther down tho channel. They wcro tied up in a new cornsack, and gleaming white as the officers opened the bag was tho upper portion of tho head, the forehead bare of flesh. The two legs lay underneath, and at the bottom was what looked' liko a parcel of clothes, but what proved to lie a blanket. The trunk was covered only by a singlet and shirt-, so that up to that stage nothing to work on in identifying the remains had ten found. Tho bag was weighted with a miscellaneous assortment of old iron, including tho,head of a 71b slcdsc hammer and portion of the " traveller " of a dray. On Sunday the black-trackers were taken out. to tho scene of the later discovery, and' after a search they camo upon a bloodstained grey coat. A little distance off thoy found a pair of boots neatly stowed away under a log fence, and almost grassgrown. On these articles of' clothing the police pinned their hopes. At once they gained a large amount of circumstantial evidence to show that the remains were those of a- man known as " Nobbio " Taylor. Close to the scene of the gruesome discovery a great irrigation reservoir is in course of -construction. It is known as the Waranga basin, and Taylor had acted for fomo time as a referea at a two-up school which existed at tho works. However, a mate of Taylor said he knew whore Taylor was to bo found, and -found he was, so the police had to drop that thread. There was no doubt that the victim was not a local resident. Ho was presumably one of the class which comes and goes where such rough work as the construction of the reservoir is in progress. The weighting of the second bag was just such material as would be found at a blacksmith's shop or on tho scrap-heap of a navvy's camp. It is impossible, however, to spirit away a man in any civilised country. " I haven't seen anything of Skinner lately," said a man to the detectives. "Who's Skinner?" asked a deteetivo. It was explained, and the description supplied seemed, to fit the murdered man. Tho more the. inquiry was pushed tho more it appeared that the missing man wns William Skinner, agecl 37, who had liecn employed -as a carter on tho basin. Then it was learned that a man in a neighbouring town had purchased a horse and dray. The" detectives went to look, taking a man with them who knew Skinner and his dray, and lie at once picked out the dray from a number cf others. Then the purchaser, a well-known hotelkeeper. started to describe the vendor. It was at once apparent that ho was not. Skinner, though he averred that ho wa-s. An accurate description of this man has been obtained. Tho polieo arc hopeful of having him under, investigation shortly, and when that is accomplished they will bo very near tho solution of what only a week ago looked an impenetrable mystery. THE ARBITRATION ACTS. Most of tho States and ihe Commonwealth itself have now established Courts' of Arbitration. It is a remarkable thing that the Labour party exhibits tho,greatest anxiety to set up as many of these tribunals as possible, and then employs a great deal of vehement language in denouncing their decisions. This is an experience, I understand, the courts enjoy in common with that of New Zealand. In Western Australia tho third judge in succession—Mr Justice Parker—has just been appointed to preside over the coqrt. ' No\y his two predecessors—Mr Justice Moorhoad (since dead) and Mr Justice Bumside (who lias retired on account of ill-health)—were during their terms of office subjected to tho most unbridled criticism. Mr Justice Parker on assuming ofiiec is met with this criticism from a West Australian Labour delegate in Melbourne last week: ."'He was sorry to see that thero had bec-n appointed to' the position of president of the Arbitration Court the biggest enomy that the workers had to -face in. Western. Australia—Mr Justice Parker. While Mr Justice Parker was president not one union would- take a case before the court. Moreover, it.would bo an appointment for life, for lie (the speakc-r) knew that when Mr Justice Parker got that position ho would' not leave, it, because lie knew of the harm ho could'do. to the workers." The query suggested is whether it would be possible to .find a president .who. would satisfy tho Labour representatives. In Now South Wales .the criticism of the act, though not of the judge, comes from the employers. 'A deputation to Mr Carruthers.last week'asking- for tho-repeal 'of the- measure framed a. veiy strong- indictment against it. was accused of having brought into existence an arriiy of -paid secretaries, of haying' interfered' with the liberty of the subject, of having barred the progress of the country, and of having prevented the- harmonious worldng'-between man aud man. Still, -Mr Carruthors would not give any; promise to repeal the act. It was still on its trial, and the period of experiment was not yet passed. . Of course,' the. workers woidd not hear of..repeal, j The president,": Ml- Justice CJohmi, .linvlng ■ completed luVtliree years' term, is retiring, i Ihere is a'block extending back-18 months, and no judge will take tho presidcncp iThe s Trades and. Labour Council.' in jftjterday, urged . that the' 'Government 1

should appoint .a aud insist on lum accepting ofiico. But Supremo Court judges are'not easily coerced. CREMATION INTRODUCED. The first case of cremation, practisedfin. Melbourne was carried out last week-'at tho new Metropolitan Cemetery at Sprmgvale. Two years ago Parliament passed an adt ■authorising tho trustees of the cemetery to erect a crematorium and to cremate bodies. For want of funds the trustees did not construct 'tho 'crematorium, but'that- did not prevent them undertaking the cremation of the body of 'Mr Edward Davics, who'had instructed his executors to have Ills body cremated and the ashes scattered, in accordance with the Oriental custom,. to tho four winds of heaven. A temporary crematory was' at once erected at the cemetery. Tho siteohoscn was on tho lawn in the ocntre of the cemctery. An excavation lift Gin long by 7ft 6in wide wal made' in the'.middlo of this lawn to a depth of 2ft 6,in. Then brick piers about a foot thick were bililt round'tho inside of this excavation to a height of 3ft 6in. The space enclosed by the brickwork was filled with firewood. Across. tho top of this six iron girders were laid, with their ends resting: on tho, brick piers; A sheet of iron 10ft long and 3ft wide was placed on top of the girders, and above this a wooden tunnel 9ft long by 2ft Gin wide was built to receive the cpffin. Another iron plate was laid on the top of this. Firewood was then stacked round and over the tunnel until the whole pile .was about 32ft long, 7ft high, and Bft wide. The sides were turfed up to a height, of about 4ft or sft,. so that as tho wood burned away the kiln would fall inwards. The coffin was to slide into tho narrow wooden tunnel that gaped in the stack like a long furnace. The front of it 'was closed • with a plug door 2ft tin thick, mado of hardwood quartering, nailed together in transverse layers. Tho structure was completed yesterday morning, and, so that there should be no possibility of a mistake, four tins of keroseno were poured over the wood. The pile was to be lighted from the top at tho same time as from below, so that the gases and fumes from tho burning bodv might be consumed before they reached tho outsid' air. As the firowcod burned away, tho iron plate on top would gradually settle down, and when the operation was completed the ashes of the deceased would bo found between the two plates of iron, mixed, of course, with the ashes of the wood used in the building of the tunnel and the coffin. The coffin was placed on two trestles before the open furnace, and the service for the dead was commenced. -"I commit this body to the flames," said the elcrgvman at length, and then the coffin was slid into ">« furnace. At the words "Earth to earth, etc., a brass spirits of wine torch was applied to the top and the bottom of t jlC' pdC" 111 30 minutes it was considered tnat the body had been reduced to ashes, but the six tons of wood in the pile burned ticrcely for hours, A MISSING BOY.

On Monday of last week the remarkable fl'sappearanee of a boy of six named Jack Mwvin was reported to the Gcelong Police. Vuito a. romance was worked 'u» over the event, but, unfortunately, it develoned into one. of those little traeediea of life which the newspapers chronicle almost daily. The youngster went to a band lieiformance on Sunday afterncon with a brother three years his senior. They became separated, and as tnc child did not turn nn in a day or tw< ? the boys from tlie Geelong College and the State schools organised a systematic search A report grpw that the child had been kidnapped. A French barque had just left the port, and there wer»*thosej who said the captain had lieen beard to exorcss a longing to havo a hoy with him. Dams and wa.terholcfl were searched, the constables walked three-quartern of a mile through a foul sewer, and as all this revoalwl nothing tho theory of fthduct-ion strring'thciwd—with fonie. ' But alas! on Saturday tlie poor child's body was found in the reeds in the river ful'v two mile." away from t-ho spot nt which ho parted with his brother. • WARNED OFF.

Tho name cr fame of " Barney " Al'en may not have spread to New Zealand but throughout Australia he is known as one of tho most, energetic layer of tho odds on every leading racecourse. In Melbourne at Clip time it lias hem a task for the punter" to get near this popular book maker, and. like manv of h]V brothers, M Allen has lately dabbled ft little 111 horn racing. and his liorso Camira lately np pearcd on the turf in far Calcutta. Hi runnin? did not please tho lcca.l authorities and horse and owner wore "warned off," The EnMi'h .Tnekw Club adopted tl"> find in?, and Mr Allen was "warned off" in Groat Britain. But flip V.R.O. would not follow even this auEiict lead blindly. It uent for a copv of the evidence and the reairlf, , V a S tjiat Mr Allen was "warned off" at Flemington—which means all over Tie fona. and eventually all over Australia It was generally thought; that so long as Iv refrained from betting (lie "warning off" would net be literally interpreted. How ever, Mr Allen appeared as a spectator in the paddock at Floniingtou on Saturday and I'is presence was brought under the lioticei of tl'e committee, and he was asked to Jeavo the enclosure. Acting on leea! advice (he had a solictor 011 the course with him), he refused to do to. whereupon the club's defective, Mr Wri.trbt fumler instructions from m committee), put his hand on Allen's shoulder and ("inducted him to tho gates, .yien regartl<l this as a technical ejeotment, ond intends, it is-stafed to test in the Tiaw Courts the question of the committee's right to take such aotion against him,