AUSTR ALIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1916, Page 5

AUSTR ALIA.

CONSCRIPTION REFERENDUM, URGE ADVERSE MAJORITY. Sydney Oct. 30. Incomplete referendum returns including Queensland are:— : No fc-...-.,.v,-».v.-, ■.-.-....,. 888,282 YO9 *)l.i;\> THE LATEST FIGURES. SOLDIERS' VOTES STILL TO COME. Received Oct. 30, 10 p.m. _, , . Sydney, Oct. 30. Ine latest figures slightly increase the majority for the Noes to 80,773. 1 he final result of the soldiers' ballot wil not be available until November Melbourne, Oct, 30. _ The Assistant Minister for Defence,, discussing the referendum. prowess returns, said that, judging from present iigures he could see no good reason why those States which voted "ves," .should net have compulsion applied to them. .CASUALTY LIST. T- * ivm ' / Sydney, Oct. 30. Ust_ 2*9 contains the names of the following Xew Zealandorsi-Killed in action previously reported missin«Invnte V. Morrell. Seriously ill: ?TV\ a ?«""«■ ™» Corporals U i, Rood and A. Tobin. Wounded ami prisoner of war previously reported prisoner of war: • Private J. J m r c-^°?y Lanw-Corporal n. L. Sibbeld. AUSTRALIA WILL BE THERE! A PARODY THAT CAME TRUE. The following article which appeared in the Sydney "Bulletin" on October 10 indicates that that paper had a saturnine I tonionition of the ill-tidings which defate our columns to-day:— Scene--Berlin. An Imperial Palace. Seated in a Council Chamber the Kaiser, Bethmann-Hollwcg and Von Tirpitz. Tim news has just .arrived that Australia has voted "No" on the Referendum proposals. The Kaiser: So Bull's cub has turned linn down. Ts that so? Bcthmann-Hollwe'sr: Richticr. Majestat (Correct, your Majesty). The Kangaroo has proved a quitter and the Anzacs must look to Russia for reinforcements. Von Tirpitz: ' Donner und Blitzen, what a joke! Of course the numbers don't matter, but the moral eil'eet—it i» immense! Nothing like a little judicious spending of money in the proper places! Look at Greece look at Hcllweg: Not so loud, alter Knabe! Bc.-ides, this Australian business is more dundorheadodness than corruption. The very idea of trying a referendum in tha middle of a war to decide whether one should send reinforcements! Oh, it is superb! The Kaiser: Nein, nein, I think the money has done it. Note that they tootc no Referendum as to whether they should enter the war. They send their boys to the front: then wo get to Work and—the fools!—they take a plebiscite as to whether they shall send their own flesh and blood assistance! Von Tirpitz: It is no matter. Now it is for us to- make the best use of their foi'y. Is Berlin beflagged yet? Hollwog: The city is a sea of Imperial banners. And I have wired to our headquarters on the Western front that our regimental bands shall strike up "Australia Will Be There." Gott in Hiinmel—what a joke! Tl,,r Kaiser: After all, these ver(iammten Australians are a poor lot. Deserting their own children! Aeh! They don't grasp yet the big national idea that made good old Deutschland great. Ah, it is good! I was getting afraid that the British ideas of liberty wou'd come out en top, after all. Our dvec.m was slipping from us till this happened. ... I hear London's in mourning. Send over a dozen Zeppelins to liven them up with an illumination, and let the 'Kolnische Zeitung' and other right-thinking organs print a few articles .-} liipathising with John Bull over his childun's ingratitude. Give 'em a bit of their Shakespeare: "How harder than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child." Enter messenger with a telegram. Belhinann-Holhvog takes it and reads: "On receipt of the intelligence that Australia bad turned down the Referendum proposal many of the Australian troops broke out into fits of furious rage. They say openly they are shamed by their own people. Some demand to be placed in the most dangerous positions, as they do not wish ever to go back to Australia. The common expression among ther.i is 'We are betrayed!' and they want to know has there been any other cample throughout the war of a people 'turning dog' on its own soldiers. The phrase 'Australia scabbed on us' is on every Anzac's lips." The Kaiser: Mein Gott! This is the richest morsel! More flags, von Tirpitz! More crosses for our freundts in Australia. . . . What did you say t!.e bands would plsiy? Oh, "Australia Will Bo There!" Ja, ja! NnrtreiTlich! That is the tune. "Australia Will Be There!".