OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 45, 16 November 1907, Page 3

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

(FItOM OUR SPKCIAT, CORRESPONDENT.) SEL F-DEN YINU PA Rl AAM ENTA RIA NS. Sydney, November 9. While everyone elso put up the shutters and tried to get to the racecourse as speedily as possible on Tuesday, forty-two members of tho Federal House of Representatives, with a solemn souse of their duty to their country, inexorably refused to listen' to " the call of the wild," and took their places as usual in the House in tho afternoon, their faces illumined with that placid smile i. .v comes from a knowledge ot duty well dono.

Almost at once they resumed ivork on the tariff, which appears likely to get through the House, not by Christmas this year, as Sir William Lync has been optimistically predicting, but .by Christmas, IHOS. About

the time that Apologue was cutting Mooltan down in tho straight, they were discussing infants' foods, , an amendment proposed by the Treasurer to admit free of duty theso goods if under departmental by-laws being agreed to. ■ • ; Reid, leader ' of' the Free-traders, gave a humorous turn to the discussion with his views about the inconsistencies of the Protectionists. " The worst of these Protectionists," said ho, " is that they always use foreign goods themselves. -■ If you- go into a lavatory of this building you use English soap. If you go upstairs you drink English or some foreign beer, it you rest about the House, you sit on a foreign chair. There's hardly a protectionist to-uay who did not back ' Apologue for the Cup. Why should they support this foreign horse, instead oi a horse born and bred in Australia? They toll me that Apologue was brought up on foreign corn—New Zealand corn —and was brought over in a foreign boat. These protectionists allow such a horse to come. Here

and take away our richest prizes. I was horrified to learn to-day that thousands of staunch protectionists put everything they had on this foreign-trricle horse, and landed something pretty substantial, too. It ouglit to ho stopped." On -Wednesday the House reduced by 5 per cent, the duty on clothing. It is a small concession, but still it is something. Originally Sir William Lyne proposed that the rate for "apparel and attire, woollen or silk, or containing wool or silk, partly or wholly made up, including articles ciit int\j shape," should he Mo per cent, on all except British goods, the rate for which should be 40 per cent. These figures have now been cut down to 40 and 35 per cent, respectively, Sir William Lyne agreeing to the reduction. The Free-traders and Moderate Protectionists made a sturdy fight to get-more of the duty taken off, hut in vain. On Thursday, however, ( the duty on blankets, 30 per cent, ad valorem, was altered to 25 per cent', against 'the general importer, by 22 votes to 22, Sir William Lync voting with the minority. On a proposal to make the preference-duty 20 per cent., the voting was equal—23 on either side —and the Chairman gave , his casting vote in . favour of this amendment.

A NARROW ESCAPE. The capsizing of the barquentine Kate Tatham, a well-known New Zealand trader, in Newcastle harbour, early on Monday morning last, assumed, a sensational phase, by reason of the narrow escape of H. Reffsj a youth who was imprisoned for a couple of hours in the hold, whore he floated about on a piece of planking, with only a small reservoir of air to keep him. alive. Had this been able to escape, ho would, of course, have been drowned. ' It wns about half-past four whon tho accident occurred, and the crow had just been roused for. morning coffee. A gale had been blowing all Sunday night, tho barquentinc— which was in very light.trim, as she had comb to load coal for New Zealand—riding with two anchors in tho north harbour, midway between , the Dyke and North Stockton. Suddenly a violent squall cauglft the vessel broadside, on, and heeled her over on her sido. One of her cables was under tho port bilge, and when the gust of wind struck the harquentinc the anchor. chain acted as a roller and assisted to turn her over. The hatches became displaced, and the water rushed into tho hold.

The captain and-crow, though taken completely !>y surprise, managed to scramble up to the deck with one excoption, Reffs, who was thrown down as he was coming up tho companionTway, and drawn, into the hold by the rush of water. There he was in total darkness, but fortunately seized a large piece of floating timber, which kept him above water. A stratum of air was imprisoned between the surface of the water and the vessel's side, and he was able to move in a circumscribed spaco, and frantically tap at the sheathing in the hope of attracting atten-

The starboard side of the barquentlne remained out of the sea, and those who were able to reach the deck wore rescued by n boat, sent from the German ship Hans, lying at North Stockton. Three carpenters from Stockton, armed with axes, put out to tho barqucntine, and cut a hole in the decking.

PROHIBITED HAIL MATTER. There appears to bo in New Zealand a much more satisfactory method of dealing with prohibited correspondence than that in force in the Commonwealth. In the Federal Parliament yesterday, Air. Thomas Brown (N.S.W.) drew the attention of the Post-master-Ueneral to the report that the Government of New Zealand had decided to place upon tho list of those prohibited from receiving mail matter a number of persons in tho Commonwealth, and ho asked whether ho would seo if a similar prohibition should be effected hero in tho interests of the people of the Commonwealth? Mr,. Manger, Postmaster-General, said Mr. Johnson had directed his attention to "the matter three'months, ago, .and ho had placed himself in communication with the Now Zealand Government. He found tho Now Zealand Act wan far stronger, and conferred infinitely greater powers than the Commonwealth Act. The whole matter was receiving consideration, but, before the Commonwealth Government could act the same as the New Zealand Government, nn amending Bill would be necessary. Dr. Liddell (N.S.W.): Why don't yon introduce an amending Bill? (Hear, hear.) Mr. Manger: Because we wnnt to get on with the tariff.

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. A circular as follows has, been issued amongst iho clergymen of. the Church of England in Sydney by eight of their .number :—

■ "We, the undersigned, having met. and conferred together at a series of meetings, extending over a period of nino months, have agreed upon the following statement :— "That we steadfastly profess-a loyal adherence to tho Truths of the Faith, as authoritatively set forth by our Church in tho Book of Common Prayer, "and in tho 39 articles, and, whero differences of opinion exist between us on points of doctrine, we believe that they largely arise from differences of interpretations. And with a view to closer union and more co-operation between Churchmen belonging to different schools of thought, wo venture to recommend the three following resolutions, agreed to unanimously by us, as a possible basis for such co-oporation, viz:— "1. That while expressing no opinion as to whether, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ought to bo the ultimate court of appeal for tho Church, wo are of opinion that its most recent interpretation of the Ornaments Rubric 3hould bo accepted as ■ tho law of the Church for the timo being. . At the same time, wo arc of opinion that it is desirable that tho Ornaments Rubric bo altered, or its meaning be more clearly dofined by . constitutional authority, so as to avoid the present uncertainty. ...

"2. That the finding of tho Privy Council as to the legality of the Eastward Position at tlio Holy Communion, provided that the manual acts be visible, be acknowledged. "3. That, in non-significant points of ritual, tlio visiting clergyman should eonform to tho usages of the church he visits." This is signed by the Revs. Alfred Yarnold, N. Jones (who is Canon and Principal of Moore Theological College), D. Greenwood, Joseph Best, J. Young, H. Wallace Mort, Luko Parr, Willoiighby Flower, and Ernest C. Heck; The circular concludes: —"We invite all the clergy of the diocese who agree with the. abovo recommendation to append their signatures to this circular, and return it to Rev, H, Wal-

lace JMort, M A., All Saints', Woollnhra, or Rev. J. Young, the Rectory, Carlingford. The Archbishop will then be asked to summon a conference." METHODS' OF THE POST OFFICE. As a matter of fnct, the Postal Department of the Commonwealth appears to be in need of more than one lesson from New Zealand. On Thursday night, in the House of Representatives, the Postmaster-General made the extraordinary suggestion that the post offices now open till. 8 at night, or even later, should be closed at 6 p.m.—not, as you may suppose, because there is too little work for them,.but for a diametrically opposite reason. There is too much work for the post office staffs, and Mr. Manger actually proposes to close earlier in order that the clerks may overtako tho arrears. Fancy a suggestion of that sort! It reminds one of'the argument used against penny postage in the days of Rowland Hill — would become too popular, and that too many peoplo would seek to write letters. Mr. Mauger's argument is not one whit better. He even appealed to members who wore anxious to put a stop to sweating to see tho reasonableness of his proposal. It does not seem to have occurred to him that the proper way to put an end to the sweating said so freely to be practised—in' the' Sydney Post Office, at all events—is to increase the staffs, who arc to do the work. That is the only remedy; and yet we bave a Postmaster-General who comes forward with a serious proposal to dislocate public business becauso, apparently, the Foderal Government is too poor to employ more men. In Sydney, if a. boat arrives in the morning, bringing you newspapers, you get them next morning. If you live in a suburb twenty minutes' joufney away from the General Post Office, you may not get even your letters till next morning, if two or •three big mails have arrived co-incklently with yours. Oh! we're up to date in Australia.