AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3275, 20 December 1916, Page 28

AUSTRALIA TO-DAY.

(From Ooe Own Correspondent.) HOW A STRIKE STARTED. SYDNEY, November 29. One of the difficulties of administering the affairs of the Northern Territory being met with by Dr Gilruth (late of Now Zealand) has to do with a militant Labour organisation. A remarkable example of its temper and activities was recently provided at Port Darwin. The Houtman, a 5000-ton steamer, with a cargo and passengers, on her way to Java and Eastern ports, called at Port Darwin to discharge 1000 tons of general merchandise. The wharf labourers had removed about 100 tons, when a laden sling, swinging, knocked a young Russian out of a truck. He fell against the side of the steamer, and into the water, from which he was immediately taken, slightly injured. The captain, who saw the accident ordered a. stretcher and pillows, and had the ship's doctor in attendance immediately.

Very soon afterwards, the rumour went around that the captain had said of the Russian's mishap that "it served him right." The labourers ceased work, and called on the captain to apologise. The captain denied making such a remark. He stated that all he had said was that the accident ■was the man's own fault. The men declared they would not resume work until the captain apologised; the captain naturally refused to apologise for a. remark he did not make. The captain waited for a few hours, but as the strike continued, he decided to continue the voyage, and sailed for Java; carrying 900 tons of Port Darwin cargo with him. These wharf labourers are part of the Australian Workers'_ Union, and the members of this organisation, which is said to have something approaching a stranglehold on industry in the Northern Territory, are 70 per cent, foreigners. The A.W.U. originally imposed an abnormal rate of wages in the north, and by this act attracted from other parts of Australia and from abroad a great _ many foreigners, mostly Greeks. Then, in order to prevent the foreigners undercutting, were taken into the union. And now the union is controlled by foreigners, and is a very dictatorial and uncertain institution. Tt is openly said that its power must be broken. If a very severe handicap is to be removed from the Territory. "THE CLUTCHING HAND."

" Tho clutching hand" —that is how some Australian cities designate the growing practice of shop-lifting. This kind of thieving has grown alarmingly in recent years, and in some large shops the means adopted to combat it amount almost to a special service. Women are almost always the culprits, and they show the utmost ingenuity in seizing portable goods, and hiding them about their persons. Tho women generally work in pairs. One will engage the attention of the salesman or woman, and the other will very quietly and unobtrusively slip some valuable article into her bag or under her garments. Some shopkeepers estimate that these women steal successfully six times, for each time they are caught. The shop people, naturally, do not accuse customers of theft unless they are very certain of their facts, and that this percentage of successful thefts persists, in spite of the shop detectives, who are experts in seeing articles slipped into parasols, under the voluminous folds of fashionable dresses, or even into gloves, is testimony to the skill of the thieves. The most difficult shoplifters to detect, of course, are those who appear as 'wealthy ladies of fashion, whose languid and haughty air is sufficient to scare off any detective who is not very sure of his facts.

The extent of the depredations suggests that there is more than isolated shop-lifting going on. Apparently, there are " fences " —men who purchase the ill-gotten goods. In some cities, Sydnev and Melbourne in particular, there are believed to be regular gan<*9 at work. Honest shoppers might not credit the assertion that in most shops khey are constantly under surveillance; but let thorn attempt a little "palming" and, H they are not very skilful, they will dis-

cover that " tho clutching hand " gives employment to some extremely alert young men. NON-BRITISH SUGAR-WOE KERS. "The influx of South Europeans into the sugar industry north of Townsvillo continues, and 'farming on tho communal system is a marked feature of these races," says the general superintendent of the Queensland Sugar Experiment Stations in his annual report. The report goes on to give details of the number of British and non-British sugar farmers on the Herbert and Johnstone Rivers, as follows : —Herbert River : V ictoria mill—British 113, Italians 32, others 4; Macnadc mill—British 63, Italians 33, others 6. Johnstone River: Goondi mill —British 100, French 1, Italians 14. Danes 1, Chinese 1, Germans 7, Austrians 4, Turks 1; Monrilyan mill—British 30, Italians 33, Germans 4, Austrians 3. Total of sugar farmers : British 316, non-British 145. The proportion of foreigners among tho cane-cutters in the same districts is somewhat alarming. Hero are the figures:—Victoria mill—British 60. Italians 111, others 24; Macnado mill—British 25, South Europeans 180; Goondi—British 57, Italians 49, Spanish 40, Hindus 33, Greeks 14, Maltese 3, Austrians and Hungarians 16; Mounlyan—British 27, Italians 75, others 81. r lhe totals are: British cane-cutters 169; nonBritish 621. It is further stated by tho general superintendent that at one sugar-growing centre, three years ago there were only two foreigners in occupation of cane farms. Today, he says. 40 per cent, of the farmers there are foreigners.