AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13336, 27 March 1911, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

DEATH FROM SNAKEBITE. A death from snakebite, the second during the week, occurred at the Munvillurabah (N.S.W.) Hospital on Friday week, when Grace Mitchell, of Burringbar, died. iDecsaaed was bitten on, one of her ankles, and only two sistfcrs were at home. Doubts wore entertained, as to the nature of the wound,, until the arrival of the brother more than two hours later, and the doc tor could not be procured until about live hours after the patient was bitten, the treatment having no. power at such a late hour to'avert death. THE STRANDED WHALES. ' It ia reported that 2cwt of ambergris, valued at ,£9OOO, of first grade, has been seciired from the stranded ,whales at" Perkin’s Island, near Burnie (Tasmania). It is estimated that the-oil will pay' tho expenses of the syndicate. Experts believe that if the whales had been worked in time the value of the sperm oil and spermaceti recovered would have been £9OOO. The oil is all tunning into the sea.

MASQUERADING AS A MAN; At the Bendigo (Vic.) Court last week Marie Lovell (19) wasjQharged with offensive behaviour by masquerading in male attire. Accused, who is of diminutive stature, was attired in-men’s clothes, and had her hair closely cut. She was discharged, and was subsequently taken to tho Kesoue Homo. Accused l loft her home in Melbourne; and, donning men’s clothes, went up country, and secured an engage-ment-as a groom. She was quite a favourite,. and, mixed up freely with the men. STIRRING UP CLASS HATRED. Labour Member’s Wild Speech. An v inflammatory speech was made in Melbourne last week by Mr Lemmon, M.L.A., : at .a meeting ’of the harvester strikers. He said: -“The public have always been prepared to endorse ■ the attitudes'taken up by the workers. Remember the time when threats were .made'to shoot us down like dogs. The wealthy classes would do it to-day if they only had the power. They hate us. They hate the working classes. Until you become sufficiently class-conscious to realise that the class living on ns has never been the true friend-, of labour you will not become sufficiently powerful to establish a- system of ownership that will give to you, the wealth you produce. “Why,” he asked, in conclusion, “should you make a profit for men to live in luxury? Have you not enough brains among you t-i select a man capable of controlling an industry run not for profit, but in tile interests of the community?” (Cheers).