OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 54

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

(Fhom Oub Own Corkesponbejtt.) Meleouhxe, June 26. In a community which has lived through Premier Permanent, Mercantile Bink, Federal Bank, City of Melbourne Bank, and a host of other financial scandals, the J. Q. WardColonial Bank judgment was read with great interest. Judge Williams's "outspokenness was much admired, '• Australian readers,'* wrote the Argus, "are pretty well accustomed to revelations. They are not easily astonished, But yet the disclosures of the J. 6. Ward Association may well cause men who can read between the lines to open their ores and to shrug their shoulders. During a b^om large allowances are to be made. Optimum ia in the air ; plunging b:comes epidemic ; but the financial revelries of Mr Ward's association were indulged in during normal times, when recklessness becomes a breach of morals, and there is not evau the boomer's poor excuse for trickery." Ths Argus also pointed the moral on the subject of' State banking. Mr Ward was the special advooate of State banking in the colonies, and the Ward-Colonial Bank episode afforded a striking lesson why banking and politics should be kept as far as possible apart. Since then, the repott of Lord Glasgow's Speech at the opening of Parliament has come to hand, and the Argui notes with surprisa the clause referring to the proposed tinkering once again with the Bank of New Zealaud. In a flue spirit of irony, it writes : — " The obvious comment is : Why cannot the New Zealand Legislature leave banking alone p It may ba competent to legislate upon such matters as the brand upon butter boxes, but it has not giren the slightest; proof that it understands practical banking problems. R Utter the reverse." The Argus evideat'y thinks very little of the capacity of the New Zealand Government as well as of the Legislature in financial matters. Reviewing the accounts of the Advanoes to Settlers Office, it writes:—" So far the New Zealand expeiimsnt is not very encouraging, although the intentions were doubblens good ' enough. Of cource the New Zealand Government; h»3 claimed that its Advances to Seirtleva Act has generally reduced the rate of interest. Toat is to say, natural causes count for nothing in competition with the fiat of an impulsive and ill-informed Parliament. It is not tho horse in the shafts, bub the fly in the horse's ear that accomplishes the work. From this point of view even a Seddon-Ward Ministry is only a survival of ancient Breotiau tim?B." Fol!o7«ng closely upon the Ward-CoJo: ial Bank disclosures comes the announcement fcfaafc the City of Melbourne B.ink direcbors are bo be prosecuted. When they were being examined l)3fore Judge Molesworth a couple of months ago, I scut you extracts from their evidence, and it h upon the admissions that were then made that the Crown Law department iias determined upon the prosecution. «Tho directors are Messrs Thomas Loader, James Williamson, J. L. Roberts, and Jenkin C Jlier ; and tho auditors, 'Andrew Burns and J. B. M'Qail, are also to be charged. The investigation which was made into the bank's affairs was ordered by the official receiver in London, and it was conducted here by Mr Rouse, who was formerly manager cf the bank's London branch. As regards the policy which apppars to have dominated the management, Mr Rouse says :— " The only one line of policy disoeruibla in tho past management of the bank was never to face a loss, and to submit to any additional losses that might be incurred by bolstering up and keeping afloat hopelessly insolvent customers ia order to prevent publ'ci'y being given to their enormous commitments to such persons. Indeed, it is imp-ssible on any other theory to account for the otherwise wanton manner in which the bank's funds have been wasted. From March 1891 to dat 9of suspension of bank the advances . by way of overdrafts, special loans, and past due bills were* increased by £701,799, but as during that period the sum of £338,698 had been applied in reduction of these accounts to the debit of bid and doubtful deVs, the actual increase amounted to £1,040,197. j Tho kcrcasein this class of advances .was made j at the expense of .the more liquid portions of j the bank's assets— viz., bills under discount and British and colonial bills — which stood at £1,049,652 in March 1891, and have now fallen to £246,298, showing a decrease of £803,354-." It is no wrong to say that th 9 manager, Mr Colin Longranir (who died while on a voyage to England) was primarily responsible for the reckless policy of the bank. In fact, Mr Rouse ia his report distinctly states that the control of the bank drifted into Mr Longmoir's hands, "tempered, perhaps, by reference to and advice from Mr Loader," who was chairman. Parliament has met, atid the session promises to be uneventful. The Opposition leader (Sir John M 'ln tyre) is by no means a strong man for the position. His principal matters of in- [ diotment against the Government are that they tried to reappoint Dr Biida as public librarian at an increased salary (a very small affair), and | that Mr Peacock has been silly enough to add sewing to the Sbate school curriculum for boys. Mr Peacock is a bjchtlor and has appreciated the difficulties and inconveniences that spring from ignorance how to handle a needle. Consequently on two afternoons a week school boys devote their time to sewing. The curriculum prescribed by the regulation is a3 follows :— First Class.— Use of needle and thimble; learning sewing ; turning down own hem. Second Class.— Turning down own hem; hemming; sewing; knitting drill. The common sense of the .community revolts at the absurdity. Mothers and fathers have been writing to the papers under the satirical heading "Building up a Nation" to protest against the wasting of boys' time. Mr Peacock pleads in self-defence that "the Ladies' Work Association thinks very highly of the work done." Already the school committees are ankiag that the thing should be abolished. And no doubt it will ba. ~ln bush school* there may be some sense in teaching the bays to mm on * button and. ba darn, fcbeir jjoakfu

bat occupying two afternoons a week in teach* ing city boys to '• turn down own hem" ia an out-and-out farce. .

Professor Marshall Hall returns to the charge against the Melbourne music teachers. Ho is criticising the work, of the matriculation candidates. " Once room I must state emphatically," he says, " that if the theoretical, and for the most part the practical, work whioh is annually presented ab the . matriculation examinations represents the average work of schools here, that work is thoroughly unsatisfactory, and,the teaching of musics' is conducted on wrong, and even rotten, principles; that the money spent, on it by parents is worse than wasted ; that a trenchant reform is needed. Lot not either the headmasters of schools or tho parents of pupils lay this unction to their souls that there is any exaggeration here. This is not the case, and from whatever cause it may spring, there is no doubt that the learning of music in schools is a mere farce." Tho professor has the public sympathy with him in this crusade ; and if his music is as vigorous as his language he is after , all the right man in the right place.

The woes of a man who married a wife by the advertisement process have been the source oE no small amount of amusement.- He made his appearance in the Supreme Court the other day, and, stepping forward, addressed the Chief Justice : "I want yonr Honor's advice ; I want to serve a summons on my wife, and can't do it. Here ifl a statement of my cseo.' 1 And he handed up a lengthy document. Ha had advertised for a • wife with £200, and amongst the < applicants was a cook in the family of a well-known solicitor. (She had only ' £100, bub they came to termi, met, and were actually married. Immediately after the cere* wony the cook remembered that ehe must return to her place of employment to prepare dime*, and with this explanation bade her husband good-bye and kfo him. Apparently sho regretted the step, for she refused any further communication with her husband, who returned to hi« farm and waited her coming in vain. Then he determined to sue her for breach of contract, buh she foiled him by evading service of the summons. The Chief Jostice, after reading the paper, said to the man :

Yoj say you cannot serve the summons od ycur wife P— No ; she won't allow we to see her even.

Are yeti 6ure she is in the bouse yon speak of ? — She is there, right enough. Why don't you get someone el»e to serve it on her for you ?— lt would be all the same ; the sight of tbc blue paper would be enough. ' "Is there anyone else in the lnuse over 16 ?— • All of than are over 16, sir ; I'va seen them.— * (Laughter ) Well, you can serve the summons on anyone in the house ova 1 16, provided you are sure that fho is Ihsre.

11 Can I ?" queried the man, as he picked up his hat; ''that'll do me fine, your Honor." The newspapers naturally made a good dealof lun of the incsdeifc, aud tho roan (Cornelius Paifcon) has written them a long letter in protest. His letter is extremely enfcsrtaurng. He writes :— In the first place, I am not'an old man by any means, but very little past the prime of life, in full health, soun-1 of wind and limb, and a hard-working, industrious, persevering farmer, I am an -old colonist of over 40 years' standing, well known both at Bendigo and Ballnrat, and formerly owner of property in Start s'reet— tho main street of that city— and far from being the illiterate, une'ducafcad, country bumpkin come of the papers make -me out to bo. lam fairly well educated, well read, and able to bold my own in any company or B"cUty (without being a classical scholar) ; and to those who hold ma and my case up to puf'lic scorn and ridicule as a very amusing . piece of bnsine 8 I Bay. a? tha frojt sjM to the schoolboy who pulled off its legs, " This may be a very amusing thing f^r you, but it in a very painful matter to me.' 1 He explains that living a lonely life in GHppsland and " being of a kindly, sociable disposition," he set himself to find a helpmate.

Much to my suvpriee (and, I suppose, to your suipiise also) I received at least 100 answers to ray advertisement within two or three days ; and fur fiom my marriage with the woman of my choice (out of so many applicant?) being a hasty one, as staKd, it was niauy months from the tiniof my wife eending her flr3t letter to me, and no* - until after man y interviews and numerous corre- - spondence, that we were eventually married. He thinks it wise to " state, en passdbt, that I have been successful in at least half ? dozen Supremo Cour\ County Court mining cases, and business esses in Ballnrafc and Bin<Hgo f And not S3 ignorant as I am made to appear." And with all the delight of a lover of legation over a lonne louche, he concludes :— " 1 S.—l am informed that this case n unique arri tho first ever heard of, and that therctore there is no precadenb." Evidently tho cook has catghfi a Tartar. There will be rare fun if the acl'on ever comes icto court.

The compositors thrown out; of work in the*. ■ three Melbourne newspaper offices by the lino- a type intend starting an opposition morning - paper, with which will be combined, an evening and a weekly. It is a hopeless projicfc ; but the Typographical Society are bitter agninst Ml David Syuo, who apprars to have declared to a deputation one fortnight that he had no intention of getting the new machine, and the n'xt informed them that he had changed his mind and given the order. Mr Hancock; M.L A., who is secretary of the Typographical Society, ha? the project in hand, and the men have 'uuanimoußly adopted a resolution to press it forward.

In a recent letter I mentioned that tho big estates in parts of Victoria are being subdivided and let to teuaut farmers, principally for dairying. The Western district is doing more in this way than other parts, and a presi representative, who has been making inquiries into the new system, gives some interesting particulars of it. The Robertson's estate at Qolao, the Manifold's at Camperdown, the Black's ami Mackinnon's at Terang, the Rut* ledge's at Farnham, near Warrnambool, with many of lesser ex'ent, are all being opt up iuto dairy farms and worked either by individual owners, by tenants, or on the share Bystem. They are rapidly being converted from vast sheepwalks employing s small amount of migratory labour into numerous small homesteads permanently and profitably occupied by large families. For instance, on the best lands, such as those of Glenormisfcon, the dairying industry provides a home and profitable employment for a largo family to every 120 acrei, with additional casual labour wherever cultivation is undertaken as a supplement to the dairy. 'On the eßtate of Mr J. W. Anderson, at Tower Hill, Warrnambool, there are now upwards of 150 peraons living, whereas when he purchased it years ago from the Rutledge estate probably one or two men supplied all tbc labour n quired. Generally speaking, tho pyatom mr.>.in fhaf; the landowner hands over to tho lUirynvn such ft number of cows as a large family can deal with, and sufficient ground to ran them on. He alsa provides him with a house to live in, all borses> carts, implement!, milk cans, &0., and oub o< the proceeds he takes two-thirds for himielf t and allows one-third to the dairyman. In goras parts as muoh as tiro-fifths and even one-half is allowed, but only one instance was discovered where the shace of the dairyman was bus Uun ©flfl»fctad*