CHILD SLAVERY IS AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1958, 15 January 1914, Page 6

CHILD SLAVERY IS AUSTRALIA

MR W ILL UIOOKVs SPLI CH

; ' ; .Mic^Wili'Crboks^a^'member,''of the British : Parliament',' has made aii extraordinary statement u: 'regard"to the existence.of child-slavery in Australia. Mr. ■ Crooks- has- visited 'Australia .on 'two occasions, the last one being when he"accompanied the Dominion Commissioners. Mpeaking at Phmistead (Kent) on Thursday, November 20, he said that child slavery. was; rifo. throughout : Australia, arid that littk children ; ; were doing' men's, work on farms. •■".'.■ ■,"'•

' This assertion was niadft in reply t'o an'interjection from, a Suilragisi, who cxclaimod, .".What' ffoout tho .women ,in Australia?"-;, •'.''•'■:"!' ! . ':■: ii'Tiio. following, is an extract from the "Kentish .Independent,'.' dealing "with tho. incident. !■..'■¥'■ ■■.:?'<;>. : ■' ! - : ' :

'■• .!'Mr.' : Croi>kV;is(lclre3sing''the''Suffragist ■ with,-.great.emphasis,-,., said:"''-."The .women-hare votes in-,-Australia,- and 'there, is"'more-child, slavery., there-'than in-, any' vother part .--..0f s-the -.-world. (Cheers.)! -What do you: say to that? Titers are children - : of-'i'eight:'."at.the plough, children work, fries'of . "Mr. Crooks went on to say that llicy did not' cxpv-ct Uo: see Australia an Arcadia in. perfection, but-at. the 3air.e time children milking cows-, was a iittio surprising;*.;'-(Hear; hear'.)- Women are in the majp'rity:,in Australia,-continued' the speaker,'i'and'.tliGy havo ~tho/'vota, Imts'womnn-'is.hiot;. jslways';, : ,kirid)■ to woman/",:>^ ; '4:v': : '' ■' '■' '■'■>.i ; .^'"-.-:';■', - ■-■ Lieutenant-Colonel G; Barclay, V.D., nfficer! commanding'tho;-North Island Ilailwiy.-.;;i>; v Battalion,"«and ;:.,■' Captain of.Uhe, battalion, are. visiting . Wellington"; to attend the conference ! -<- convened ,:.by...the reccntiya[.pointed 'director of, railway transport : (Colonel E.v'-Il.; Riley),' in connection with the working; and "'organisation of the New Zealand.Railway Corps, which forms pari, of the.-corps of New. Zealand ..Engineers in/.i-liiV-defence forces. ■The West,Australian-Premier Ims received notification'thaY v General Sir lan Hamilton; who is-.to spend.three months inspecting.. the,. Commonwealth . forces, will arri've'-.-at 1 -Perth i on. February _3 and pre-eoed'. : 'to Albany' on February 7.. ~; Sir John;-Fuller, the late Governor of -Victoria,' ; -who .resigned because of ill-health,.".-will; : visit India," and afterwards ■ go to Colftmbo, ; where he will meet ; Lady,, Fuller.? Sir John and Lady Fuller wiil!return, to: England by the K.M.S3:Moo!tan.,jyr ; -;; ; - .•;,,-",- '-.- ..; Word has been: received, in Australia that Mr. . Hwang -Yung-Liang, : lately Chinese Consul-'Geuer?.! in Australia, and previously consul ■;!. at. 'Wellington-, has been... appointed to' an _' important :position-in the Chinese Foreign Offite.''■.'.Mr.'-. .W..-T.:-. Appleton was last week re-elected chairman of -the Australasian Steamship Owners' Federation for 1914. Sir. Appleton held office from 1899 to 1903, was re-elected in 1808,'attd again in 1911.-!--He» has just //....completed a period of .three ■years; j i »&./-..,--'■; When it was decided, that the. Christchurch ' sportsmen's memorial to . the Antarctic heroes should take the form of a'bust of. the lato Captain Scott, it was also agreed, that,, its, sculpture should be undertaken by Lady Scott, if she would accept the commission. On Monday the editor of the "Referee" received a Cable message from .--Lady Scott accepting the commission, and indicating June as the probable date of the completion of the bust which, it is hoped, will.bo received in Christehurch prior to the Grand, National Meeting. ■ Writing to "'friends -in Duncdin, an officer on one of.the-cruiser's belonging to tho Australian Navy,. speaks rather dolefully of the service/' According to the "Otago Daily Times" he-says it is most galling "to serve tinder come of the officers, largely owing to their incompetency, the result being,over 80 der.ertions from one of. tho cruiser. l ) within n period of 18 months, whilst the percentage of desertions from the other vessels of the fleet is also.high, Tho cost of maintaining.tho Australian fleet appears to be causing a good deal of misgiving in certain quarter's, with the result that spasmodic attempts: to, eur.tail .expenditure, in certain directions arc'ivgnrded with disfavour by.those ; who clamour; far. efficiency- regardless of expense.-■■''..,;,:;;;■. ■■'■'-■';'-l.i.fe-;--- : ;■■'•. .'•.■■- ; ' Imbued' with' the example'"of (ho New South .Wales Department of Public Instruction in'following up tho' : recomsnen-. dations'flf school medical inspectors by. niakifig'. ,: it easy, for'!,-"srnitablo spectacles to be .obtained'by, children with 'defce"tivo !'■ eyesight-', ; : consideration .is. given by the'Syictorian Education Department to the question of inducing .op-" ticians to supply spectaeles.'at low rates to,ch.^ea, ; ;; y ,*J;te©% ..' x & ■' ;■ i si