AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2678, 19 October 1881, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ITEMS.

(From Melbourne papers.) PAYMENT OF MEMBERS. The <( Launceston Examiner ” reports that in the Legislative Assembly a motion has been proposed in favor of the House presenting an address to the Governor praying that his Excellency will be pleased to recommend the appropriation of a sum sufficient to provide, at a certain mileage rate, for the travelling expenses of members of Parliament attending Parliament during the session. The proposal was opposed by the Premier, who deprecated the motion as being the thin end of the wedge for introducing payment of members in Tasmania. The motion was negatived without discussion. “ HE LOVED NOT WISELY.” A butcher named Christopher Norris, aged 19 years, carrying on business in Exhibition street, committed suicide on Tuesday from motives of jealousy by taking a dose of rat poison. He was keeping company with a young girl, who did not, however, reciprocate the feeling, and in consequence of seeing her at the theatre with another man he threatened to put an end to his life. No attention was paid to the threat, but Norris continued very despondent, and during the morning mixed a dose of rat poison in a glass and drank it off. He was immediately taken to the hospital, but died shortly after admission. SAVAGE ASSAULT. A very savage assault was made on Oct, 3, on a son of Mr Otto Berliner, aged 8 years. He and his brother aged 11, were in Bulleen road, Kew, when they were attacked by six boys. Four of these held the arms of the elder Berliner, while the remaining two stoned the younger brother. The latter was so seriously injured that Dr Balls-Headley had to be sent for on the boys reaching their home. He found the younger brother in a dangerous state, suffering from severe internal injuries and shock to the system. Four of the assailants are known, but the remaining two have not been traced as yet. LAND GRABBING PREVENTED. The Queensland Minister for Lands recently withdrew from selection all the lands on the north coast, because speculators were roaming about pre i mpting large patches on the easy

terms and at the low prices required for the ordinary waste lands. The department, apprehending that good sugar areas would then be locked up, interfered, and closed the lands. They have now been classified, and prices ranging from 25s to 20s per acre affixed to particular tracts, according to value, and the area of selection restricted in the case of first-class sugar lands to 1,280 acres. SECURING A PRISONER. A poor fellow, with his watch in pawn and a few shillings in his pocket, was found drowned in the river near an inland township. Constable Handcuff gave, inter alia, this evidence : —“ On Sunday I went down to the river, and below the bridge saw the body of a man made fast to a snag—l fastened it securely.” Now, was this smart constable afraid that the subject of the inquest, who had been a week in the water, would make himself scarce in order to dodge the coroner and the police evidence? “iEgles.” A WELL BRED BULL. On a station in New South Wales there is employed as boundary rider a gentleman who claims to possess a medical qualification, and who is universally known as “Doctor.” I have before me a letter from him addressed to the overseer, a little loose, perhaps, in its orthography. He has “the honor to inform” the overseer that his (the boundary rider’s) wife had that morning become “ the mother of a female child —all doing well up to the present time." He proceeds thus :—“ As I have no female with her but myself, will you kindly exonerate me from duty this day ?” —“ BSgles." the kelly gang’s example. A mob of from 15 to 16 larrikins attacked and damaged the Moonee Ponds omnibus about midnight on Sept. 26. Michael Slattery, the driver, states that when opposite Abbotsfordstreet, on the Plemington-road, on his way to Moonee Ponds, he was surrounded by the larrikins, who howled, and attempted to stop the omnibus, but he drove on quickly. They then threw a quantity of road-metal at the omnibus, breaking the windows, and striking one of the passengers on the head. A short time previously the Melbourne omnibus was stopped by the same larrikins, but the driver, Clark, was told that he was not the man wanted, and was allowed to proceed unmolested. It is thought that the youths purposed robbing the omnibus, but finding their design frustrated by the driver whipping up his horses, they took to stoning him out of revenge. The police are investigating the case. smal-pox prevention. The Sydney Medical Board keeps up an active visitation of all real and supposed cases, and much prompter steps will be taken in future than have been in the past. One regulation, however, which they hare issued has provoked adverse comment. They not only recommend doctors visiting small-pox patients to make use of calico ulsters with hoods, but to call upon neighbours some yards away from the house to bring them water into the street to wash their hands. This obtrusive display of the risk of infection is quite unnecessary, and is demoralising. Infection follows its own laws, which we do not at present very clearly understand, but so far as our late experience goes, susceptibility has at least as much to do with itjas proximitj. It is true that by boxing up people in infected houses we have created one or two new cases, but in no instance has more than a fraction of the people in the infected house caught the disease. In no case either is it known to have passed to the house next door, while it has jumped up and down and across the street m a most inexplicable way.