AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5697, 16 October 1896, Page 6 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

SUMMARY OF THE WEEK. [Per Press Association.] SYDNEY, Oct. 11,

A PECULIAR CABE,

Last week's herb looked very much like becoming a shattered, or, at any rate, badly damaged, idol this week. Ex-constable Slatter, who figured as the hero of a shooting affray with burglars in Sydney . some years ago, turns out to have sailed with Captain Slocum as third mate in the vessel Northern Light. Captain Slocum is now here on a voyao-e round the world on a small craft. A good deal of .commotion was made at the time by Slatter's thrilling account of the cruelty practised on him by Slocum. According to the former's version he was placed in a small compartment four feet by four by five,ironed with eighty-threepounds of chains, given a starvation allowance of biscuits and water, and kept in durance for fifty-three days. He tells how he caught a rat and killed and ate it raw, so ravenous had he become. Slocum was fined 500dol. at New York for cruelty. On the other hand, Slocum admits heing fined, but says that the Judge expressed the opinion that he was not actuated by malice, but by a desire to maintain discipline. Extracts from American papers largely bear out Slociim. An alleged affidavit by Slatter, published by one, shows that Slatter did not blame the captain's treatment, but rather that the chief mate wilfully neglected to give him food .ordered by the captain, and that the suit which led to the captain being fined was instituted by designing persons for the purposes of blackmail, Slater being made a tool. ; • . MELBOURNE, Oct. 11. • woman's franchise. Unusual interest centred in Parliament this week, the 'attraction being the debate on the second reading of the Constitution Act Amendment Bill. The galleries were crowded with ladies, who were deeply concerned in the fate of that portion of the Bill proposing to > confer womanhood suffrage. Sir J. M'lntyre, leader of the Opposition, opened the attack. Thecountry had not asked for and did not want the Bill. He strongly opposed one-man-one- vote, womanhood suffrage, and the abolition of the ratepayers' roll, the principal proposals in the measure. He urged that the dual vote should be adopted as a concession to thrift. His main contention against giving women the vote was that the softer sex, as a whole, were not asking for the franchise, but were • perfectly satisfied with the present order of things. Those demanding the franchise were only a few agitators, freaks of nature that had not been made men. He had personally acquainted himself, while in New Zealand, with the effect of giving the franchise to women. He knew that the effect was bad. It interfered with the tranquility of domestic life, and brought the kitchen into conflict with the drawingroom. The evil did not stop there. The women of New Zealand having got a vote, were now asking for seats iv Parliament and demanding to be made policewomen. Several other members followed in a similar strain. The Government was charged with changing its views on the questions involved in the measure, which, it was alleged, was brought forward to please the Labour Party, by whom the Government waß dominated. These charges were warmly repudiated by the Government^ but the .party refrained -from speaking;-; 'iatfd^li^: Premier refusing toconsent to an adjournment tHe Opposition kepii.up "a stonewall 1 throughout Friday night, a wearisome sitting ending in a triumphant majority in favour of the BilL ADELAIDE, Oct. 11. LICENSING LEGISLATION. The pieced, patched and practically reformed Licensed Victuallers' Bill has finally emerged from committee. Clauses have been added, penalising parents sending children under fifteen for liquor, debarring brewers holding storekeepers' licenses, debarring both hotels and clubs appealing to the Supreme Court against Licensing Board decisions, and giving a two-thirds majority of the electors the right of veto of storekeepers' and colonial wine licenses. The House went back on its previous decision, and agreed to make an experiment with the Gothenburg system at Eenmark.