A SYDNEY LETTER.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 83, 14 May 1914, Page 6

A SYDNEY LETTER.

THE exploits of airmen. ■From Our Special Correspondent. SYDNEY, May 9. Sydney has bieen looked down on by more people in the last few months than ever before in her career as a city. This is (jne of the penalties which has to be' paid for the honour of becoming, or of promising to become, one of the world's aviation centres. Hardly had Harry Hawker comedo set Sydney fol|£ agog with is wonderful aerial evolutions in a Sopwith biplane than the arrival of Maurice.. Guillaux, a. distmV guished French airman, at Freinantle was announced. -

Now Guillaux is here, ami the latest news from the West is that an Italian aviator, Edward Biarchi, lias arrived and intends to fly from Melbourne to Sydney. If Biarchi can fly better than Guillaux he is a marvel. That, however, is not likely, as residents in Sydney who have seen flymg in England and France declare that nowhere have they seen' such finished and beautiful handling of an aeroplane as that of Guillaux.

His first .flight was a private one, and he flew from Sydney to Manly ami back, passing on the return journey up the harbour and over Circular Quay and the city proper, at a height of about 1000 ft, just at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. Thousands saw him clearly, sitting in his golden-brown . monoplane, which looked like a gigantic bird. Still, there was 110 marked difference between that flight and several that Hawker accomplished. But the public exhibition given by Guillaux last Saturday was quite another story. Perhaps the most sensational part of it when the Frenchman hurled his craft straight at a thickly-crowde<! mass of spectators, who were having a free view from a sandhill overlooking "Victoria Park, where he made his accent. It appeared as though lie could not possibly prevent the monoplane from dashing into the throng. The throiig' was so sure he couldn't that it begau to scatter and run. 'When within 50ft of them, Guillaux soared and went up, up, up to a height of about aOQOft. Then he turned head over heels eleven, times and c-ame gently to earth again. That was only one of his feats, and those who saw it will not easily forget the thrilling sight, Biarclii evidently intends to go in for long-distance flights,' and no doubt has a business proposition in view. That there is a business side to flying in Australia, apart from gate'money, is shown by the -fact that Hawker has already

sold two Sopwith, biplanes to wealthy Victorians. Border Railways. Premier Holman has instituted a new and most commendable practice in connection with the carriage of farm produce and stock from New South Wales boirder towns . to, the 1 nearest, jiorts. Hitherto State jealousy has decreed that everything grown in New' South \Yales must be transported to a New South Wales port;", there is" only . one port, Sydney. And in the case of the border towns and others within 60 miles or so of the border, this absurd practice meant double and treble hauling and double and treble charges. Mr Holman has made friendly arrangements with Victoria and .Queensland to push tlidir liniJs "which' terrinn 1 sited respectively at the Murray and Tweed Rivers into New South Wales-. It means the building of only a few miles of Victoria and Queensland permanent way to bring the towns near the border into close touch with their natural ports, with which, for many years, they have desired communication. Yet Mr Holman is being severely criticised by narrow-minded, parochial Sydney men whose one desire is to bolster up Sydney. Just to quote from one of the letters which find their way into print from time to time: —

"Cannot we, though further away, make our own market more attractive to the people of the Biverina? Our 'State should help us to attain this objective, as it is in the State's, interest as ; much as in .each individual's, ;to. foster the internal:trade ofthis State.''

Tlie writer must know what every intelligent person knows, that the New South Wales railways are so congested that wheat even now lies rotting at country stations, that cattle and sheep suffer intolerable .agony, owing to stock, trains being unatile to get a clear run through to Sydney markets, and .that the. Sydney railway wharves and yards cannot cope with, the fruits of the splendid seasons this State has enjoyed. Yet he, and many others, write and talk like that. Mr Hohhan's patriotism is broad-minded and far-seeing, and his policy with regard to border railways is calculated to help materially in breaking down the astounding parochialism which exists in the capital ' of the Mother State. , More Cauctvs Troubles. Whey Mr Holman, on his return from New Zealand,,, suddenly hurled defiance at Speaker Meagher and other members of; the caucus, Sydney people gathered that during the Premieres absence, his enemy had stolen> a march . on him. Now, gossip has. it that such was not the casfe; that his defiance was deliberate and cool-headed, like every other emotion the Premier has ever shown. It appears that the, Cabinet had often discussed the systefti of electing Ministers in caucus and the opinion of the Cabinet was that in this way the strongest Ministers were secured. The drawback was that the runners-up, who just missed office, were thorns in the sides of the successful oives. It was to bring this discontent to a head,, say the wispheads, that Mr Holinan precipitated the quartet by issuing his declaration that it was the Cabinet's intention' to rulei That ;he is, carrying, .out- his intention: appears to be overlooked by those who put forward the foregoing plausible

I argument. Proof of- this ■ i's [found in. the,fact that while caucus ■■ authorised the Cabinet to v ;add the halfpenny impost to the tram fares on the second section of the tramways the Cabinet,of its own volition doubled the tramf ares. on ■ all lines' on Sundays and' holidays, and the caucus is furious at the ■ Cabinet's - aetion. One member . stigmatises 1 it as being ."venomously cruel" to the working; man and •his' family. If the working man Who put this Ministry into power, is really as annoyed-about it as some of the caueus members declare him to be, well, Mr Holman and his Ministers have put their Ministerial foot into it with a vengeance, for all cipher mere citizens curse the Government every Sunday. . Tegular ly. '■ \ But Mr Holman does not mind; his eyes are fixed on a goal beyond the seas. Probably ho one is more interested in Home Rule for Ireland than hje is, and when -the' first Irish Parliament meets perhaps he' will be one of the members.. - v > . Docking the Australia. If the opinions of some of the local shipping experts ..prove to be correct, H.M.A.S. Australia will be ashore hard am? 'fast in Sydney Harbour next Monday afternoon. At riodn on that day the big warship is to- b(* docked iii 'Sutler land Dock >on Cockatoo Island, and the quid mines .ire wondering what is going to happen. Under service (X»TKlitions, the captain and navigating officers would-l o responsible for taking the ship to the dock e;itiaiice, where tie dock maatei* would assume control. It has been stated that the Navy Board appointed a committee to settle' details for tlv? first docking of the Australia, and it is no secret that the divided authority this committee has set np has created some friction, for not only will the ship's officers and the dockmaster be responsible, but also the .Sydney Harbour Trust is more or less involved, as it was- required to undertake to see that the approach to the dock was safe for the Australia. . The danger threatening her clear approach is a shoal between Cockatoo! and Spectacle Islands, which will be well witliin swinging radius of the-flagship as she "enters the dock, and which carries 16 to 20 feet Of'water at low tide,i and never .inore Than 26 feet at the Highest tides. The 11 arbour Trust has tried to clear this menace away, but the lsnow.-alls declare "that 'tlie shoal is still there. In all probability Lieutenant Cuthbert Longstaffe, s .the Australia's navigating officer, will Vring the nose of the ship to the dock entrance, where the do\^m aster wjll,, assume control, wliile the Harbour Trust. Wf 11 -attach as many of its powerful tugs. as possible to the hull of the leviathan and so swing her gingerly till she can get a eleani run into the dock. Retwfccn .the ship's sides'* and the dock sides there will be only eight inches of clearance, on either "hand. ! '' " . ' .

In any case the docking of the Australia will be a ticklish operation, s ar»3 if anything goes wrong it should "be most interesting, with a navigating lieutenant, a dockmaster, and the various, .tug-ea|»taiM'"all■*- exjjressiiig * their personal aivd opinions Tegard* Irig the %hole ! business. " WILL LAWSON.