OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 4

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER.

:IABOUB UMREST--AND' LECJSL.ATION^ THE WAGES BOARDS _ , (FROU pub sytfne'y'rstiircli*2l'. - ' Tho new industrial legislation m New Spnth Walei, providing for Wages. Boards foi tho ■'. investigation of. disputes between eniplo) ej*; aud employed, is-now-:beforo Pailiament, and may bo"expected | to ■ fuinisli many a.maur vais quart d'un heuro before it finds its v/ay ' ; on to itiie: Statute-'?Book, : since'--it ;is,Tstr6hii-' •ouslv opposed- by- the "-Labour Party. One feature of tho new-Bill, to.which grave objection is tnken by the Labourites, is the pro-. ; vision onnbhng any body of men, whothoi re- • gistercd'as a Umoiuor not,-to.aj>poal;tp the, ■ Wages Board' to .have-the conditions of thoir trade revised,-. fliid; an . award inaflo. -.- -It. is. arguod-.that thisiwill".mcA tho "sandbagging" of the Anions,, though tho State Piemier (Mr. Wadp) docs not at. all see that this f follows._• At present,-;tho Bill, will , give,ten men tho right to exproiso .this power,, but ho ' eays ho is quite willing Ltlmfc this - imlnber '■■'. should bo increased to fifty, and this altera- " ■ tion will 1 probably bo ■ mado. The estahlish- - ■ ment of' Boards of-Experts* who wjll bring to tho. investigation-ofa ;dispute:. a._.;knpwlodgo_ . of tho conditions"; of -1 tho particular-trado or .- industry at is,hoped,;-avoid;, j . the ,delays which are nt '.present incurred 11) - the of the Arbitration Court,'and this : resulji. sKould ibo very satisfactory, to tho Unions.- However," their- representatives in - . Parliament mean to fight tho,Bjll, and thpugh ■■••'. tho Government,'with its majority,-nil! carry. ,the proposal, it will,tal?ejtiiiio.;.. ,J THE NEWCASTLE TROUBLE

< tho .p.ejvs.: frbm: Newcastie j'th^^orniiii^^, not' - ■*'■ doped his .efforts to ' patch un' the mining' - trbubld, and .tho: special, Court has:adjourned days bt' those who followed • thft;.course of ; events';,closely, in vjew of the fact that; tho 4 ; .:auth6ritjfljof, the : Court wbsa contmualljj .b^;. ing : flouted,i jind strikes;were ;repsa.fldly;-.0c- .. cur'ring';iii : Jy.!jnoUs .mines, ' in:defiance: of tho t ,i agreement /entered: into on both : sides , when' .the ]sst -.stra-iy J ; .was tho: abs6liito','T.efusaJ: ofxtliev:ljOys;'at;;tlio,. , Pelaw-Main Golliei-y td ' return' to. work, in , Bpito of the ;ellort3>of ;tho,,men :to', induce them to do BO,:.ah(l;tho.patienco of tho C'ourt having .bocomo thqrgiiglily- - dxl)auste'(], ~J.udge • :!Heydon has' given,;iup"''tho;"taßkyjijii'clesptiiif;;, and will return to.Symi'o^iri'ltifi^pqasjblpi,^ t s-;. i Mr.;. Bowling, ; :;ininers,:' ; i parties : may, come ■ , the whole matter in 'Somo.jg^od,. result; ;and it'■this may ,be so; : for: a strilce : eoal trade at the present; ju'ncturo .would be /.disastrous. v : -"i.-r : Tho Sydney striko of wharf ; labourers re;i ter ■: left; V. ,The:|thfeo"*ssasfal rcOmpahie's '; -mado: the : subject-: of rigid; bdy<j"ott,^ ■ and;-great;., injury ?,ds,»;in:^pnsequence\teirig '' inflicted,'oh'/ dairying'; in'dus£ry-::;ih ?iho' North i. and South' . Coasts of New ' South . Walos.gAt the.;mompnt'"of- writing, thero_ -is' : •'. Bo'me. hopo of. a^%^}em'^^^^^|pl^-^|iicb''. - everyone . devoutly j DAJIAGES, ■ t \' ;J . Though a jury cannot,"determine points of law,- it-.exercises: a very impcirtant in'decidinguponthe-factSj'asiMn'y.aiiev'g-' ; paper- already, knowstd 'its >ods'ti». -A reriiarli-, : . able: instance ...of tho power which 1 lies wi thin tho' haficls of a 'jury. was 'afFofded' tlue/week- ; in; a: libel action-- heard' in tho Supreme" Court ,' of Nesv-.South Wales. A young woman named :."'Alma 'A'delaidov !o^oK^olinisfc : who :is ;;well j. knowii '^q're'^an'd'iiiii\'Nei»;'-'' Zea'- ' land;. proceeded against.'thov- proprietors..(^f. ■ the " Sunday Times;";claiming £2OoD;'daiii- ' ; ages fori ther pub'li'i'ation-of a 1 paragraph ap- ': pafehtly an-AmeriQan .paper, '-.con-, ;; .taihing : ta;state'ment ma'de:by 'dA'e"Jonil'Jbhn-' Mn-;'iri,^in(!ric4r^'* : Oajdandjrthat'vlj'i '-'was . about tb marry Miss Toy. "Johnson'is a black ; nian, and' a:,ivcll : knqKn. pugilist, wtio when ho was out; in Australia hotjong ago, was talked : of; ; Squiresj.V'The .plaintiff 'alltged'-tKat'ithe pub-' marry a black.'mnn'had-caiisedvher considor- : ablo aniioyance; but ;'it came oiit- in. evidence that' she,; knew 1 ;:the'..man ;well, : that : she_; had' on 'one" occasion' ?at least -gone; out. driving' ■ with him-in-company; with; her "mother, :, and . that sho had been photographed: in a group with,hni) at n picnic, the: picture showing his hand resting cniher, Bkouldcr.v .'rhe .evr, - i dimoe,fpi>:thb'.d^e^ff^^l^»!^^'{l&t.'j6h'ey'| - were-very.:friondly; p|^4fjj| ;^ntra-:j . > dieted ythis ovndenca ,-:'in;-:mariy». partioulairs,though, as has beon sajd,; it -was .'evident from . her own; statements that sho idrew: noTbrbad/ -i colour-hno. in tho - coloured man as she wouldva'ny"other "-frifelv'd; ; whoso-.skmi lyasfwhito;;: circum.stances/ one -is ' led to bonder' IIOW ilipT'annoy- ■ ance 'Was ; sq ,£SOO damages aT/ardM: by'the;^ -. was ldou^tlb^"'S"tb6^i<ibar?libe7;;'iii;:.'the'''an: : nouncement that-i-Miss -Toy was- to : marry- this v.; man,. itshe did' not intend' to do' so,- but;this,- ■ one ■ would imagine;' might haverbepn-.TOBt.'jby; >.;avyerdict-_for,;£lo;:^r.;;£2o^i^s^ . - graph, jWhich it's; : terms,; was •'publisKod?' ;.;_item^of.>hewsi'' ;"and' :^"ithbiit?-th'B./ f gTij^tesj: r maE* liv? ' ..etance'of tho •; -' : , staffs •.of ..tho; busy 'jindileri^'iiow^'psi 1 jJers>'^SSi

. RECORD-BREAKERS. ; Griffiths,, tho' man who succeeded in brealc- ,!; 'Dg the club-swinging record!- by!/4imin,'' was not-'alone, on .Saturday;,' in -.spdnding 5 ' § Jijp. strength and "energies t'ovrio. great'purposd,' . for whilo ho was diligently/ bfit'Tprobablji' by - that tiirio unenthusiastically;', swinging ' his !clubs;, two other men .were also, nearing tho !...' completion of an equally strenuous, and fruit-' less undertaking., W. C. Healy, arid F. I'Yeeman, at 11 o'clock Atjie-'same. night; in a • warehouse at Prahran. established,a ; record , " for. long tinio piano playing, ;thb effort' cbver- ■, ing fifty-one hours. the '-whole" of' ,:!'. ..thistime neither left the l -key-board,' arid : nourishment was administered in the shape of ... jelly ..and: chocolate,..,at\Jrcquent...intervals.. Both men werp ' st'andirjg;. the '.;tho. . ; self-rimposed anil , absolutely useless'task/;and len^h'.'reeognise3 ; r £hat r ii r 6vg6«l ! purpose could:Be sorveiby 'fiirther' prolonging, this .very' cxtcndcsMpractico,',th6y'decided .'-to , mako * .?'<>;";• .: .- . Nor . did ' sto'p' ' . ,I^rOT'm'i; : i>' • were engaged, jin.. negotiating:,pfFoir.ts..whicli- ; were to. bring;theril. i :faitie Ci tHr6uglv th'cS . /• of their .arms; .. his legs to do ,l»im>'MmilaisTaV6iHf.'-'''-lfe*i^o; a bicycle froiti; the\S.wriey. General /Post' Office: ■ ■■•v to the Mclboiirno'^Genbral v Ppst/,:.0%e,'.r 577.. miles,"m 57bri ;24riiinv',. ; Ibwe"ririg/'tho previous, record,by 32hr.:42m'ih. HisToarpor'fls.an.athlete is pnyiable,, for'ha. holds 131 ''first -prijses. : for amatonr>cycling:-alid-atMetj6Si'^?RtfOTn i g' - :.'!': - and cycling seem, to .go' -wpjl ing by tho successes of-Pearson and Arnst.

. "A Government\rcclsS';lit'tlc-Sbfioffprid l ulg!;a' . . handful, of; bishops, • /but can stand up : 'demooEacy ' in arms? That tB.Wfy { .gets what it'wai^s;hiind'yi6 < ' t i>]se-'drat'er' of . V politics.'-T^'.'Ch'urcli ' Men should take women-as: theyoarc,'and , not oxpect, them to' bo -If.-a:-Tnan; ;. truly loves a womajl 'lij'!'oirght.."nqt:..to; com i ;. ; plain of her.feminine.'shortiiomings, but'havd patience with her-whims and try. to undor- . stand : . her; 1 It 'is - not >so, ..vc^~.difl)cult. *}'amilion Zeitung."-Jfarnbiirg. It is an altogether British characteristic, to bo faithfu| in devotion.", : 'A -man "who'has once won their afTcc^io!u]wps r it .of bis days. EnglWtito'<il~lan«'of:ol?t.Tarourites. .. the' stage, .'and'in overy; i)ranflli..of>inusic J ; J &£ti' and politics.—'"Harper's, Weekly,-- New ■ York. > ' ... • y ■■■•■ ' f The nativo must bo,inado:(jjucklj{:to,ttnder- . stand that whereas ho, pond iipon rewiring-justice at tho hands of : the white man, bo must;learn that tho white; man is to be tho-ruferiltwlioso power is 'ter-" . riblo and vengeance- swift and unceasing, ' and who, when oneo. aroused, exacts tho i penalty of tho uttermost fartb/ng.~"Afri- • ean Standard,": Mombasa.;