AUSTRALIAN CRIME WAVE.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1920, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN CRIME WAVE.

MORE MURDERS REPORTED. DISREGARD OF HUMAN LIFE. A long list of criminal cases, including a dozen murders, was placed before Sir CharL's 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 7. The new judge commented strongly upon the disregard for human lffe, which seems to be an aftermath of the war.

The judge pdinted 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 ease- Sydney seems now to he in the midst of another outbreak—but the "love" motive this time is not so much ii) 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 the 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 his wife r.t the show on Monday and quarrelled with her and shot her- The first couple of bullgts killed her; flying wide, very dangerouly wounded a young woman in the crowd. The following morning, there was a similar occurrence in Pyrmont. A husband and wife quarrelled, the man drew a revolver and killed the woman. He mpaged, however, to get clear away. And there have been other shooting incidents in most of the cities too numerous to detail.

At the same time the "push" trouble is raising its ugly head. There have been collisions between the police and 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 insolenfce. On Saturday night a constable, at Miller's Point, Sydney, tried to move on about 20 men and youths who were drinking on the footpath. They attacked him. 'He fought pluckily, but was badly knocked about when a police posse arrived 20 minutes later and arrested the ringleaders. On Saturday afternoon, in Carlton, Melbourne, there waj^a big battle between rival "pushes," and two policemen, who interfered, were attacked. Help came quickly, and they arrested sbt of the hoodlums. Burglaries and petty thefts were never so freqnent as now.