AUSTRALIAN CRIME WAVE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2128, 15 May 1920, Page 4

AUSTRALIAN CRIME WAVE.

MORE MURDERS REPORTED. DISREGARD OF HUMAN LIFE. ./ . . , . A long list of criminal cases, including a dozen murders, was placed before Sir Charles Wade, formerly Premier of New South Wales, and who has just been appointed a judge, when he took his first criminal sessions this week, writes a Sydney correspondent, under date April 7th. The new judge commented strongly upon the disregard tor human life, which seems to lie an aftermath of the war. Tlie judge pointed to nothing that is not apparent to everyone; the list of crimes of violence is added to almost daily. There was a remarkable number of murders and attempted murders during February, and there was a woman in nearly every case. Sydney seems now to be in the midst of another outbreak —but' the “love”, motive this time is not so much in evidence. A sailor and his captain had an altercation, and the sailor deliberately killed the officer .with a knife. An elderly rabbit trapper was found with his head battered in, and a young man was later arrested on a charge of murder and robbery. The body of a Russian, who served as an Australian soldier, was found in the Domain with all flu; appearances of murder. Two women were brought to the hospitals on Friday night from different suburbs, each appeared to have been wounded by a revolver shot.

An Italian met bis wilt* at the show on Monday, and quarrelled with her and shot her. The first couple ol' bullets killed her; others, flying wide, very dangerously wounded a young woman in the crowd. The following morning there was a similar occurrence in .I’vrimmt. A husband and wile quarrelled, the man drew a revolver and killed tiie woman. He managed, however, to get dear away.

And there have been other shooting incidents in most of the cities too numerous to detail.

At the same time I lie “push trouble is raising its ugly head. There have been collisions between the police ami the “pushes'’ in both Sydney and Melbourne. The “pushes,” affected by the prevailing disregard of human life, and stimulated by the doctrines of the i.W.W. criminals, are displaying noticeable arrogance and insolence. On Saturday night a constable, at Millers Point, Sydney, tried to move on about 20 men and youths who were drinking on the footpath. They attacked him. He fought pluckily, hut was badly knocked about when a police posse arrived 20 minutes later and arrested the ring-leaders. On Saturday ■afternoon, in Carlton, Melbourne, there was a big bailie between rival “pushes,’' and two policemen, who interfered, were attacked. Help came quickly, and they arrested six of. the .hoodlums. Burglaries and petty thefts were never so frequent as how.