THE COMMONWEALTH

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13845, 7 March 1907, Page 2

THE COMMONWEALTH

INSUBORDINATION OF PRISONERS. A eerious outbreak of insubordination, in which 40 prisoners look part, occurred at Fremantle Gaol on February 21, when tho men were undergoing an ordinary parade prior to being allotted their day's work, Tho trouble was the outcome of punishment imposed by Mr Justice Rooth 011 ,Tamos Walsh, John Haynes, and William Lyons at last October sessions. TJie prisoners named were convicted of robbery with violence, and wcro sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and 10 strokes of the. "cat of nino tails" when they were received in prison. Haynes was found to

be in perfect health, and he was subjected to corporal punishment on October 13. Lyons and Walsh were in ill-health, the foimer suffering from a weal; heart, and their Hoggins; was. postponed. Hecentlv Dr Hope, vc-cxamined thorn, awl declared Lyons to bo physically too weak for corporal punishment, and Walsh to he in perfect health. Accordingly Walsh was flogged on February 21. When the prisoners were being paraded 10 of llicir number left the ranks, and told the superintendent that they had decided not to go to work, as a protest against Walsh being flogged, as he was not fit to receive corporal punishment. They asked to have Dr White re-cxaniine him. The superintendent informed them that, the mutter did not concern tliom, and they would have to go 1.0 work. Half a dozen gaol lawyers argued that flogging Walsh at the present time was against' the prison regulations; that he should bo flogged immediately on his admission lo gaol, or not at all. A few minutes later Dr Hope entered the exorciso yard. He, however, declined to argue the mailer with the prisoners, and the superintendent, ordered the men to fall bad: inlo f heir _ places in the ranks preparatory to marching off to work. Tho malcontents discussed mailers in undertones among themselves for a while, and ultimalolv olieved orders. The mailer was reported to Mr Burt, Comptroller-general of Prisons, and the men were dealt with hv Ihe prison-visiting magistrate. Four of the ringleaders were, sentenced lo seven days on bread and water, and were .ordered lo forfeit 14 days' remission of sentence. Five others were sentenced lo four days on bread and water, and ordered lo forfeit ; seven days' remission of sentence. SKA CAPTAIN'S SUICIDE. ; There was excitement on February 20 on board the barque Hans, a Dutch craft lying 1 at one of the Port Melbourne wharves, when ' Peter Jensen, tho captain, ran on deck from below, and cried out. to Christian ' Kirk, the mate, to come to his assistance. | No sooner had he made tho cry than ho swooned ami fell on the deck. When Kirk reached his captain ho found that he was bleeding copiously from a bullet wound in the left side just below the ribs. Tho St. '' John ambulance mis sent for. and tho ■ wounded rutin was conveyed to the Mel- ' hotnm Hosnilal. He was operated on by '" Mr Charles Hyan, M.H., and the bullet was cstrartcd. In spite of the immediate suet/ess of the operation. Jensen died a few hours later. A. revolver, one chamber of ' which, was emptied, win found in the cap. ' lain's cabin, and Ihe information gathered ' by the poliee goes to suggest that deceased • tlied by his own hand. • FEDERAL rUIJIJO SERVICE. During the past 12 months (ho Federal • I'tibiie Service CoirmiKsiotici' has been steadily bringing inlo operation a system , of traiisfets in the service in most of the Slates, tho object of which is lo prevent one officer having occupation for life of a , position in some favoured district, while another man might 1» stationed for an ; equally long period in the drought-stricken inferior. Under Mr M'Laehltm's administration, federal cjlioers have been shifted down to "the coast from the "Never , Never" country, and vice Versa. Objection has boon raited' to thia policy on the ground that it enlails great expense on tho Commonwealth, which has to meet the 'cost inr volved in the transfers: hut the commis- [>. F'.oner considers that tho amount is vot f worthy of consideration when weighed - against, the t|uestion of justice to the officor-3 . tfeteil. Tho transfers have been made

lainly in the States of Queensland, Now ;outh_ Wales, awl Western Australia-. Vicuna is regarded as being fortunate enough iot to possess what, may be properly ro« arded as "back country.'' VICTORIAN' LICENSING ACT. The Stato Attorney-general (Mr J. M, )avies) was qiiostioncil on February 20 in elation to Mr Justice Hood's decision and Is offeot on tho administration of the new jicensinjr Act. Ho first of all asked, 'Can a- hotclkeoper sell liqum to the itlblio on Sunday?" and, by way of answer >y himsolf, referral to section'JM of the licensing; Act. of 1890. This section, soroe-' vliat amended by the now act, was still in orcc, an<| now read as follows:—"Every icensed person on who?e premises any sale >r barter of, or traffic in, liquor takes' plaeo >r on which any liquor is drunk on Sunday, ■xcept by lodgcre in such house or by bonaide travellers, shall for a first offence be iablo to a penalty of not loss than £2 nor >xoeeding £10; for a second oHcnto to a jcnalty of not less than £10; nor exceeding £20; and for a third offence shall on eon•iction thereof forfeit, his license, and shall iko in the case of the third, 3s woll as my subsequent conriution, be liable to be leela-red disqualified by the Licensing; Court or a period not exceeding one year." This action. Mr Davios added, bad hee-n strengthened to tlio following effect by section 78 of tlio new act:—"ln any 6iich proceedings tilts presence in any licensee! premises of two or more persons other than loua. fide lodgers, weekly or other boarders, inmates or servants, shall be prima, faoio 3videneo of a sale of liquor having taken place." Therefore, MrDavies remarked, ipart from Mr .lusfico Hood's decision in relation to section 91 of the new act. ho [lid not see that thero was not plenty of. facility for proceeding under section 78 in cases whore two or more persons other than lodgers, etc., were found in an. hotel on Sunday. In the case of ono person only being on licensed premises on-a Sunday, a sale of liquor would have to bo proved. cost op thlTelections. A return prepared by the Department of Homo Affairs shows the cost of the Federal elections in December to have been £46.679, including printing of rolls. The elections of 1903 ran up an expenditure of £51.414, and in 1901 tho cost was £56,331. The amount for last election was spread ovor the States.as follows:—New South Wales, £15,738; Victoria. £14,281; Queensland, £7632; South Australia, £4002: Western Australia. £2673; Tasmania, £2352. In New South Wales the cost of ilio threo elections was as follows:-1901, £19,026; 1903, £21,254; 1906, £15,738. PROSPERITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES. The Premier of Now South Wales, in opening Ibe show at Tamworth on February 20. said the past year had been one of magnificent prosperity, dun largely to the very great development of production, but also to the improvement in prices. Tho mining industry showed an increaso of over a million sterling. Agricultural produce was valued at seven millions. The wheat crop exceeded that of the previous year by four million bushels. The return for the dairying industry was valued at £3.300,000—« a quarter of a million advance. The exports of butter exceeded those of 1905 by 7,000,0001b. The total value of pastoral exports reached almost £20,000,000, and tho whole value of primary production for the year might be put down at 40 millions, which was over £26 per head of the population, and a total increase of £4,660,000 over that of 1905., A GOLDEN MYSTERY. On February 16 a party of four prospectors left Fremantle in a 30-ton fishing ketch, their destination being an island in tho Australian Bight, somowhoro near • Eucla. Tho party is reported to havo taken with it a very complete prospecting outfit, including a boring plant; but throughout the utmost secrecy appears to havo been observed by the prospectors regarding their movements, and nothing very definite can bs ascertained. _ It is understood that the expedition is tho result of a report recently received from Eucla 'to the effect that for some time past an old man and his son had been in tho habit, of calling at Eucla for stores,. for which they paid in coarso gold. Tho men always reached Eucla in a small sailing boat, and it was thought that they wero mining on an island in the vicinity but no information could bo obtained from them as to their movements, nor had anyone succeeded in ascertaining tho situation of tho island on which they were supposed to be working. About a couple of months ago the mysterious minors' boat was found capsized some distance from Eucla, and since then the miners have not been seen. BIG IRRIGATION SCHEME. An important scheme, to provide foi tho irrigation of aliout 60,000 acres of land from the water of the Campasno River (Victoria), has been adopted by tho State Rivers and Water Supply Commission, and is being favourably considered by tho Minister of Water Supply, Mr Swinburne. Tho matter was brought under consideration in connection with tho question of effecting repairs in the weir above Rochester, which was so badly damaged bv the big flood of last year. The estimated cost of tho scheme is £77,710. VITAL STATISTICS. Statistics reported by the Government Statist show that the number of marriages celebrated in Victoria in 1906 (8930) was the highest during the past 16 years. Tho births, totalling 30,844, wore the highest since 1901; and the death rate per thousand of tho population-lower than tho average for the preceding live years. The number of marriages in Sydney.and suburbs in 1906 was 5248, corresponding to a- rate of 9.82 per 1000 of the population. This total is more than 300 in excess of that for tho previous year, and is tho largest yet recorded, while the rate is the highest experienced since 1891, with the exception of 1902. The number of males married who wcro under 21 years of ago was 247, or 4.71 per cent, of the total, and of female; 979, or 18.65 nor cent. Thcvo . were 5163 marriages celebrated bv tho clergy, and 85 witnessed by registrars. The largest, number (1744) was celebrated according lo the riles of the Church of England; then came the Roman Catholic, 776; Congregational. 770: Presbvtorian, 533; and Methodist. 595. Included in tho Congregational are 455 " Whitcficld" Congregalionalists. In the institutions known as "matrimonial agencies" there were 732 marriages, or about 14 per cent, of tho total, but there is strong reason to suspect, says the compiler of tho statistics, that many other marriages were Dcrformcd at places which differed from these agencies only in name.