VICTORIA.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 102, 8 April 1884, Page 2

VICTORIA.

[from our owm correspondent.] Melbourne, March 25. Paddy’s day passed over very quietly, that is for a big place like Melbourne, the records at the next days’ police courts showing a less nurrber of “ diunks,” than had been known on any previous 18th March for some years. It may argue a poor state of affairs when a far off correspondent has to fall back on the statistics of “ drunks ” in order to show whether there is any excitement in the place or not. But so it is here just now. I dare say the presence and personal influence of Messrs. Booth and Glover who have issued the ribbons and badges to some thousands in the Exhibition Building during the last month, may have had a good deal to do with reducing the Irishman’s privilege within reasonable bounds. But whatever the cause, the effect throughout the country generally has been marked. No where has there been any demonstration tainted in the slightest degree with political or religious animosity or bias. I wonder if the day wi’l come when St. Patrick will be held in no more veneration by Irishmen than the mythical or figurative St. George is by Englishmen. For my part I hate all these processional and high-feast, patron-patronising days. They are national nuisances. If there is not a good flow of drink about, the steam can’t be got up properly ; and if there is, something or somebody is generally blown up. There is something too harsh in the way the authorities differ in their decisions as to who shall and who shall not “ March past ” in the public streets. The disciples of a saint may occupy the thoroughfare ; the firemen’s brigade may put obstacles in the way of traffic, guarded by a posse commitatus of mounted policemen, who are prepared to “ run any one in ” who dares attempt to pass with either horse or vehicle at the time, while the Salvation Army,—which, not to put too fine a point on the matter, is not a whit more of a nuisance than those processions I mentioned—are first warned, then prevented, and subsequently fined for “ processing ” in the public streets. Such is the liberty of the subject in a big city ! The only item I can give you in politics is the boot-makers strike which, as an agitation, having gained its point, has subsided. I referred in my last to the power the Trades Unionists

exert in the land, and this last of the many strides weTiave had lately is an attempted assertion of that power. The beginning pi it arose out of a squabble between the men in a certain factory and the employers thereofi The men attempted to enforce their objection to the introduction by the latter of labor* saving machinery into their factory. Their of all others where the tyrant “ self”Us dominant. It cannot be said that the. great majority of these trade unionists are not intelligent and capable of understanding that the interests of themselves and their employers are identical, although served in different ways. They can, however, see no point but their -own. T 1 3y affect to lay down the exact number of hands an employer may employ; the, of hands they shall work; the days on which the pr e r ises are to be closed; the rate of and so on; and if one, more mordercte in his views than the rest, and more mind* ful et-lne duty as a b ad-winner, darts to continue work on terms with which the “ strikers ” do not agree, he is practically hounded to the death by the very xr m whose principles are sald io be sound, and, their association recognized as a power in the state. All this humbug it must be remem* bered, is the outcome of protection, and which receives daily inspiration and support from the Protectionist’s organ, the Aae. What is happening here has happened in the States of America,r; and elsewhere, where the absurdities of an extreme protective policy are endeavored to be insisted on by trade combinations, which threaten to prevent capitalists from resorting to the aid of mAchinery. by \vaich capital can be more expeditiously turned over than by operative hand labor. ... Tne utilization of the enormous quantities of sand that abound in some parts of the suburbs of Melbourne Is resulting in the production of an hydraulic freestone which is spoken very favourably of. The ingredients used are sand, lime, aha clay, and the proceM of mixing is very interesting. The sand is washed, firstly,, by being run through a circular revolving washer, after which it is mixed -with the-lime and clay the proportions being 70 per cent, of the former, and 15 per cent, each of the latter. The mixture being completed it is carried by machinery to a Chilian mill. It is there crushed, placed in molds of the desired shape the blocks are to be, and then submitted to.a process of boiling. The finishing of this portion of the work is that the stone is sufficiently cooked, and on being dried is said to be manufactured, and ready for use, and I am informed that it has superior qualities of resistance of both wind and weather; local opinion asserts the fact of its superiority to the natural freestones of England, and one report on its quality says : We have refrained from speaking of the adaptability of the stone for all kinds of building, and of its ultimate economy over all other stones. These are so obvious as to require no emphasising.” I think some enterprising man with a small capital might do worse with his money than in planting this industry in Gisborne where you nave all the material (except, perhaps, the last) in abundance. , t The rabbit question, as one of the reigning nuisances of the day has developed a new phase lately. From all the information I can glean, it seems unlikely that the people 1 who are employed to destroy these pests, at capitation pay, will kill their occupation by a zealous determination to exterminate them. 1 Like the officers of your New Zealand armies during the activity of the Maori wars, they know too well when they have a good-paying thing on hand, to “ catch the enemy ” too expeditiously. All kinds of means have been resorted to without success. Desultory rab-bit-hunting has proved tedious and expensive alike to the Government and to the settlers, ■ while it has formed a profitable pastime to ■ those engaged in it; but it would seem th c t there is a new departure from the whilom tactics. It is reported that a party of “ Ameii- ' can trappers ” have commenced a new sys- ! tem in the Western district. These possess • a huge netting of about a mile-and-a-half in ■ length, about 100 ferrets, and a number of horses, the former is spread, and what between horses, men, ana ferrets the circum- > ference of a large circle is started, all working * towards the centre of the net, the net, I 1 supposing, closing in the rear to prevent the 1 rabbits “ doubling.” By this means they are caught alive and sent to market. The party ’ ask no pay, being satisfied with mere feed for their horses, and stores at a reasonable figure. ' As I have said, the experiment lis th J novelty of newness, but I doubt if it will be more 5 successful as regards extermination.