AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17158, 10 November 1917, Page 10

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(F*OM Oua Own CoBitESPONDBirr.J SYDNEY, October 31. Ono of the features of Australian public lifo which can only bo described as disgusting is tha jnanner in which all sorts and conditions of politicians rake advantatjo of every opportunity to go oft' on a sort of royal tour, generally at the publio expense. It is a little form of deriving entertainment and pleasure at the cost of the State that is not unknown in Now Zealand, but it has developed in Australia in an aggravated form. It is probably duo to the fact that Labour men have been bo much in power—and ono studies only human nature when one sees these politicians, particularly in their early, unfledged condition, travelling about in state and posing grandiloquently before tho publio. Every politician eeems to think that he has a mission to appear magnificently before tho publio and bring. enlightenment to the multitude —even though he only scraped into politics by a hundred majority and the block vote of some docile Labour union. Mr Holman, who was the latest to go off a-junketing, has just come back. Ho has spent some thousands of pounds of tho State's money in a rush round the globe, and what ho has achieved on behalf of the State we know not. Still, he has sparkled somewhat in London, has assisted President Wilson in the solution of some grave war problems, and has done no more, nor less, than lots of other politicians. And hq is probably Australia's most brilliiint politician. Ho lacks the striking rhetoric of Mr Hughes, but he has a charm and personality that Mr Hughes rather lamentably lacks. One can forgive Mr Holman—but what of those two earnest young men, Mr David Hall (New South Wales Attorney-general) and Mr Crawford Vaughan (ex-Premier of South Australia), who are going to America in December to tell the people of the United States and Canada how to behave in relation to the war? It appears that some body of propagandists thought it would be effective to get a couple of prominent Australians to cross tho Pacific and beat up the patriotism of the people, and the names of these two politicians were suggested. Neither is an orator, nor in any sense an outstanding figure. Each* has achieved Ministerial rank by grimly hanging on to the Labour organisation, until now Labour has dropped them. And now these two men, from a country which has refused conscription, and is already many thousands short in its reinforcement drafts, are going off to _ tell a people who have accepted conscription, and fire making great war sacrifices, now to conduct themselves. The thing is generally regarded as nauseating. ENGLISH WIVES ARRIVING. What is—to put the mildest phrase upon it—something of a stir has been caused throughout Australia by the arrival of the first ship-load of English wives of Australian soldiers. A transport, carrying wounded men and soldiers' wives, has arrived in Australia, and Sydney's quota (30) of the wives —there are 100 altogether—has just landed. Sydney does not appear to know whether to be amused, angry, or just critical. There havo been many rumours of thousands of Australian soldiers being captured by English girls, but Australia did not worry, each Australian girl had faith in her own man. But now that the Australian Government representatives in London are beginning to ship the young wives out here, the Australian female population is beginning to " sit up and take noticG."_ The girls are coming out as assisted immigrants, and it is said there are hundreds awaiting berths. One portion of , this transport was strictly reserved for the hundred wives, and practically no intercourse was permitted between the young women and tho returning soldiers. There were half a dozen husbands aboard, but they were allowed only a brief conversation daily with their wives. The majority of the husbands are either at the front or already in Australia. Other parties of wives are to be brought out as opportunity offers. It appears to be a case of " the hearts that are near." Tho Australian soldier—and all lemarks herein apply with almost equal strength to the New Zealanders, who are also industriously marrying in England—is very far from his home and his own folk; he appears before the English people as a hero, almost a demigod, from a splendid romantic land; he is openly adored by the English girls; and ho is married almost before he knows what has happened. Unprejudiced observers, after seeing the newlyarrivod English wives, said that they "didn't think they could blame Billjim": they were a pretty, wholesome, attractive collection of young English womanhood. In the majority of cases, they should have no reason to regret their choice of soldier husbands. But one hears of a number of instances of Australian girls, who have been formally engaged to soldiers who have gone away, being rather cruelly jilted, in favour of some girl with a -white and pink complexion, who has nursed or comforted Bjlljim in far-away England. And the real pity of it is that this country already possesses more marriageable prirls than there are men available. What with the wastage of war, and the depredations of the English misses, things look bo.d for the Australian sp : nster. LOYALIST WORKERS ATTACKED. There were some exciting , scenes along the Melbourne water-front one day last week, when unionists, trying to get back to work after the strike, teame into collision with the volunteer workers at several points. The unionist watersiders, after fighting , to tho last ditch, finally surrendered, and agreed to go baok to work practically on pre-strike conditions. The shipowners and tho strikers, however, did not agree on one point. Tho owners insisted that all men employed on the wharves should register with the Yarra Stevedoring Company, from which all waterside labour is to bo obtained. The labour supply would thus be controlled and systematised, and certain undesirable characters would be barred from the wharves. It is the same system as is being , brought into operation in Sydney. Tho late strikers wero much averse to registration. They agreed to return to work on Thursday, and on Thursday morning they assembled at the old " picking-up" places, instead 'of registering at the central deppt. Of course, no one came to engage them. As they waitcd_ their tempers were not improved by tho sight of gangs of volunteer labourers rolling up to work.

A mob of 120 ex-strikcrs, at one point, surrounded a gang of 17 volunteers, who were about to commence work on a steamer. Although assailed on all sides, tho volunteers showed no disposition to submit quietly. On the contrary, they struck out lustily, and felled many of tho mob. This resistance infuriated the unionists, and they got somo of the loyulists down and kicked! them in a most brutal manner. The loyalists eventuady escaped, after a rough handling. Later, they returned to tho steamer, and, as police had arrived, tho cowardly mob drew off. Later, there was another disturbance. A gang of volunteers left a steamer and went into Flinders street to obtain lunch. They w«re set upon by a mob, and, though they resisted gamely, they were greatly outnumbered and knocked about, and took refuge in a restaurant in King street A 'body of police arrived opportunely, and drove the rioters away.

Alx>ut the same time a gang , of volunteer coal lumpers, assembled for duty, was pelted with coal, but this, and another skirmish near fche North wharf, was stopped by the police. The number of police available, for tho protection of loyalists, in the early part of the day, was shockingly inadequate. In mast places there was a solitary policeman where a score would have been insufficient. All .through these disturbances the Melbourne authorities havo showii a curious unwillingness to uso their police. Conditions improved in tho afternoon, however, and the mob dared do not moro than anarl and show its teeth. MYSTERY OF THE MATUNGA. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the steamer Matunga continues to arouse much speculation, particularly within the past week, when a report by the Superintendent of Navigation (Captain Cumming) haa been made available. The Matunga was a modern steel steamer of 1618 tone, was fitted with wiroless, and bad 60 passengers and a crew of 30 aboard when sho left Brisbane on her way from Sydney to Rabaul "on July 27. On August 5 a wireless message purporting to come from the Matunga, was received in '. abaul. It stated that she expected to arrive ;n Rabaul at 2 p.m. on her due date, August 7. Calculating on the known spend of the Matunga, she was then about 200 miles from .Rabaul. From that moment she hac never been heard of, nor haa any trace beon found of hex. Search steamers have gone over almost every foot of the ocean within 100 miles of the spot where the Matunga was last hoard of, and have found nothing. The sea was calm at the time the ship disappeared, and it is thought to be almost impossible that the vessel co-old hare beei sunk without leaving a trace. The following theories are pat forward to account for the mishap:— She was mink by an internal explosion, so destructive that the wireless was pnt out of action. 3?onr caws cf dyswwte wero carried in a magoxin* an the Jfa.fJta*. and

it is thought that perhaps some kind of detonator was introduced among this, or that an infernal machine was placed in the holds. This theory is discounted by tho absence of wreckag \ Tho vessel turned turtle. It haa beea said that sho had a distinct tendency in this direction. Experte havo inquired, arU find no evidence to support this view. _ Tho vessel was overwhelmed by a seismio disturbance, known to have occurred - n that region—which ia right on tho Japan-New Zealand earthquake belt—on August 6. There was an r>arthquako in New Zealand about that date. The experts say that there is no record in the locality of a disturbance sufficiently great to overwhelm a vessel of tho sizo of the Matunga. Tho vessel was taken by a raider, and is still afloat in the Pacific. This theory is favoured ia nautical circles. An electric light globe, of a kind known to have been fitted on tho Matunga, wos picked up by tho searchers; but as this might havo been dropped overboard by tho Matunga or any other vessel, it is not accepted by tho experts, apparently, as definite evidence of anything. The loss of the vessel is now believed to be due to a submarine disturbance. CATTLE THIEVES AT WORK. Reports from various country districts indicate that tho cattle thief is at work to a greater extent than has been known for years. Somehow one associates cattle-steal- | ing in Austraha with the days of Starlight and tho Ke]ly Gang—though why it is difficult to say. Recent instances suggest that it ia just as easy to steal cattle now as it was 50 years ago—and a good deal more profitable. There are two reasons offered for tho increased catUe thefts. The first, .of course, is the high prices being obtained for cattle. A man can get as much for 10 good steers as he could for 20 a few years ago—and it is easier to steal 10 than 20 animals. The other reason is that the voluntary system of enlistment in Australia has naturally taken away tho best class of men, including tho good and trustworthy type of btakon hand, and has left the rogues. Paetoralists complain bitterly these days of the dependable servants. Some of the stories suggest that, given plenty of cheek, it is not so difficult to steal cattle as might be supposed. One well-known squatter, who lives near a country town, decided to sell eight fat bullocks, and had them brought into the homestead paddock. They were about for a day or two, and then they disappeared. The most careful search failed to discover the slightest trace of them. Ono day, in another country town, there was a big cattle sale, to which stock was brought from all parts of the district. A farmer, whose land is partly within the municipal boundary, brought in two bullocks, and left them in tho hotel yard while he had his dinner. After dinner and a game of the farmer went for his bullocks to take them on to the saleyard. They were gone. Ardent inquiries in everv direction disclosed no trace of them. The farmer dashed off to the police station. The sergeant and tho ono black "tracker were away on a man-hunt. The only policeman available made a frantic inspection, but every road and lane in and about the town held strings' of cattle, and half the cattle corresponded to the description of the missing beasts. Those two fat bullocks were never heard of again. There is another story of a young English squatter who was interviewed one day, soon after settling down, by two men passing with a string of cattle. They offered him the animals at a fair price, and ho bought them then and there. The point of tho story really lies in the remarks made by the Englishman's head stockman> who came in from the run a few hours later and recognised in the newly-purchased animals a small mob he had just been searching for. The Englishman had bought his own cattle. VICTORIAN ELECTIONS APPROACHING. The Victorian State elections are ap proaching, and are being keenly fought. Victoria is the stronghold of L-beralism <n Australia: no Labour Government has beeu permitted to smash the Conservative ideals which are firmly entrenched there. Still, Labour always contests the elections, and gives the Liberal candidates something to talk about. On this occasion tho Labour banner is still being sturdily carried, but the excitement comes from another source. The Liberals are divided against themselves, and the offshoot party—generally known as the Economy Party—is seeking a majority which will place it in power. The present Peacock Government conducts the business of the State efficiently enough, but its finances are bad. Taxation is heavy, and there are evidences of extravagant administration; and, although the Cabinet insists that its troubles are the legacy of other shortsighted Administrations, there is much public irritation, and a feeling that the situation requires a stronger and more ruthless hand than is to be discerned in the present Cabinet. The Premier (Sir Alexander Peacock) made his. policy speech the other night, and replied to much of the criticism directed at his administration. Comparing the State expenditure in various years, he showed the increase last year, over the period three years ago when he took the helm, to be nearly £1,000,000. But he adduced a mass of figures to prove that almost all this extra expenditure was due to statutory obligations, ranging from loan complications to increased pensions. One of the most serious charges-against the Peacock Administration is that the railways will not pay. The Premier retorts that tlie improvements which have been made in the last two or three years in the railway management, had such things as the cost of labour and material and the ordinary traffic remained tho same, would have produced a substantial surplus; but that the enormously increased cost of labour and material, added to the disorganisation of war conditions, has kept the railways on the wrong side of the ledger. " The facr. that the train mileage run during tho last financial year," says the Premier, •' was over one million miles less than in the year prior to the war, notwithstanding that the business was greater and the revenuo £400,000 more, speaks for itself." The railway question is going to bulk largely xn this election.

Aa was to be expected, the Premiert set forth few new proposals which broke fresii ground. The times are against such " nrogress." Among the Government proposals are: Six o'clock closing to remain permanent unless altered by ( pubiic referendum after the war; special repatriation provision, including preference to returned men in the public service and training in agriculture; special provision_ for the ( bulk handling of wheat; the imposition of a super income tax in the event of its being found impossible to remove the deficit otherwise; and the distribution of £75,000 per annum in bonuses and allowances among the lower-paid civil servants, so long as the abnormal conditions caused by the war keep the cosi of living high.