LIFE AT DARWIN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3371, 27 December 1919, Page 7

LIFE AT DARWIN.

JURIES WHO NEVER CONVICT‘

An official inquiry into the condition of affairs in the Northern Territory has new commenced, and it is ‘believed that the tact and capacity of the new -administrator there. Mr Staniforth Smith, will quickly put =ordAergla;nd~ law‘ in the place of the recent chaos. 1 A representative of the Melbourne Argus, who. has been sent to Darwin, tells some quaint stories of ‘life there. He says that, as he Writes, with -the temperature at 90 degrees, a vigorous football match is in progress. The barracking is ‘being done in tongues as far apart as Greek, Maltese, ‘andChinese. Here, football is played in _sunlnier, which is the rainy season, 1 and cricket in winter, when the ground ‘is nioro consistently dry. Thousands of pounds have been spent by the Government in “promoting” agricul ture.” Today, the only =agricultul'e is repres-entecl ‘by’ Inarlict gardens, from which come an inSuf'ficient- sup ply of vegetables. ‘ The GOV()I'!l1'l1(‘lll' mui.nt'ains in the Tel'rit.ory 21 ful,l—l)lown Judge, to attend the litigation 01:‘ 4000 people. But for years past the juries have absolutely refused to convict anybody of anything. No matter what was the evidence, the ver.dic.t was ‘acquittal. So now prosecutions are initiated with reluctance.

This is the glad home of the slygrog shops. The people strike against paying ls 9d for a bottle -of beer at the hotels (which are conducted by the State; but they go like lambs to the sly-grog shops in the evenings -and pay 3s and 4s per "bottle. They sent up from ‘Melbourne at great expense 'a launch for the use of the Administratic-n. It 3rl'iv~ed without essential pal'ts,~and is -still lying there helpless. The wharf has an electric equipment, but all night work is done with flares.