AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16766, 7 August 1916, Page 8

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(Fnou Ooit Own ConnEsronnENT) .SYDNEY, July 10. Amongst tile comparatively li w I'j, al ou urroncos ol pubis (oncern dmrng the week li.it. been tho vigoious canvassing ior suite nptieiii'i to tlio Commonwealth VMi loan. Applications tor nai lh ip.it ion in tin . loan mil eloso on Augu-t 1. J1 the Commonwealth 'lie usurer does not find on tint day that the people ot Australia are leany to advance turlher millions Ujion millions of pounds as "biker bulli U " lot w.a pu>po'sos it will be indeed bin pi l-uig. Am ord nig to wli.it uiio remls m the nn ,nrl learns fiom othir Mjuires, tin re r»> a i.iu-t extensive adoption ot the suggestion chit eiiiployei.s assist v,,i.;0-urrner.s to take u i bond> by tile emplovi r> advancing the nc c< <■- lump ,suni>.'ind .seeurmg lep ty uient by weekly d.eluetions ot lull a irowu oi live fJnlhngs, according to eircumstdiie.es, fiom the w.igas or salaries ol the subs< nb'iic employees. As is pointed out daily, tin* nuthod gives opportunities to people v.nil only VI ry .small .sums ot tree money at then disposal to make that Lltle e.iin .sub-taini.il interest (tho Federal Government i~> going 4i per cent.), whdo at the same tune the many small subscriptions will amount to a really big help to tho country's cause. FOR THE FRENCH. Formerly what little attention was given by folk to tho French was of the natuio of ('.usual interest, in "foreigners" Now there evsts a --enciment ef legard such as one feels for oio-e fn'-n.ls <t relative's. One read., and liM'i's a (onst.mt sciies of oxpres *ions ot the \\ di to translate that regard into helpful action. The. people of VicLorn appear to have responded generously to a special appeal on Lelnlf of the French Red Cross ]<und made elur.ng the nast week. It is ant'cipated with reason that tho proceeds will be found to reach £60,000. Hawng been officially apprised that blankets were badlj needed for Red Cross hospitals in France, our Minister e'f lJofcnce (benator Pearce) authorised the Defence Department to present about 4000 sail iblo bl.mkets to the Frenrh Red Cro.ss as -i token of Australia's good will and admiration. Hub gift has evoked from tho French Premier (M. Briand), a cablegram telling us that his Government has been greatly touched by Australia's generous attention.'" FEMININE EXTRAVAGANCE. In connection with a suggest on that Australia might well follow Great Britain's example by having a " war savings week," the Fcdeial Tieasurer (Mr lliggs) has found cause to dude the women of Australia for continued extravaganco in tho matter of dress in this tim 1 of strain and crsis. "There is," says Mr Higgs, ''plenty of scopo in Australia for a campaign again'-1 waste. Australians, generally speaking, aro not given to saving their money. I find on making mqu ry of softgoods houses that while tho trade in men's clothing has declined, thero is e\idcnee of extravagance m regard to -women's clothing. The pcopl" should bo eneouiaged to oa\e." A lady who lost no time in replying to Mr Ilisjgs stated: The gentleman doesn't know what ho is talking about. Wo arc all, or vc;y nearly all, doing with far fewer clothes than before tho war. We must wear bomcthing. If it seems that we arc buying as many new clothes as before that is simply because things aro so awfully dear now. If wo went in for elrcssing 4\< calico and chaff bags M/ lliggs seems to want us to do what -would become pi the women, many of them w:\es of soldiers, who have to work at dressmaking? And what about the shop a'-s'stants who would be thrown out of work? Would Mr lliggs inako up their lost wages?" AVIATION. While wholesale aviation in Europe is taken quite as a matter ot course, practically nothing Las been done liere in this depaitment oi modem movement. It anything big is being done m connection with tho Commonwealth School ot Aviation, started somu time ago m Victoria, it is Leing kept very secret. The New .South AS ales Governeinnt announces tliat it intends to set a lead m tae development of the art ol flyng m Australia. It is piepaimg an aviation school near bydncj. iheie have just armed two pilot mstructoro, engageet in England for this school. One ol them is Mr \Y. J. Stutt, who has to his credit over 6000 ascents, 2000 ot them tor tho Royal Airciaft Factory. He has latterly been engaged in Hying aeroplanes to and from the tiont in France. 'Ihe other is Mr Andrew Lang, who has been connected for a long tune with the Royal Fijmg Corps, and is said to have had a great deal oi experience as mstiuctor. Tho t«o pdot instructois will take up woik at once, m anticipation of the official opening of the Now South Wales Government Aviation School eaily next month. Interest in aviation is being stimulated by the presence here of Mr C. _A. Baker, who is said to have been the prime mover in an appeal for public subscriptions in tho Malay States that resulted in the purchase of 41 aeroplanes for the Brit sh forecs. The pifirposo ol Mr Baker's Visit to Australia is tho making of a similar appeal here. We are officially assured that his scheme has tho endorsement of the Imperial War Office. TRADE INVESTIGATIONS. In order to advance the purpose of making Australia more splf contained m tho matter of industries, especially those tor which it is one of the world's suppliers of raw material, tho Commonwealth Government has decided to send a commission to America. Tho business of tho commission will bo to investigates and report upon the methods of manufacture and production in that country, and tho related conditions of employment. It will bo composed of Six representatives of tho manufacturers of Australia, ono from each fctate, and six representatives of the workers, also ono from cach State. Tho industries to be specially investigated are: —Iron trades, engineeimg, etc., timbeir trades, building material, ctc., leather trades, textile trades, paper trade, and trades engaged in tho preparation of foodstuffs. Tho commission is expeerted to return not later than six months from tho timo ot departure. A secretary will bo appointed, and in addition tho oommission will bo accompxnicd by a journalist appointee! from three nominations made by the Australian Journalists' Association. Tho dutici of this lournalist will be to prepare reports and supply accounts for jjublieation in the Australian press about the doings of the commission. Whilo wo are sending abroad to learn how to make things, the alert Japanese have sent to Australia three commissioners —M°ssis Ukita, Kannya, ind Hig.nhjima— to tsceitam how the trading relations of Japan with Australia may bo extended. These able and affable gentlemen of business from Japan aro at present in Sydnev. They will leavo for New Zealand next week by tho Manuka. TRADES HALL STRIKE. Although women unionists cannot point to such a l(cord of strikes as has been achieved by their far more numcious male compeers, they can boast of tho first stnko within a trades hall itself. This notiblo feat was accomplished during tho week at tho Tiadcs Halt m Sydney. A consideiabLnumber of women clerks aro employed m ono of the departments there. By somo means ono of the women cleilts engaged was not a unionist. As soon as her associates learned this they insisted that she should join a union forthwith, and tho indignant ones named the union of which thev themselves weio members. She demurred. Thereupon all tho other wonion clerks went o.vt on strike. Tins demonstration of devotion (o union principles shook tho recaloitiant one, who capitulated. 'But she "got oven" as far as she could Having ascertained that there wrro two clerks unions officially recognised at the Trades ]Jail, sho loinedtho one to which women clerks did not belong. This left, the strikers, who were back at work m a couple of hours, with a sort of feeling that ilicy had not won outright. MR HUGHES. Next m importance, or interest, to the overseas, news about the com so of tho war are the records, by wireless and otheiviH?, of the progress tow,mis Vustralia of out Prime Minister (Mr Iluigh"s) on his way back from the councils of natrons rn' Europe. It practically depends on what Mr Hughes says when ho gets back whether or not thero w ill be introduci d corrpultiiou as regards military seiviee outside of Austi ilia. Pending his. arrival the subject is b"ing kept quite warm, principally b< Liberals, who lcprnjch the Govcrriin. Nt for not doing enough, and by Social" 1 - .Mid I.W.W. people, who persist in passing vehement resolutions to tho effect that ' consciiption is slavery." We want to hear more. too. from Mr Hughes himself about his purchase of a fleet of cargocarivina- steamships for tho Commonwealth Com innieiit, and whether this, tiansaetion lcprcents only ono me,mis of getting away our =urphn wheat or wheth'i* it is the first nop in tho earn,in? out of tho Labour plank of a largo_ State-owned shipping business of an intentionally permanent c''aia<*ter. Folks heie are generally drsposed to .-mile over the cableel accounts of how the noirn of England arc clamour mg to have him bick. Tho facetious columns of our newspapers joke about the spell ol miseulin- 1 .stiongch and b uitv. and call upon the women of Australia to gird on the sword if necessary tor tho assertion of their _ pi tor rights against the English women in the possesion of a being of such power and charm. Unfortu-

nately tho latest me c sago received by his colleagues from Mr Hughes. i» to the effect th it his health is hot satisfactory. IJis innumerable fnendn and admirers have all along had fears .'bout the itFcets of high stiain upon li 13 health. SOLDIERS AND PIES. In their general's prow-ion of comforts, for soldi'is 111 the tiaming (jinp at Ben elig'i, All tona, iho local residents, as a n.Mtiic r ol elementary necessity, ensured the F-,110 to ea< h soldier of a hot pie and a. rup of coffee for supper. Jienchp-o is on" of tho.ao mining communities in Australia wheie, v.ith a geod deal of n.ght work done, the habit of taking a pie and coffee a' nr'lit is a'moso as iKed and cxt<uisii<> fh that Ol having eirgs and bacon for hr"ilrfist, and ic, ill any <\ent, deemed to 1/ a in eded fomp'etion ol the day's nriiuNliment. But the lrnlitny camp aulboi itif s say that they cannot g< t the n.m properly fit and hard if thev indulge in a touith meal at bedtime in addition t-o the I]i 1 ( sufficient in als pronded earlier. (V.p-k ijuenl ]y the order has gone out that tli'ie in. lit be no more pirs and to'fre at nig'it. On" needs to have bved at B(ridigo to understand how the goo I foils theie riigard this o;d'r as an depuvaticr. for the bia\e nun who hi\e \olun lei red to light for us. 'J h<" ha\e bjen down to Melbourne to the Minister of Defence about it, but the Minister has replied that it is purely a matter of local eiri-o administiation. The deputation of resident l ; his maele lepeated appeals to tho camp e ommaneJ.nil, but without other result than that the commandant has c-omo to be ■=]; ] en of ,11 uneonlioiled inger ns a el "Dei 1 11 \ e t lit I ma-i ought to be 11.km el for \eiv seric esly hindering r>ci Lining PETROL SCANDAL M hat was cal'e el the Petrol Srandal, and for_ a tune S'liueil 11.,1 ol ail &,m-> en 1 1sation.il po-sibil ties, political and oih'rw.si, has praeti ally had the euitain rung down upon it this week without the leahsation ot those ibilitics. Fiist there was pul>hshcil the .st.ntl.llg allegation tint m i.egot atirns on boh df of the New South Wale s Government which contemplated the establishment of a State monopoly oi the pet.ol bus ncss. one lliiny Alfred Morgan liad ])rer,o i ed to tho British Imperial Oil Company that to the price which it would ask lor ito plant there should be added a very big sum of money, with tho implication that much of this money would go to one or more members of tlie M nistry. The _namo of Mr Arthur Griffith (Minister of Education, and toimerly Minister of Public Works) wao specially ment.oned. A Royal Commission convicting of a Supremo Court judgo nnestigated and heard a lot of evidence. The only net result was the laying of a charge aga nst Morgan of having incited (111 vain) the local representative ol i tho Oil Company to enter into a conspiracy to defiaud the Government by means ot a secret conimksion payable to himself. .Morgan, who denied that ho asked for anything more than fair brokerage for his work, wheh brokeTagj would have been disclosed to everybody, was acquitted by the juiy and discharged. Mr Griffith has resumed his administration of tho Education Department, of which he was relieved pending the investigation, and matters all round arc the t,ime as before excepting that st.spicous folks aro moie suspicious «=till.