INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2561, 15 April 1903, Page 19

INTERCOLONIAL.

MELBOURNE, April 9. At a meeting of 'the Executive Committee of v the Victorian Employers' Federation an important letter bearing on compulsory arbitration from Mr Carroll Wright, Commissioner of Labour, Washington, was received. He says : "I have felt all along that we have not been presented with the two sides of the compulsory arbitration* idea as it holds in New Zealand. I have seen extra<sts from addresses and pamphlets taken from Mr John MacGregor's views, but nothing so comprehensive as these papers by him. I have never had much faith in the method, and have believed that whatever success was secured in New Zealand was only temporary, ant I that an industrial depression — even a slight one, with falling pi ices — would practically upset the plan. I have been perfectly willing to be convinced that compulsory arbitration is entirely right, or largely so, but I have seen nothing yet to convince me. We are thinking here in America of compulsory investigation as a means of securing the facts and causes of troubles promptly and giving them to jhe public." The report of the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into certain alleged cures of drunkenness states that they are unable to affirm that any suggested specific for inebriety is a certain cure, but they are able to say that there were methods of treatment, whether by known or unrevealed medicines, combined with physical and moral conditions, which result in the restoration of a large number of inebriates. The committee make the following recommendations • —That provision- be made for the regulation under Government supervision of all institutions for the treatment of inebriety. That a special place of confinement be provided for the criminsl inebriate, where offences may be directly traced to inebriety, and where the ground for detention is habitual drunkenness itself. That a Government institution under a board

of control be established in some locality suitable fcr isolation and classification, and affording opportunity for employment, to" which all inebriates be sent voluntarily or compulsorily, and in which the different .-methods of treatment may be adopted. April 11. A quantity of. forged scrip in the Birthday Tunnel, South .Birthday, and Sebastopffol ' Plateau minesj Ballarat, is in circulation. The exact amount is unknown. Two men, Sedon and Vincent, have been arrested. Phylloxera has made its appearance at the Government Viticultural College, Rutherglen. It seems to have been in existence for some time under the very noses of the experts without being detected. It is probable that many cuttings have been sent to various districts from the college. SYDNEY, April 7. It is believed that the railway revenue for the current year will show a shortage of a quarter of a million, largely attributable to the drought. At a mass meeting of the Boot Clickers' Association there was a motion on the business sheet censuring the president for attacking the Labour party in the press. The mover failed to put in an appearance. The president admitted making the attack, his reason being because the party openly violated therrprinciples during the maritime strike. They had been told that* once trade unionists sent their own" men -to Parliament the millennium of labour would be i reached. What a miserable 1 failure the result had been the Tamworth* election proved. The people were finding them out. The Labour party were doomed. They had been taught that the British race were the pioneers of political and religious freedom, by which every man and woman had the right to express political opinions. It seemed to be the irony of fate that the very people for whom the principle had been won should be the first to abuse it, and had endeavoured to put down anyone having the courage of his opinions. A vote of confidence in the president was carried by an overwhelming majority. The Herald thinks that New Zealand should wisely reduce the amount of guaranteed stock to the Bank of New Zealand, and thus abandon her public connection with the bank. The Herald regards the recovery of the bank not as dno to State supervision, but to State aid and such assistance as comes from possessing the Government account. Even with this measure of support, however, there is nothing remarkable in the progress made. If the Government begin issuing paper, it would be ti suggest a new source of weakness to the colony's creditors at Home.

An extraordinary development has occurred in connection with the murder some. weeks ago of Constable Long at Auburn, when in the act of entering a hotel at night for the purpose of arresting some burglars he had shadowed. Woolford, the principal Crown witness, has lost his memory, and cannot recall the facts of Constable Long's death.

Medical opinion is expressed to the effect that the witness may, under a few days' treatment, recover his memory. According to Mr Larke, the Canadian Government agent in Australia, there is a steady exodus setting in to Canada from the Australian States, and mostly of men Avith small capital seeking land. April 8.

The City Council has floated locally a £50,000 loan at 4 per cent., which has been covered threefold.

Speaking at Cowrie, in this State, the Treasurer said that not only would it^ be necessary to curtail the loan expenditure, but, in view of the i-eayy shrinkage in revenue during the coming financial year and the new fixed obligations they had to meet, retrenchment must be the order of the day. He would have to ask all civil servants and thousands of permanent employees^ in good positions, to contribute something from their income to help "the Government to pass through' this most tryingUime. It-would be most,, .unreasonable that those in s the Government service should stand high and dry' when tens of thousands of producers, and business men^aVd those'employed fey them were suffering'losses'and privation. If there was to be. retrench- ! 'mentin the civil service it must "commence with the- members of the Government themselves, the judges, the Railway Commissioners, and all highly-paid officials, 'and go right down to' what seemed absolutely necessary for & man to keep his wife aud family on. He did not propose a permanent reduction of salaries, but all must pay contributions to help to tide over a time of i great difficulty caused by the drought.

The Treasurer also said that he. Was of opinion that the salaries and pensions paid to judges were outrageously high.' He would submit a proposal .to greatly reduce these emoluments, in making future appointments. In regard to the reduction of members, he felt sure that the Government would be able to' propose what would give general satisfaction. Old-age pensions would have to be reduced, and the expenditure under this head limited to £400,000 a year. If they ensured the aged poor getting 10s a week it was the utmost they could do at. present, ... The Treasurer's proposed drastic retrenchment fell like- a bombshell- in the public service ranks. The opinion is freely expressed that/ after the Government has pursued a career /of great extravagance, -it. is- now abo'ut'vto^ punish others for its own sins. The leader of the Opposition asserts that tne~Treasurer< is doing now what should have been done 'a year ago. He declares that the increase of the State debit under the administration of the present Government amounts to £17,000,000.

April 9.

The -agricultural show, which opened to-day, is, despite the adverse conditions of the State, the 'best on record. The championship prize, for Australasia, for heavy draught stallion, fell to the New Zealand-bred Brilliant Boy.

Twenty-three persons were fined 5s each and costs for participating in the recent riot at Wyalong. A remarkable crushing is reported from Adelong. A party of farmers crushed 13 tons of stone, yielding 4900z of gold.

April 12.

Mr Dakin, the Victorian handicapper, who was present at yesterday's races, dropped dead at his hotel last night through heart failure.

April 13,

There are unprecedented shoals' of garfish along the coast, and some very large catches have been made.

ADELAIDE, April 7.

Earthquakes have been felt at Georgetown and at Gladstone. At the former place they were accompanied by a loud report antlsKarp vibration, lasting three or- four seconds.

A very severe earthquake occurred at Warrnambool to-day, ;ausing great consternation, the inhabitants rushing from the houses and shops into the street. The direction if the shock was from south-west to north-east, and it lasted about lOt-ec, being accompanied by a loud, rumbling noise. The children in the State school stampeded in fright. A massive stone cross on the turret of St. John s Presbyterian Church was dislodged, and crashed through the roof. The Warrnambool Town Hall sustained a good deal of damage, the ceilings falling, while one wall was cracked right through. A number of chimneys in private nouses were thrown down. The shock was severely felt at Port Fairy, although at Koroit, halfway between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, it was not felt at all.

April 9.

The Russian cruiser Djithit has arrived from Capetown en route to Port Arthur. News was received during the voyage from the Margaret Galbraith (Beira to Barbadoes) that fever broke out off the South African coast, and that Captain Dolbell and the first mate (Allan) died when the vessel received Capetown. Several of the crew were stricken, and the rest exhausted from overwork.

BRISBANE, April 9.

Mr Philip has been sworn in as Home Secretary vice Mr Foxton, resigned. The latter .was sworn iv as Minister of Lands.

| ■ PERTH, April 8. The wheat yield is estimated ct 881,000 bushels, being 87,000 bushels less than last season. The average ia 10.34 bushels per acre. April 9. A rich patch of gold has been dis* covered in the Queen Margaret South' property. The "pocket" amounted to.. lOOOoz. One piece alone weighed 16oz. • xvpril 11. In the bank, note robbery Jones and Leighton were found guilty of receiving the notes, and M'Lagan pleaded 11 Guilty " to stealing them. Sentence was deferred. SUVA, April 13. News has been received that Mf Ballemaiu, purser on the Miowera, died after her departure from Fiji on hex last voyage.