OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 197, 14 May 1908, Page 5

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

NEWS AND NOTES ON .THE WEEK. HOSPITAL SATURDAY. (FROM OCX SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ) Sydney, May 9. Eyory year tho amount collected for . the hospitals on "Hospital Saturday", in Sydnoy is growing, and so tlTis year's total, £5863, is £830 better than that of last year, and constitutes a rccord. This huge canvass is organised extremely well, and thus 'no part of.the city or suburbs, whero a penny may possibly bo raised, is left unattended to. Tho girls with the collecting boxes go everywhere. They aro at every street corner, at tho ferry wharves, at tho theatre doors, at the entrances to tho club-houses

"and hotels, on th<\ sports grounds—everywhere, from 9 o'clock in the morning till 11 at night, the unremitting duty of. collceting coins, from sovereigns down to halfpennies, goes oil. The returns are made up at tho Bank of New South Wales every hour, and announced on a big hoarding displayed outside the , Bank premises in George Street, and tho scene at this Bank at 11 o'clock on tho Saturday night, when tho last returns come to hand, is always extremely animated. Considerable feeling has been aroused by a statement mado,in Court a day or two ago by tho licensee of tho Supreme Court Hotel in King Street, that on Hospital Saturday night, eight girls with collecting boxes spent an-hour in his hotel, from 8 till 9 o'clock, drinking champagne. This statement, which on its face is highly improbablo, is indignantly resented by Mr. J. J. Cohen, M.L.A., the general secretary of the fund, and Mr. W. W. Dorman, tho organising secretary, Mr. Dorman contending that there is absolutely no justification for such an allegation, which he says, "not only on tho eight girls who are alleged to have been in tho hotel, but-on the thousands of other women, wives, and children of our most respected citizens, who were engaged in this work of' collecting." In the locality of the Supremo Court Hotel, it appears, tho collection was under the supervision of the matron of the Sydney Hospital, and the wives of well-known citizens, and this makes the licensee's story still more improbable. It is very unlikely that eight girls could have gone away for an hour, and remained in a hotel without their absence being noticed. Again, if they wero thcro, as is stated, they aro 'likely, to. have, been seen by many other persons than the licensee, and their presence would undoubtedly have become a subject of general comment. -• Ono may ask why tho licensee did not turn them out, if they wero there, or promptly communijxto. with the Hospital Saturday Committee? THE MTJRRURTJNDI COLLISION. ' The' investigation by a special Court into the causes of the collision at tho M-urrurundi Railway Station on the morning of April 17 has been concluded; with the' result that tho Court is of opinion that the responsibility for the accident rests upon two officers, who wero, in its judgment, > guilyt of gross negligenco. • In this accidont, the Glen lnnes train from Sydney, while leaving the station,'with'two engines attached, was crashed into by . the Brisbane mail train, and several carriages were brokon almost into match- ' wood.- Hilppily, there was no loss of life, but somo of tho passengers were more or, loss seriously injured. At the time, NightOfficer J. B. Dwyer was in chargo of tho station, and William Gibson was actingsignalman. The special Court, in its report, states that tho act of Night-Officer Dwyer, , sending ono train forward in face of tho incoming train, .which he know was then ■ about duo, brought about tho collision. Dwyer claimed that ho'was justified in sending forward tho train,-as he believed that lie was protected by the up-home signal being at "danger." Concerning this, . the report says:—"His belief, even if his .own ovidenco can bo relied upon, rested on statement by the acting-signalman Gibson that the signal was-all right—although ho could have ascertained tho position, of tho signal merely, l>y looking at it, since it was visible from almost any part of the platform on which he was then standing; Ho states that ho called out to Gibson, 'Is it all riuht?' receiving the reply, v 'Yes, all right;' When it, is remembered that a large number of . people were on tho platform at the time, it seoms extremely doubtful: that Dwyer called out at all. ■ There was not the slightest nocossity_ for him to do so, the signal , being before his eves." The Court finds -that tho up-homo signal was not at danger, and that the train, therefore, had a clear road to enter the station; that Night-Officer Dwyer was not justified in sending the forward 83 down-train on the supposition that ho was protected by the up-home signal; that i bo ought to have known, seeing that ho was nreviously advised of the departure of tho ■ second division of 18 up-train from tho prc- •• ceding.station (Ardglen), and that that train i was then' due, that ho was directing -83 • down-train to procoed up tho main lin r iu , the face 1 of the incoming train; and that I from where tho night-officer stood on the i, station platform he satisfied •. himself as to the position or tho up-home '< signal. The Court is also satisfied that ■■ tho up-home signal was in good-working order, and that it was not placed at danger • after tho arrival of tho first division of the i 18 up-train, until after tho, accident hap- ■ 'pened. "Wo find," _ the report goeS i on, 1 "that the responsibility for the accident ; rests upon Niglit-Officer Dwyer and Acting- '-. signalman Gibson, who were, in our opinion, - guilty of gross negligence." The drivers ol i the' train""are exonerated from blairie. Tlit i -special Court comprised Mr. E. H. Wilshire - (chairman*), Professor Warren,'and Mr. R. fc Dunbar (chief traffic manager of the Queensland railways').

THE PROFESSIONAL " ALL BLACKS." The team of New Zealand professional footballers, now in Sydney, has not startled us by, brilliant play in tho two matches of Saturday. and Wednesday last. Two defeats—that of : Saturday last was especially decisive—has been their disappointing record. In the two matches they have been palpably behind their form, and another circumstance contributing to their defeat is that the team put into the field by tho New South Wales Rugby League is ono of tho best seen out here in liist-class football. Messenger, who went to England with- the New Zealandors, played with tho 'New South Welshmen on Saturday and Wednesday,' and proved a tower of strength to his side. His kicking on Siturday was very fine, and was responsible for no fewer than twely© point-s or the eighteen scored by the winners, who beat tho Now Zealanders by 18 to 10. Altogether tho home team worked very evenly and consistently in both matches, whilst, on the other hand, those who went to the ground expecting to seo an interesting exposition of football on tho part of tho New Zealanders were disappointed. On Wednesday, towards the close of the game, the visitors showed some gooll play, and might have won the ■ matoh but for' a bungle on tho part of a touch umpire. Rowo, one of the New Zealand three-quarters, was travelling down tho touch-lino, and though ho was more than a yard or so from it, tho referee's whistle pulled tho gamo up. It appears that the touch umpire, instead of trailing his flag, raised it as ho ran, and this was taken to moan that'Rowe was out of touch, .though tho official afterwards explained that -this was not tho case. Unfortunately, thero were exhibitions of rough play on the two days,' aiui on Wednesday a player on each side had to be cautioned by tho referee. To-day the match, Australia v. Now Zealand, is to bo played. ANOTHER PIECE OF OLD SYDNEY.

Bit by bit old Sydney is being demolished to make way for tho more important business development of a newer era. The latest bit to go is tho little one-story building at the comer of Bridge Street and Macquano Place, used for many years as the ltoyal Exchange branch of tho' Bank of Now South Wales. This, and tho old buildings adjoining it, which liavo just been pulled down, represent n very early period of the history of Sydney, for it is said they wero about 100 years old. In tho days when Georgo 111 was King this block was probably an important centre in the business activity, of tne iiew city of .Sidney Iho auction mart of Simeon

was at this corner for many years, in tho period when Hawkesbury district was tho granary of tho State, and produce was brought to tho city by sailing ketch. Mr. Lord afterwards mado a lot of monov by investments of various kinds.' In ISI7 tho Bank of New South Wales established itself at this corner, and now the old building is to bo.demolished to make way for a now one, which will givo greater facilities for tho bank's increasing business at this branch. It is a distressful feature of our existence that the old order must chango in this way, but there appears to be no help for it. Old buildings, like old men, become back numbers in time, and in the same way,, must move out of the road to allow tho modern hustle to proeeed._ Sometimes wo aro a littlo mora sympathetic in our ' troatment of our old buildings than of our old men—that is the only difference.