AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 793, 16 April 1910, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN SUMMARY

POLITICAL ROWDYISM. Sydney, April 0. Eowdy meetings have been a refrrettable feature of tho Federal election campaign in Victoria. Mr. Deakia addressed two very disorderly meetings last Saturday night At North Brunswick ho waa denied a hearing by organised obstructionists,. who converted Pander's Hall. into a perfect bedlam. The din when Mr. Deaiin arrived waa deafening. Krst there were.cheers, and then from the reservo, .which an indignant •: elector dubbed the "bear-cage," came hoots, shrieks, groans, cat-calls, wails, boo hoos. and cries of "Judas," "Traitor," and "Loafer." • A lady stood up near the front and'shook an umbrella at Mr.'Dea-' kin. "You, you, you," she shrilled, but' in her excitement she failed to find the - word. When the Prime Minister at. tempted to speak, the "bear-cage" outdid itself. "One, two, three, four, five, ."dx. seven, eight, nine l , ten—OUT," its occupants shrieked in a stentorian-' ehorue. Mr. Deakin, whose voice was already weakened by previous ■ efforts, managed, nevertheless, to make a short speech to , those near nim. The tactics of the disturbers'have called forth strong protest* in the churches. "Fair-minded men are disgusted with the way in which candidates are denied a hearing,'? said the Kev. H. Kelly, in a sermon at the Eich- : mond Presbyterian Church. As a Christian minister he thought he should pro. test against the tactics of those who systematically disturbed meetings. They seemed to belong to one particular echool of politics, and the leaders of the Labour party would not acknowledge them. He submitted with all deference that if the Labour party felt keenly on th« subject it would formally , and publicly repudiate the conduct complained of. It might be wise to read a'sharp lesson by putting a f«w in prison, where they might learn; to appreciate the meaning of liberty aa something distinct from ■ license.-

NEW SILVEB COINAGE. A statement has been mode is KeW Zealand that the banks of the Dominion will probably refuse to accept the new. Australian coins. As a matter of fact: the Federal authorities never expected that the-Australian coinage wouldV circulate outside the Commonwealth.' Mi. Allan, 7 Secretary to the Treasury, l points out that it would not be fair to expect them to. The Commonwealth will secure a profit of .£60,000 a year on the coinage of ner silver, and it is not to be rapposed, he says, that the other British dominions will extend- the market for Australian coins. Should they do so it will mean that they are; gradually reducing the profit made either by themselves, 8 they have their own , coinage, or by Great Britain, if her currency circulates there. If Australian money was. legally recognised in New Zealand, the Commonwealth might have the banks of the' Dominion getting their supplies of silver coins from,this country, instead of sending to Great Britain. That would hardly be fair to Great Britain, and in order to avoid inconvenience on the part of travellers; it has bean arranged with most of the- ehipping companies trading to Australia to' accept Australian coins. In the case of the English mail steamers,' if they present Australian silver at ' the High Commissioner's office in. London they will be immediately given a cheque in exchange. ■' Some arrangement will probably, be made under which New Zealand shipping companies will undertake to exchange passengers' silver coins:

TOUGH AS A TANNER, Many'persons would givo much to knowthe secret of health, and a great deal 1 more, perhaps, for the • eecret of , life. Therefore, a statement'made by the secretary of the Master Tanners' Association at a social function at Willoughby,' New South Wales, has , a soecial interest for. the public.; He had declared i that the ■tanning industry was th* healthiest occur. :nation.,he' knew'.-.of. For that reasdn alone, ne'ha'd put' son,into it. He him-' .self was one of a family of seven sons, four of whom had : died of consumption;: the three living were tanners'. -As _a further, proof he mentioned-the case of , a man at.Botany, 72years of age; -The patriarch had worked as a tanner for 60 years,: and of his family of 24 children,, 21 were alive, and everyone was a; tanner! In the; face of snch evidence, he asked, how could tanning be classed as a noxious trade? The Premier, to whom tho question was addressed, could only smile in reply. .- ■'•;.

HEALTH AND SCHOOL BOOKS. S.Tstematio attention is now beinz given to 'the health of the school children of New South. Wales.'. 'Although' only 15 cases of spinal curvature were notified among school pupil's last year, tho Departmental officers have found indications that show an occasional tendency in that direction. Sitting in a wrong position at school tasks, and unsuitable furniture as, for instance, backless forms, are said to be prodnctivo of bad results; while Dr. Roth condemns the practice of carrying bags heavy with books on the part of the pupils, and heavy carbines on the part of cadets. He suggests that _ the pupils should be supplied with duplicate books, one set to be kept at home and the'other at school; but,- as the books are sup* plied by parents, the suggestion will probably not be welcomed. As an alternative,' he proposes that children should be made to carry 'their books in a knapsack, between the shoulders. . The "Daily Telegraph" remarks that the subsequent proceedings to a request of the ordinary schoolboy that he should be supplied with a dual set of books, because they were too heavy to carry to school, would be of more moment to tho boy than to'anyone else. .. , ■.'■.''

THE PORT OF MELBOURNE. 'Mr. William Davidson, Inspector-Gen-eral'of Public Works, has returned to Melbourne after a six-months' visit to Europe for the purpose of obtaining information for a scheme for harbour improvement. His report, which lays down a comprehensive design or scheme for the improvement of the whole of Melbourne's shipping facilities, has been submitted to the State Cabinet. In deciding on their scheme, Sir William Matthews (consulting engineer) and Mr. Davidson had regard to the fact that the shipping facilities at Port Melbourne.,and in the Tar'ra had been overtaken by the growing requirements of Melbourne. ' Still, they kept in mind'that they were not called upon to provide a big scheme in anticipation of any miraculous increase in tho State's commerce. The proposals of the New Zealand, engineer, Mr. Ferguson, were considered to have some merit, but were swamped by their enormous cost. Mr. Davidson was also authorised to consult the' Admiralty authorities as to the naval requirements concerning dry dock accommodation. Sir Edward Eaban, director of works at the Admiralty, is preparing a set of drawings for a graying dock suitable for naval purposes, for the guidance of the State Cabinet.