THE CHAOS OF DEFENCE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 3

THE CHAOS OF DEFENCE.

Defenco matters appear to bo in ;i fine stato of chaos in the Conimo 1wealth, if tho criticisms littered in the Federal Ilouso of Reprosontatii'es tho other day are of any value. Indeed, the admissions of tho Minis-jr of Defenco himself, 31 r. Ewing, go to show that things 'are. very far from being as they ought to bo. For instance, 110 communicated to membe:s, in answer to questions, tho intonviting information that though there -iro plenty of guns, thcro are iiot sufficient limber waggons for them, and that this stato of things has bo?.) in existence for 18 months or two years. Thou there is not ail adeqinw supply of officers —a fact due, 110 doubt, to the excessive encouragement given to the defence forces by the Government—and Mr Ewing quite freely admitted that this shoi",:age is going to bo a serious trouble. Indeed, Mr. Ewing might have tol l tho House quite a. lot of thigns if members had kept on pressing him; but they rose up in wrath to - express their- own opinions about t.»*i facts he had already laid before the .1. and they did it quite freely and wanvly. "A scandalous stato of affairs," "inefficient and irresponsible mei surrounding the Minister," "somebody ought, to hanged," and otlur expressions of this kind, aro studd.'d through the report of tho debate. One member pertinently invited the Minister to tell him what value guns wero without limber waggons, and the samo question will occur to a good many other people. However, the defence voto then under discussion was passed, and meanwhile the authorities. are slowly waking up to th». fact that- there is .111 enormous coast to Australia which is sadly in need of better defence, and, in the interval of'yawning, thoy aro putting more money oil the Estimates without giving anybody a'clear idea of how ic is to lie spent. IMPORTANT BUSINESS "DEAL." The chief topic of interest in commercial, circles just now is the amalgamation of tho Mutual Life Association and the Citizens' Life Company. These' should form a very strong institution — tli'o second, it is said, in the Australian Cominonweatlh in tho ranks of life assurance, the A.M.P. being the first —• and it is probable that tho scheme will meet with the cordial approval of the' majority of. tho policy-holders concerned, for at a mooting of tho Mutual Life members on Wednesday week in Sydnoy, motion proposed by the chairman, Sir Normand M'Laurin, in favour of the amalgamation, was carried by the overwhelming majority of 111 votes to six. This vcrdict, given by the larger institution affected, is decisive enough to put the question quite boyond doubt. If tho only valid arguments in opposition aro those employed by the six malcontents in tho discussion at this meeting, there is not much to bo said against tho proposal. Tlieir chief objection appeared to bo that mismanagement in the past would bo demonstrated by the : fact that tho expense rate of tho Mutual, 24 per cent., was to ho reduced at onco to 15 per cent., later 011 to 125 per cent., and still later to 10 per cent. This does not at all prove mismanagement; but if it did, it would, as pointed out at Wednesday's ; meeting, constitute, 0110 of tho very reasons why there should bo an amalgamation. THE STRANGE CASE'OF . . MORIUSSEY. James Morrissoy is in trouble again' —pretty bad it is, too, this time; for nearly all his snakes have been killed. You don't'know Morrissoy? Well, he has become famous all over the Commonwealth as tho cheerful personage ivho, when arrested in Melbourno tho other night' 011 a charge of drunkenness, arid taken to tho City Watchhouse, was found to have had ip his possession various bags containing snakes of all descriptions in good fighting trim, apparently,' and certainly in undisputed ownership of their poison bags and fangs.

" What are you doing with live rabbits at this time of night?" demanded a constable, perceiving that something was wriggling inside ono of the bags. "Uabbits!" replied Morrissoy, vitli fmo scorn—" thim's snakes." Wo can imagine the scene when,' at that moment, one of tho bags began to hop about in the most- uncanny way, and a black snake, 4ft long,' made its way out on to the floor. Constablo Solomon drew his baton, Constable Martin grasped a broomstick, and Constable Tolmio implored ?•!orrissoy, to coax the reptile back into its plaeo of confinement.' Morrisscy, who alone was unconcerned, did so; but when Tolmie, who went on searching him, was about to.open his vest, another snake squirmed from underneath the garment. Next'(.lay, when Morrisscy took his property out into the city, ho lost one of tho bags, which was found later in a right-of-way. . Upon claiming it at the police station, ho vent through the proccss of ".milking " the, orptilcs, . or> extracting poison from their fangs. " When tho Japaueso fleet- 1 was here," said he, " I 4 got £15 for a teaspoonful of that poison. Thirty-six snakes it took, too. They were experimenting for bubonic plague euro. There's a lot of money in t'his business, I can assure, you." But a man who walks about with snakes uiulor his vest cannot complain if he arouses a violent prejudice against his society. . ' Morrisscy got drunk, again a day or two later, and was once more arrested.,'. This was too natch for tho nerves cf tho forco. With much enthusiasm, tho constables destroyed all his snakes—or as many of t'nem as they could find, bashing the one bag against the wall for several minutes, ar.d then to make suro, beating it with a poker. By that time, the contents had been reduced to a jelly. Morrissoy'a grief was sad to witness. Ho wept for the slaughtered snakes, it i 3 chronicled, " in a voice like that of a chained Newfoundland dog on a moonlit night." Here ho had brought down-to Melbourne from tho country the most beautiful collection of snakes that city folks had ever had the privilege of boholding, and, lo! this was the end. " I thought those scientific blokes up at the University wanted snake poison," ho wailed, "an' I could have milked my snakes at their door fiesh every day, an' now you've gone an' done 'em in." Meanwhile the constable searched Morrissoy. j/rom his coat pccket he produced tho decapitated head of a snake. Tho sight curdled his blood, and be went away to compose himself, and likewise to compose some befitting languago to address to Morrissoy. When be camo back, he timidly ventured his hand into the other pocket of the coat, and brought fort-li another snake's head. The constable promptly recognised that the psychological moment had arrived at which that search ought to be discontinued, in tho interests of his wife and children, and ho forthwith slammed Morrissoy into a cell," suiting the action with appropriate comment. Morrisey professes to have an antidote to snake-bite. "If it's what you claim, you ought to lie riding about in your carriage," said tho police'inspector.■ "So I would," returned Morrissoy, " if I didn't take so much beer. But, I suppose, like other siinkcmon, I'll be bitten once too often." " How do you apply your antidote?" "I scarify round the punctures, and, while it is bleeding, 1 pour some of the antidote on the wounded part.' 1

Somo of the snakes, having escaped, arc roaming at largo about the city. And 31orrissey, at present snakeless and alone, is into the country to look for more. THE NEW MURWILLTJMBAH. Jlunvillumbah (New South Wales) is cheerful, in spite of the fact that the business centre of the town was wiped out by a fire the other day. The people are taking their coats off in earnest to build a newer and better town, with wider streets and shops of up-to-date design, and it is possible, in view of the experience through which they have gone, that a water supply and a fire brigade will be amongst the most valued assets of the more modern Miinvillunibah. The lire' started about half-past eight o'clock on Sunday night, September la, and in four hours fifty-nine buildings, including the court-bouse, School of Arts, Land Office, and police barracks, four banks, and many shops were ih ashes. Though the Tweed Iliver runs through the town, there were 110 means of checkiug the flames, except by pulling down buildings, and this remedy was almost a forlorn hope, for the whole place was of wood, and the. fire ran through it as it would through a lot of loose straw. Now tlie task of rebuilding has been commenced, and £25 a foot has been offered' and refused for land in the burnt-out area. Miinvillunibah is about 400 miles north of Sydnoy, has 2000 inhabitants, and is one of the chief country towns of that rich belt of dairying country known as the North Coast, running from Grafton almost as far north as the Queensland border. Just now, 111 a period of general prosperity, there is plenty of money in that part of the State, as is amply proved by the fact that, though more than 200 people have been rendered homeless by the lire, the rosidonts do not want any rel'.of fund, and ask that the projcct of raising money in that behalf in Sydney should bo abandoned. A DREADFUL EXPERIENCE. A pastoralist at Roper River, in the Northern Territory, Mr. Pierce Smith, who served with 0110 of the Australian contingents in the South African war, has just been through a terrible expedience. While he was riding across isolated country, • forty miles from Hodgson Downs Station, 1 he was tlu-own, and had his ankle badly fractured, the shattered bones protruding through the ilesh. His body was also crushed, and several ribs wero broken. There lrcro no mcan3 at hand of treating the injuries. The black boys who accompanied him wero sent to Hodgson Downs Station for a buggy, and when this was procured the unfortunate pationt, suffering acutely, was conveyed for 300 miles across rough country to Pino Creek. Tho. journey occupied a week, and during all this time he had no medical attention, so that tho only aid he received to alleviate his suffering was tho applicatior of some rough bandages and t'<o moistening of the wound with. Condy's fluid. Shortly before Pine Creek was reached the horses wore frightened and shied, and dashed tho 'buggy against a tree, causing renewed tor? two to . the hapless patient, whose wounded foot was in a shocking condition when it came' to bo dressed by a nurse sent out from I'almerston to Pine Creek to n:oet the patient. Smith was taken by train to Paimorston, whore the log was amputated. TAXING FOOTBALL AND THE DRAMA. A tax on the receipts of football matches' and . theatrical performances is the newest scheme propounded in Victoria to raise revenue for' the sub-' sidising of charities. Mr. Bent,. tho Premier, of that State, 'announced sueli a proposal the other day in a speech at saying. that his Charities Bill, which has been included in the Government programme for this session, would provide for the. taxation of things that could afford to be faxed in support of charity. Tho charity that is compulsory has a nice sound about it, hasn't it? Doubtless tho promoters of football and the drama will cheerfully hand the tax 011 to tho man who pays at the gate.