OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 77, 24 December 1907, Page 2

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON; ' MELBA'S FAREWELL TO SYDNEYy LOCAL OPTION IN NEW SOUTH WALE& (FEW! OUr. SPECIAL COURIiSrONDENT.) ' ' ; Sydney, December 1/. Good wishes to the Dominion—not only W the bright young newspaper itself, and ita editor and staff, but to dear old Now Zca-y land too—for a happy, happy Christmas and many yoars of maguiiicoht prosperity.VAu'si ■tralians, who are expert whatever other department of Human ac? tivity they may neglect, will celebrate the. Christmas season this year under tho con-' tinued circumstances of material -wealth which have accompanied these rejoicings in . the Commonwealth for the past three or foutf yoars. This has been another good season in. Australia, for tho October rains came. in ' timo to save the starving stock by replenish--ing the pastures, and all was merry.'againV Hence there is plenty of money ' in the country just now ; and the. light-hearted people will spend ib freely. At Lithgow and Eskbank, however, the Christmas 'merrymaking will not be so emphatic. . The/fate* of the Saudford Ironworks at Eskbank .has/. ' materially affected the condition of those] v districts, for the town of Lithgow especially; depended largoly upon the works, and now that these have been practically shut only about 200 men being employed there) .: instead of 70.0, and this only -to keep' the furnaces going, and fulfil' certain butstand- ' nig orders for pig iron—the feeling ,of Jfche, people who arc face to face with the bread- ; and-butter problem in its most acute!form / is not apt to be particularly cbeerfnl. 'The \, ' Freedom with which money is being- spent ■ just now is shown by tho ,crowded state of ■ the steamers leaving Sydney. The exodus of holiday-makers has begun in earnest, and the crowds who arc leaving for New Zealand; are especially large. Hundreds of excursionists' are proceeding to Victoria and. the otW States, many selecting Tnsmauia, which is a>. ■ very popular resort with Australians; but the' New Zealand boats are also very mucft crowded just now, 'and it has been quite , ; common that passages should be refused.' Madame Molba, after her three, coricertei - here, had a unique farewell at the .Towni Hall yesterday. When the matinee pro-.' erainine was over with the "Jewel Song , " from "Faust," sung as:'only/ it. could havej neon sung by so great an artist, the audU ence, comprising for the'most part ladies in white frocks and summon hats, , cheered: and •■' waved handkerchiefs with "all the entliusiasm' of so many men, and were not content until' Madame Melba came back; and sang. She- : choso this time; Tosti's " Good-bye," arid it'' proved one of tho features "of the concerti' •'• •Ihen, as Madame, Melba made her jvay oiit f of the hall fiffeeii minutes'later, she found ••■ herself taking part in what was practically .='-■ a football scrum. In charming French.sha-' appealed to somo friends who were with her ' to clear a passage, and then; 'in good Atfstralian implored" the; excited ladies : uot to ' tear her dress. When she reached" tho main ' portico, outside which her motor' car: was in.' ■■' waiting, she found, the wido stairs ; leading'to the, gates thronged with sightseers. "Two policemen had to assist her through': the 1 hustling, laughing crowd, who .pressed fori ■ ward, in eager curiosity to see the star.'. Ari ,'" rived in safety at her motor car, the celei brated singer, vastly amused, faced the ■• crowd, arid leaned .forward: to .grasp .'thehundred hands I ' held out for a farewell claspjK..-' P* for...bits of .the bouquets as souvenirs'. . Hell done, -Australia!" shouted one man patriotically proud that Madame Melba.is.an';• ' Australian. Amid cheering and.".. renewed . W^ V '"S of handkerchiefs, tho car/was driven pIF, Madame Melba smiling.and waving her ' hand in response. The pnma donna left in the evening by ,tho. express : for Melbourne,where she is to give two more concerts before ; ■.returning to Europe. /.. ■■ ' , ■;,..■ '-. ' MR, KEIRHMDIE:.;: "' v •

_A fairly-large !■sharotin-tlie gaiety.of nai turns. may be attributed, to Mr.-, Keir Hardie, the Lsfbour ; leader,, who is to leave , to-day for Now Zealand;; and that one of'the statements,-he ...made. in.'his address at the; irades Hall in. Sydney on Monday night, that m .the. Old Country., Imperialisms and■rascahsm were synonymous '. terms, is likely, to WKi.him a good many friends—l don' : t think. Tile Lord Mayor .'of Sydney declined to give Mr. Hardid a public reception—Mi. Hardio ; himself lias since he'isn'ti coming round this way for civic, receptions, and expressed , his . opinion thtft a • blunder was made in seeking the approval • of ; the Lord Mayor for. one iii. Sydney—but the 'Labourites, with Mr.. Watson and Mr. M'Gowen (lpader of the State Labour, party) at their heiid, assembled in great numbers at the Trades Hall, on Monday-night,' where, the Labour, reception was given '.-the visitor, who was prosented with two addresses.' Mr. Hardie"is, a plain, blunt man, with-a shock of grey hair and a grey beard, and a gnarled face that looks that of a'man who would be ugly in a row if he were convinced.he,had right on his side. ; ; He', does not. bear'the appearance of. an orator,, but those who',have heard him speak declare that ho r has . an' oxcellont platform voico, strong and vigorous, with enough of the Scottish accent to give.it added interest...-- •. : ■■.■'.''. '■ ■ ■

He had uot'come'-here, ho said on Monday night, for the purpose of, doing any.;pro*', paganda work, or lecturing. ; Nor^was.,-he.'-' especially anxious to. receive civic or receptions. It had. been remarked to him:"' that his want of tact and judgment iii Indiahad destroyed the unanimous reception he, should have received at the hands : of the Australian people. If that wore so, he , was very thankful that his want of tact'had produced such satisfactory.(results.- (He-had 'come to Australia for the-purpose of, meeting the .Labour movement; of, -Australia-.- ■■'.-If -he ■ had cared to come for the purpose; of'nunr. gliiig with' the rich and the,: well-to-do, .ho" liad no doubt whatever.that there would have. •■ been civic receptions .'galo.ro; and.-hewould ,-■ just divert for- the moment to say that; thej-.-crime he had committed in India -was ;tha.. < samo that he was'committing in Australia,' and of which probably he would:die guilty—t'-' that of mixing with- the common people; ■; Mr., Hardio's bittei' attack■ on militarism, at this reception, and his denunciation of . conscriptioli, and armaments, and the training of boys to shoot, could.not have.been. vory palatable to : tho Labour leaders at-the present , timo, . ; iu view ef the-proposals' just:. put forward by the Federal Government.for t a dofoncq scheme. Indeed, siuco Mr. J.C. Watson is himself a prominent and active member of the National Defence Lcague ; of '-'■ Australia, and Mr. W. M. Hughes, one'of ; tho Labour leaders, has, in his place,in the Houso of Representatives, strongly adyoca-. ted compulsory military training,, the ■' pronouncement of tho visiting Labour leader.on,-... this question should provo to these -.two, woll- v knovni politicians rather amusiug. ..' .-..■■...-., .■

THE LOCAL. OPTION TROUBLE.; ..^ Tho legal .difficulties' raised;with' the,!view' of upsetting tho recent local option poll have , at all events, as in Now: Zealand,.. Caused delay in the closing of tho hotels, , for,'"the ~ Supremo Court' is to bo appealed to, and in . tho meantime the threatened houses may k keep open .until tho first days of the new tonn, which will' not begin until r February next. A rulo nisi for <an appeal has been t granted, and, therefore, when the- Local Option Court met at Darlinghurst yesterday,, Judgo Backhouse and tho two Magistrates ■ sitting with him could do no more than, ad , '-, journ indefinitely- ■ Tho grounds on which thi appeal is biised is that tho-Act does not eon« tain an express provision declaring reduction to have been carried by,the addition,of. the-uo-liconso votes in a cas-e where there is not sufficient majority to carry no-liconse, ■ thati . there is ho: authority given to any; person, to add tho two sots of votes together in'this , way, and that the Court- is cpnscquently • without jurisdiction. '. Ifc is rumoured that tho Government will bring in a Bill validate ing tho poll, and tho process of counting tho votes; but this will have to f bo .dono vory ■ quickly, for tho session is , now in- its- last houi's, and, in any case, it is doubtful . whether this, proceeding will avert tho delay until tho next sitting of the full Court, tho tribunal which corresponds to tho CouH, of Appeal in New Zealand. But delay in giving effect to tho unmistakable vote of the people is never likely to improve tho temper of tlio people; and to the spectator, who often,seoa most of the game, it may occur that '•'the . trado" would be bettor advised, in its own interests, if it fought tho poll in a niore tactful way; for the time will come when • there will he another local ontiou noil, ■