AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1365, 16 February 1912, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

SYDNEY-'FRISCO MAIL SERVICE

SPRKCIUSLS LINE PLANS.

The of the Oceanic Steamship Company of San IVaiicisco liiis wrili"ii lo Mr. V. A. Sproul, the Sydney rc-I'lT.-riitjitivo. under dale of December .'lO last, delinitelv staiin;,' thai his company «ill inaugurate. Ilic now servico between San I'lMin-i.-cit and Sydney a I an early dale. Woi'K is Ijoinji carried on apace on thi' Sonoma mid Ventura, and while it is »■ lillli! ciirly In nmiie the dnlo of ilispaleli for Iho lirst steamer, it will proUilily he in Juno.

Tlie ri'lriiioralc'd space ou the vessels has been increased, ami lias i'lrrady Ihtii applied for by several linns wilJnij; lo si[!U ii contract tor three years, l-'rorii iiiii Iranciseo lo Sydney this .-pact' will be utilised mainly lor fruit, and in (he opposite direction for Australian, produel-, including butter, mutton, etc., as well as for Australian fruit, the season in Western America, and Australia just being the reverse of each other.

The |)a«.cti;;(>r accommodation, is also living tnorouglily reconstructed, and it is conlideiitly expected Hint not only will the sleamers ho the fastest trans-oco.antc steamers, on Hie I'aeilic, but will also be luxuriously appointed in their passenger departments, tu meek the most critical tash; of travellers.

Additions (o Hie fleet are. also conlcmpliitcil, and plans are being prepared for steamers of greater tonnage, which will enable the company to cater under arrangements with Australian Governments for more than one port interested in tllis important, (rade on this side. i'roni recent; American lilis il is gathered Hint a plan suggested by Senator IVrkins anil Congressman Khan lo rrfliirp Amerionn steamers lo Ihe South I'acilic trade lias been approved by President. Taft, Tost master-General Hitchcock, and Assistant-Secretary of the Navy Wintliorp, according lo ailvices received from Washington. Through, this plan, the Sonoma and Ventura, which were taken oil' the run shortly afler the lire, when Hie mail .subsidy was withdrawn, will put to sea again as soon as work of overhauling I hem, now in progress at the Vnion Ironworks, has been completed. The vessels are being converted into oilburners and put in first-class conditnn, and will be ready lo leave the yards within three months. The plan, as approved, calls for a mail subsidy. I'ostmastorGeneral Hitchcock was to advertise for bids for the carrying of the mail from San Francisco lo Sydney, Australia, by way of Honolulu anil I'ago I'ago. Frederick S. Samuels, representing the Oceanic Steamship Company, attended the White House conference on (he quesiion of restoring the h\t to the Pacific, and sti'.nds ready to bid for the mail contracts en behalf of his company. Under Hie Act of 1801 tho Government can grant two dollars a mile to American vessels carrying mail, and with.this assistance tho company hoped to again put American bottoms in the. South Pacific trade.

LIGHTNING AND THE WIRELESS. AX OPERATOR'S LUCK. During a lull in a rainstorm at Sydney last week, a flash of lightning, accompanied by a heavy repv.t of thunder, slartled people in the streets of the city. The flash struck the wireless aerials at the Hotel Australia, through which a passage was secured to earth. A portion of the discharge was also attracted over the top of the building to the tram rails in the street below, find, m the words of a spectator, "craituil a fireworks dis. play." Smoke was. also noticed to rise from Hie top of the building, due to the eNDlosiou.

Mr. P. Farmer, the operator in charge, had hardly two seconds before the Hash completed receiving a message, and. on discarding the receiver, cut out his office; notwithstanding which the sparks from the instruments lighted up his room. Had he retained the receiver, and omitted to out out Ihe station, death would probably have resulted. As it was, beyond the fusing of a few wires, no damaw was done. The (fation was. with a brief delay, placed into commission: but. owing to the intensity of the lightning during the pvoniiiir, could only be worked intermittently.

Throughout the hotel all electrical appliances were affected, and owing to the blowing out of fipes the lifts were temporarily stopped, lights weiv extinguished, and the telephones rendered useless. SPORTSMAN SHOT IN THE FACE. A DUCK-SHOOTING MISADVENTURE. Two young men named Bert Skewes and I'Vnnk AF'Gratb selected French Island, near Melbourne, as the best place for duck-shooting, and early the other morning they commenced their sport. Skewes walked a short distance from his companion, and while in (he scrub tool; his handkerchief from his pocket tn brush away mosquitoes which were troublesome. In the faint light of early dawn M'Giath, .seeing the moving handkerchief, judged it to be a duck, and promptly fired upon it. His aim was sure. Skewes, getting most of the charge in the face, imincrlintely fell to the ground in agony. M'Grath eagerly hurried along, bent on seeing what result had followed his shot. AVhcn he was approaching the spot, towards which his aim had been directed he was greatly surprised to hear deep groaning. Hasty search made it clear that there had been an accident. He soon realised that he had shot his companion by mistake. Ho took him, tottering and blee.'ling, to the doctor at Lang l.ang, who ordered his removal to the Melbourne hospital.

On arrival :\t the hospital Skewes was iminedbtMy attended to. The pain from his injuries was intense. His puffed-up fare was almost completely peppered by pellets. : lany of which could" be seeii under the skin. His lips and tongue were split, and several of his teeth were broken. The doctors, however, beliVvo (hat the pallets missed his eyes. The face was so considerably swollen that the full extent of the injuries could not be known for a day or two.

M'Ciratii was so completely unnerved through the occurrence that ho was unable to give full, details of it. Skewes was about 35 yards from him when ho fucd. no used a breach-loading gun.

UNION BOYCOTT. GKOWING FHACTICE. The union boycott is growing rery rapidly in Australia fsays the Svdhey '■■Mornins Herald"). At Lithgow the boycott has been carrier] to a very fine point in eonnect.iou witii the strike at Boskins's ironwork?. It was applied even to prevent Iho men who were employed on the works from ge.ttine a , shave at a nublic falcon.

At Broken Hill a local baker is being boycotted by unionists because he will not fall into line with other bakers in raising the price of bread to the public, although his firm employs union labour and pays the union rate of wages. Aγ Pertli the bovcott is being enforced against sonic publicans because the employees reside on the premises, contrary to a rule the union has adopted. The threat has been made that (he organised unionists of Australia will be called upon to boycott any dioptrical proprietor who docs not subscribe to the conditions imposed by tin- Actors' Union.

Now a union card is being introduced for distribution a.inonjr union barbers' shop*. Those who decline lo raUo Hie price of a hair-cut or shave in the suburbs will no! lie entitle*! lo Hie union card, and their shoos will be picketed. In the case of tit- Broken Hill btil:er the object i-- to hit the public with (he application of the boycott by making them pay more for their bread. The boycott to be becoming as familiar a feature of industrial life as the walking delegate himself. IMMIGRANT'S SUICIDE. "I'ENNTI.KSS. FRTFAM.KSS. A Nil ALONE." A man named T!. Stevenson, about .10 rears of a™c, a recent anival from England, commuted suicide in the Domain, Svdnev, last w«k, by taking lysol. In bis coat popket a uote-book was {ojuul

with the name of I!. Sicvonson and the address of No. 2 Triruen Park Koad. BaiTow-ou-Furnivs, written in it. Tlio entries indicate that deceased was despondent owing to his inability to obtain employment. One extract reads:—"Good-bye (o all my loved ones. No use. Cannot set work. lam too old. Not a friend in Sydney. Unknown. 2\"o oris cares in Sydney. Let my wife know I died with her name on my lips. lam so hungry— nothing to eat since 8 o'clock on Saturday morning. I have slept the last six nights in the Domain, and have noi and my boots oIT since Thursday. I can so on no longer. I am dead tired, ami cannot stand the Domain for another niVht. I cannot stop (here. lam done. I 'have not had three hours' si rep s-nu-o Thursday night. God help me. Oil, mv head. A man with no trade is oi no use in Australia. He is not wanted. It i< of no ufc; I can stand it nn longer. I think my head will split. W hat can 1 do 0 I have tried everywhere. My brain is going. lam utterly penniless, friendless, and alone."