MELBOURNE ITEMS.

Western Star, Issue 1353, 11 May 1889, Page 4

MELBOURNE ITEMS.

[MtOM OUR CW>- CORKESI'OOTENT.] J A f < the inquest ou the bodies of , Captain Parsons and Claude Williams, the two men who lost their lives at the lire at the Bijou Theatre, the city, coroner very properly drew attention to the want of organisation amongst the Volunteer Fire Bridages in the metropolis. It was elicited from the evidence that, at fires, much .damage .was often done to property by the discharge of large quantities of water upon places where no lire existed, nor were likely to take fire. The rivalry which exists between the brigades, likewise, frequently led the firemen to risk their lives when, there was no occasion for so doing. The fate of poor Parsons is a case in point. The bravery he displayed is beyond all praise; but, unhappily, it was misdirected, because it was useless. His - superintendent had ordered him from : the dangerous post five minutes before . tho wall fell and crushed the life out or. him. During those five minutes he . continued doing great, work ; but brave " "as. was tlie action, even his great i: coni-Age cannot conceal the fact that ■ his open disobedience of the orders he bad received wa3 not only fatal to himself,- but also subversive of discipline in the brigade of which he was the captain. It was the same with W.iHiaais. He was not even a fireman. His efforts to assist were worthy of ■p raise ; but he had been \sarned that the roof he attempted to cro.*s was unsafe. He presisted, and—-perished. ■ Now it must bL> patent to any one tiat some person must be entrusted with , the supreme command when a body of men are engaged in a perilous contest with such an enemy as that ' which had to be faced on Easter Monday. He must not only plan the attack, but he must also think for thof-e who have to act; while they are

at work he must have his eyes upon overv point, and whilst his object is to extinguish the flames, his first consideration must be tho safety of the ineri,who have presumably voluntarily placed themselves under his charge. Under no circumstances whatever is he justified in risking, or in sanctioning the risk of, the life of a singie man—except for the purposeof rescuing lives from destruction in the fire. Theu, indeed, all risks are justifiable, and there are plenty of men in the volunteer brigades who would bravely face them. But happily there was uo such necessity on Easter Monday, and it is to be regretted that two men lost their lives through the display of a species of heroism which has a close affinity to foolhardiness. Uuder proner discipline such a painful event would not have happened. Messrs, G-oldsbrough, Mort and Co.. Limited, called their shareholders together on the 21th, to bear tbe directors' report fur the year ended March 31, and to approve thebalance-

sbeef. Mr J. S. Horsfall presided, an;l the ta k he had to perforin must bava been a very pleasant one. Out of the 1,025,005 bales of wool grown in Australia, Goldsbrough Mort aud Co. had the disposal of nearly onefourth, and their total sales of wool, with those of produce and property added, had amounted to during the past year to more than £3.000,000 stering. As a result of the year's transactions there was the sum of £43,245 19s available for distribution. The directors recommended the payment of a dividend of 10 per cent, per annum, £17,500 ; a transfer of ,£IO,OOO to t!>e reserve fund, which brings it up to £210,000; and to carry £15,745 19s to next year. This wise precaution ensures a dividend of nearly 10 per cent, next year, assuming that not a shilling of it were made. There is, however, every prospect of a good year. The late severe drought has been broken up throughout Australia, and the outlook is most favourable. The chiirrmin alluded to one important particular that is too frequently lost sight or, namely, the increasing quantity of wool that is purchased in thes(> colonies for direct shipment to the mills of English, French, German, and American manufacturers. And there is no doubt that before many years have the hulk of Australian •wool will be so sold. Last year the wool bought iu the warehouses of Melbourne, Gee-long, Svdney.and Adelaide

for direct shipment to the consumers, amounted to 450,9-il bales. This was only 53/'4l bale< short of one half of the year's clip. The quantity will go onmerensiug until the whole i< shipped direct. Buyers will thus obtain Iheir raw material more . xpeditiously, and sellers will save London dock, transput, and warehouse The position which Messrs Gr.ddsbrough Mort and C". will occupy in lhat imnoriai.t trade, may bts gathered fr. m the position they hold to-day. The quantity of wool sold in, or shipped to L union from Melbourne in ihevonr e >drd ISBS was 70,889 bale--. The wool sold at, or shipped to Londou from Sydney during the s.une period was .101S7-J; bale.*. For the year under nntieo t ! e quiintilies were 7-1,238 and J78,454t respectively—or a lota! of 252,692 bales. This was only baies short of one-fourth of the total wool-clip of the year. Of course, the increase in the Sydney trusactions is io a very considerable extent attributable to the amalgamation of the firms Messrs Goklsbrough and Messrs Mort. The consolidated houses, however, have a vast future before them ; and it will he interesting to watch the future progress of a firm of which Australia is proud, and with yood reason. The overcrowding of our two greaf lunatic asylums is being constantly brought uuder public notice, and yet the Government makes no effort to improve the condition of the unfortunates whom it insists shall be placed under its charge. The internal arrangements at .{yew, and at Yarra Bend, are about as defective as can be well imagined; but v. hist, no steps are taken to improve them, private enterprise is shot out of (he field. All j patients are treated alike 1 , wliethn ' their friends ate willing to improve | their condition or not—that is to say, j the buildings are so overerowebd. that ■

paying patients are herded with paupers, and even with criminals. Why, therefore, should, the Government continue to arrogate to itself the exclusive right of. taking charge of these unfortunates, if 'unable to discharge the obligations imposed upon it by the receipt of money for tbeir safe custody, maintenance and proper treatment. Last year money payments were made by the friends and lelatives of a certain class of patients amounting to more thau £15,000, and vet the treatment they received was just the same as that which is extended to paupers—no better and no worse. It is only just and equitable that people in well-to-do circumstances should support th.-ir unhappy relatives when bereft of reason. But it is not only hard but positively unjust as vvjsll —if the act does not deserve a harsher name —tD insist upon the payment pf money, and then to compel the unfortunate people, on whose behalf the money has been paid, to herd with the dregs of a pauper lurmtic a-nlum. Nevertheless, such is the case. •'Another bank clerk has gone

wrong, " is becoming quite a stereotyped phrase. It is fbppantly said, but one little. knows the amount of shame and misery it means to manyfamilies. One of the latest cases is that of a clerk in the Prahran branch of the Bank of Victoria. On Good Friday he joineo a party of friends in a yachting excursion to Schnapper Point. Late in the afternoon he left tbem there on tho p:ea that he had been recalled by a telegram stating that his father "had been taken ill. The holidays lasted until Wednesday morning, but when the bank opened for business the clerk in question was not in his place. The cash in hk charge was taken out of the safe iu which he had placed it before leaving on the Thursday evening previous, and was counted.. The amount found was less by £2,200 tban ; it ought to hare been—the money missing being principally in notes; .It is worthy Of remark that, ..during the. Christmas holidays last year, Allpress tjok advantage of the temporary, closing of the Cbllingwood branch of the Commercial Bank and disappeared with £7,000 of its money in the same manner.