AUSTRALIAN NEWS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2743, 11 April 1916, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

ANTI-CONSCRIPTION l . ,■ SENTIMENTS DEFENCE MINISTER'S REPLY. By TeleeraDh-Presa Assooiation-Ooiiyrtelit Melbourne, April 10. \ Speaking at tlia eight hours' diamond jubilee celebration, Mr. Gill, vice-presi-dent, criticised the members or the Federal House. He said:-"The grim spectre of conscription is over the laud. It is for the working class to' say at ouce they are not going to givo away the liberty they have so dearly purchased. They- (the representatives of the workers) would not tolerate anything that was going to «sell, as a pound of butter was sold, the body and soul of' human boiugs. If that happened it would be followed by a serious revolution in. Australia. In replying, Senator Pearce (Aoting Prime Minister) said the policy of the Government was voluntaryism. He had not heard anyone refuse to support conscription for the armies of the Allies. He believed, that Australia would carry on' voluntaryism, but rather than that the Gorman 6hould rule, the Government would introduce conscription. A PUZZLING ANOMALY. Brisbane, April 10. Speaking at the University the Chief Justice (Sir P. A., Cooper) said that France, once regarded as the home of sabotago, and Russia, once racked with internal disputes, had entered the war with unanimity of spirit, whilst in England, the home of freedom, there were shirkers and strikers. He was a democrat, and was puzzled how those should exist in a democratic, community with the same people who said preference for unionists. Such concessions would result in au advhnce in democracy, but such practices wore really the introduction of despotism. - A LOSINC CONCERN. STATE TRAWLERS BADLY MANAGED, ' . Sydney, April 10. The Auditor-General, reporting on State trawling, states that the industry is being run at a loss. Ue severely criticises the management. ITEMS IN BRIEF. OBITUARY. Melbourne, April 10. Obituary.—Mr. John .Norton, newspaper proprietor, aged 56. [The late Mr. Norton; at the time of his death, controlled two weekly papers in Sydney, and one each in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Wellington; formerly a- member of the New South Wales' Assembly. Ho leaves a widow and two children.') THE WALSH ISLAND DISPUTE. Sydney, April 10. The Walsh Island engineers have resumed work, pending a conferenco. SHOPPLVG BLOCK DESTROYED BY FIRE. Melbourne, April 10. Fourteen shops at Terang (25 miles north-west of Warrnambool) • wore de-i stroyed by fire. The damage is set down at £15,000 GOOD RAINS. (Rec. April 10, 10.10 p.m.) Sydney, April 9. Soaking rains have fallen sinco Saturday, and continue over the greater part of New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. The rainfall is light in other States. The winter out!™>l- i s Brood.