West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Friday 21 October 1881, page 2


MgASMNÄl JAMES.

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

THE revenue of the colony for the quarter ended 30th September was £40,693 14s. tkL and the expenditure £43,740 15s. 1d.

AT the promenade concert given in aid of the Band Fund on Wednesday last, some attractive music was performed. The attendance, unfortunately, was not so large as might have been ext pee tel.

WE understand that the directors of the Perth Ice Company are preparing their plant far the summer season's supply. Operations will probably be commenced some time next month. The rumour spread that no ice would be furnished thin

summer is incorrect.

WJC understand that Mr. John Forrest leaves town to-day his party having already preceded him for the purpose of making a reconnaissance survey along the proposed railway route between Beverley and King George's Sound. Mr. Price and Mr. Ranford will assist in the work.

THE Commissioner of Railways has accepted

the tender of Mr. Hester for the erection of three platforms-one at Butler's Swamp, one at North Fremantle, and one at East Fremantle at the rate of 8s. 9d. per running foot. The Commisioner has also accepted Mr. Churchyard's tender for the erection of a goods shed at the Perth Railway Station, for the sum of £415.

YESTERDAY'S Catholic Record says : " His Lordship Dr. Griver has left town on a pastoral visit. tation to the Eastern Districts. The Bishop will administer confirmation at York on next Sunday, and at Newcastle on Sunday the 30th lost. if is Lord,

ship will also before returning, afford the Catholics of Northam an opportunity of availing themselves, of his pastoral ministrations." '[

We are informed that a minister has been secured by the Trinity Congregational Church, which, since the secession of the Rev. Joseph Odgers, some months ago, has been without a pastor. The new minister, the Rev. Mr. Crawley, has been appointed from home, and, with his family, has taken passage by the Lady Douglas, which was to leave London for Fremantle on the 20th ultimo.

WE gather from the Catholic Record that Brother Atilann. whose limb was amputated on account of an accident with a mowing machine at New Norcia, died at the Colonial Hospital on Monday last. K The best hopes for his recovery " our contemporary says, " had been entertained as to Saturday last, but from that day he gradually became worse, being delirious for a good part of the day on Sunday, but recovered his faculties before the end came on Monday morning at 4 era."

His EXCELLENCY the Governor and Lady

Robinson leave town to-day on a visit to the Eastern Districts, from which they do not expect to return until the 1st of November. Lady Robinson will therefore be unable to" perform the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Presbyterian Church onTuesday next, as announced in our last issue, and as had been originally arranged. From a notice in our advertising columns it will be seen that Lady Leake has kindly consented to undertake this pleasing duty.

THE Supreme Court satin its civil jurisdic-

tion on Tuesday last In the case of Coffin v. Mackenzie (a chum for well-sinking, at the North West), Mr. George Parker said the defendant had consented to a judgment for 125 and coats and the Court ordered a judgment to be entered accordingly. In the matter of George Knapton of Fremantle, an insolvent, the Court, on the appealof Mr. Parker, granted the insolvent his discharge. ML. Parker (who was the only counsel scatters time) she made an application for letters of ad m i alteration in the estate of the late Mr. Liebler. The application was made on behalf of MM. Huoz and Schmalz, diamond merchants, of Paris, to whom the deceased was indebted in the sum of £40. The application was granted, and there being an other business the Court rose, and add journal sine die. His Honor, before rising, said the Court would hold a special sittings, in its criminal jurisdiction, on Monday next.

ARTE continue to receive communications of one kind or another in regard to the Fencing Billdiversity of opinion being chiefly in respect of details and not of the principle of the measure There is every ground for the belief that, before the Bill is again introduced, that principle, so clearly illustrated by Mr. Thomas Saw, in a letter lately addressed to as-the moral obligation of neighboring proprietors to share in fencing the boundaries between them will be accepted by the great "posterity. This principle, acknowledged by all our neighbours, warmest eventually act upon ourselves. V. e cannot always remain the unfortunate except rich. And the longer we put off the day, the more difficult shall we find it-to introduce this necessary legislation, bates the more numerous will become

such individual cases of either real or fancied hard-ships have supplied those arguments and Imminent which, have with few, exceptions, been the only weaponsnied against the measure. The interval for consideration before it is brought forward again, will, we have no doubt, be useful in still farther adapting its provisions to those circumstances with

which it will have to deal.

WHETHER 4 terus-Ariatidee-ColoniBt,' &e., be one and the same person, or separate members of a certain well-known little toque, is of small consequence. The object he hat, or they have, in view, is quite transparent, and if the writers are many they have evidently sought the same source of inspiration. That object is to stifle-if possible-all criticism of the public action of their patrons, and all independence of thought and to do this by the easy means of reckless slander, and unscrupulous misrepresentation of facts. Such weapons are very unlikely to improve the position of high principled and able persons, and have

not hitherto produced that effect upon the public which we suppose had been desired. As a sample of their general tactics, and of the personal spitegained which they think proper to display, we may knowhow the suggestion of one of the fraternity ' Î5.***be»wtboraaipof a letter signed " Impartial"

which appeared, some weeks ago in these columns -a suggestion which has since been repeated. No contradiction to this slander was given, simply because malice, in that instance, had assumed a zona too contemptible to notice.

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AFTER committing a foolish action, an endeavour to explain that action from a favourable point of view, seldom has any other effect than to make the folly of it more apparent. " One who heard the case had much better have kept silent. He is not the only one by many by whom the case was heard. And however satisfied the public

any have been with the actual verdict of the jury, there is not, as matters fact, a:s single intelligent; person in the community who does " not condemn the extraordinary rider attached to

it as absurd and as worse than absurd. It is scarcely necessary to go over the matter again. What we said befoca.WM sufficently explicit, and no attempt bribes made? rafters. It would appear from eba letter-of 'One who heard the case," that the jury were at their wit's end to find some ground for a recommendation to mercy. The writer in question says that they knew their own business best But it does not seem to have occurred to them that, in accidentally killing a man there may be degrees of culpability, and that a justifiable reccommendation to mercy could only have been mauehecause the jury considered that the degree of culpability was small The ground which the jury gave-the unsatisfactory nature of the evidence ander its interpretation, wash ground, again we repeat, for a different course of action from that which the jury conscientiously took, but for nothing else, and it was a very great pity it was advanced more especially seeing that the interimitation of that evidence upon which the case stated. was perfectly satisfactory throughout ; while the attempt to implicate Sidongin the act of

violence which was testified to as the actual cause of the Chinaman's death was-as we wrote be-fore simply childish.'

It is always a pleasure to see people help-ing themselves-a somewhat unwonted pleasure in this colony, for the first step taken, whenever anything is wanted, is, usually, to beg for assistance from the Government, that milch cow which in Western Australia is supposed to be an unfailing source of sustenance at everyone's command. Some enterprising men of Geraldton have taken it into their heads to form a company and purchase a boring machine to be used for obtaining water in the Victoria district. Messrs. du Boulay and Gale, as promoters of the proposed company, have issued a circular letter to their fellow settlers, in which we are thankful to see no mention whatever made of Government help. These gentlemen, who are deserving of all praise for their go-a-head policy, estimate that a good boring apparatus could be landed at Geraldton for about £600, and they propose that their company should have a nominal capital of £1000. The company, having obtained the apparatus, would let it out on hire to those who required it, their own responsible man being in charge. We very much hope that the requisite number of shares will be taken up, and the machine imported and found to be a success. If the propoialturo-oitSwell!'doubtless.settlers in many parts of the colony will club together for a similar object, following Geraldton's lead. A general

use of the borer and excavator will have to be resorted to, if we hope to see any large extension of pastoral activity. It is, unfortunately, very much to be feared that the coming summer will teach us tait lesson with a severity not far short of disastrous ,[^

IT is to be regretted that the Herald should have thought fit, for its issue of Saturday last, to suggest a piece of scandal which although entirely imaginary, is calculated most undeservedly to annoy and to wound the feelings of persons whose hearts entirely above suspicion. Our contemporary states that while a piano, consigned to a country Resident Magistrate, was being landed from the Chalarme, accidentally fell into the sea, and that upon the case being opened for the purpose of ascertaining what damage the piano had received, the Custom House officials discovered " to their amusement "that it was full of parcels addressed to the consignee and other "distinguished members of society in his district-the parcels consisting of an oil-painting, lace, dress material, and numerous other articles. The Herald wishes to know what line of conduct the Collector of Customs will adopt, and broadly hints that these goods were intended to be smuggled. Such a dish of malicious gossip is not often presented to the public, and naturally the very most has been made of it. Unfortunately, however, for the interest of " the story, there is absolutely nothing in it. The

care, as everyone knows, by this time, was consign. ed to Mr Fairbairn, and was entered in the usual way for clearance at the Vasse, where, as a matter of course, duty on the contents would have been honourably paid. Not the slightest suspicion of

any sort attached to the circumstance that goods other than the piano were enclosed in the case, nor were the CosUira-house officials in the faintest degree .. amazed, seeing that the filling up of paine cases with parcels is of the ooramonestioccurrencc. After having suffered much loss through the acre. dental immersion of valuable goods in salt water,

it is certainly receiving insult added to injury with a' vengeance, to be made the subject of these undeserved imputations. However, the widely respected Resident Magistrate of the Vasse is too well known for such slander to touch him.

Poa sometime past, letters have appeared in these columns discussing the respective merits of karri, and jarrah,, and an important commandnationalise the same subject appears in our present issue The general public, in all probability, takes but the interest in the matter, and is somewhat , weary of a contention which seems both fruitless

and endless. It is one, however, which nearly concerns the residents in the timber districts, and is of not inconsiderable public importance. For all that's cessation of the warfare is, we consider, desirable; seeing that the discussion, however prolonged, cannot possibly determine a question which time and experience alone will solve. Mr. George Simpson, who opened the ball, was, in our opinion, perfectly justified and perfectly right in exposing the inaccuracy of certain statements made with regard to karri in the second edition of the catalogue of our Melbourne exhibits. Whatever the merits of karri may be, there could be no excuse whatever for advertising the timber, and bringing it into favourable notice, by means of statements which had no foundation in fact But because the statements in the catalogue in respect of karri were unjustifiable, it does not necessarily follow- that the timber itself is worthless, and, seewas that the south-western corner of the colony is rich in karri foresters far from endeavouring to snuff karri at, the public interests of the colony demand that its value, if it have any, should be made known, and nor foreign customers taught to appreciate it. We an, of course, able to look at the matter from an impartial standpoint, basing our opinion simply upon the published statements of the advocates and opponents of karri. From, these It would appear that gentlemen who have for years resided in the karri districts, and whose assertions, based upon personal experience, must have great weight, consider learn a most useful and durable timber for the same purposes to which jarrah is usually applied, and in the same situations. Others, declare that karri perforated by the

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teredo, and in every stage of decay, may frequently be seen. We are quite ready to believe that when, on this ground, condemning karri as worthless, : Mr. Suupdoit and others have done SJ merely with

the desire to protect the trade of the colony against the injury it would receive were as unsound timber palmed off upon our foreign consumers as possessed of merits which are in reality apocryphal. But we fail to see in what way the case against karri has been proved as yet It has been proved, merely, that decayed and perforated karri may be found, just in the same way as decayed and perforated jarrah may be found. But it does not, therefore, necessarily follow that karri, when properly cat and treated:, may not be a valuable timber, in the same way as jarrah under similar circumstances is a valuable timber. Our experience of jarrah is extensive, and its reputation rests upon a solid foundation. Our experience of karri is limited, and its future ' is consequently, as yet, uncertain. But we see no reason why it should not have fair play. We are, however, quite ready to admit that the means taken at Melbourne to push this timber in the market, might, if it turned out badly, prove to have been very foul play to jarrah.

THE last issue of the Standard contained an article having reference to the case of a girl of seven years old, convicted lately of larceny, the child of abandoned parents, and brought up in misery and vice, for whom the Colonial Secretary sought a refuge in the Protestant Orphanage. A local Act gives the Governor in Council power to send such children to the Orphanages, which it was proposed in such cases to use for the purposes of reformatories, but a condition for the admission of these children was that the directors of the orphanages should be " willing to receive them. In the instance to which we are alluding, the manager of the Protestant Orphanage very properly declined to receive the child, fearing, not without good cause, that one practically acquainted with impurity and vice, might have an evil influence upon the rest. But the Orphanage Committee having thus had forcibly brought before them the urgent necessity for some institution in which female children of the criminal class might be placed, withoome hope of effecting their re-formation, propose to take such steps to supply this want as the means at their command will allow. We are glad to hear of this determination, and have no doubt the public will liberally support so benevolent on undertaking. If it was urgent that a reformatory should he formed for boys, and that youthful gaol-birds should be kept apart from hardened criminals, how much more necessary is it, in the interests of humanity, that some place should be established in which little girls who have gone wrong can be taken charge of, and saved v from sinking permanently to the lowest depths. It is better that this work should be undertaken by private benevolence, in a religious spirit, than that it should be left to the Government to look to. A Government institution of the

kind would both be more costly, and infinitely less effective, for it would necessarily be pervaded with aprisonatmosphere-just thecontraryof that which is wanted, We understand that the proposal of the Committee is to obtain a small property, which they have in view, somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Swan Orphanage < Upon this farm they would place a respectable married couple, carefully chosen as possessing the necessary qualifications for the work, and to the care of these persons they would confide the girls who might be handed over to them, paying the couple £30 a year per head for the children's board, half of which payment would probably be contributed by the Government. The manager of the Orphanage would of course exercise a general supervision. It is thought that in this way a little reformatory of the right kind might be attempted at a reasonable cost The number of children sent to it would probably be very few, because the orphan-ages, both Catholic and Protestant, take now at a very early age a large proportion of those girls who from their surroundings would otherwise develop habits of vice. To these few remarks we may add that the Dean of Perth and the Archdeacon will thankfully receive contributions to a special fund which they propose to organize under the name of "The Girls' Reformatory Fund." Subscriptions to this fund will also be received at

the Western Australian Bank.

A GENTLEMAN, lately a visitor to this colony, is contributing a series of bright and in, telligent papers on Western Australia to a South Australian contemporary. From the second paper we extract the following remarks on King George's Sound :-" Nothing surprised me so much as the really splendid character of the harbour of King George's Sound. For security, commodiousness and beauty, I know of no harbour in Australia that can compare with it, excepting only Sydney harbour. I began to wonder how I could have been so ignorant, and to feel ashamed that I had never realized I had ever known, that King George's Sound, instead of being, as its name suggests, an open roadstead, is a splendid harbour in which a whole navy might ride in security. It was a relief to find that at least there were others who shared my ignorance and amongst the passengers who had not visited the Sound previously, the expression of surprise was general. Colonel Scratchley (the writer's fellow passenger) confessed that he had no idea of the magnificent capabilities of the harbour until he saw it. Whether it was the eloquence of the harbour master or the obvious and splendid possibilities of the harbour as a military fortress that impressed Colonel Scratchley, is not for met say ; but certain it is that his military arden

was thoroughly aroused and those who heard his views were impressed with the conviction that could he have his way, King George's Sound would soon be transformed into a naval depot, and defences would bristle from island and promontory in a most threatening manner. The unsentimental view-of matters taken by the British taxpayer will, no doubt exercise its influence in modifying the plans of the enthusiastic soldier; but King George's Sound will not long remain in the obscurity that has surrounded it in the past. It appears to be a phenomenon of colonial life that district jealousies should exist, and that the inhabitants of one district should regard the Legislature as conspiring in unlawful league and covenant to return their progress and prevent their district from gaining the premier position that nature designed it should occupy. The special grievance

here is that the influence and wealth of the colony have been expended in the attempt to make Fremantle the port of call for mail steamers and to establish its position as Me port of the colony. The malicious desire of the Government and Legislature to blight the welfare of Albany probably only exists in the imagination of the inhabitants of that town, but there it exists in very reality, a fact and truth at least as certain as the gospel. Disinterested observers will scarcely be persuaded that Albany has been treated with mere capricious spite. Nature, however, has thrown much of the

weight of its authority in Albany's scale, and, in the long run, Fremantle will be behind in the race. As a harbour Fremantle is at a tremendous disadvantage, and the expenditure of unlimited loans of money could not place her in this respect on an equality with Albany.

Then, while Fremantle is more central as to the colony, Albany is more central as to the world and in it comes to a question of Western Australia versus the World, I suppose the world

will win."