Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Friday 1 September 1893, page 2


GENEEAL NEWS

On board the' French mail steamer Australieu, which passed through Albany on her way from Marseilles to New Caledonia about a fortnight ago, is one of the new steam services for disinfecting the ship,

and a very excellent sanitary arrangement it is described to be. The provision is one made under the new regulations brought into force since the International Sanitary Congress of 1892. Every night the linen used by passengers ov crew on board is disinfected by tho new engine under a pressure of 248- F. After this disinfection the linen is put in bags. The same operation is made for the luggage of all persons coming from Port Said, Suez, Aden, or any other ports. This new regulation presents all the guarantees of security possible for the hygienic state of the ship and all on board. The steam stove and the operation of the disinfection system are under the supervision of the medical officer for the voyage. Those interested in the scholars attending Miss Best's classes are reminded that the Chief Justice will distribute the prizes to-morrow afternoon, at 3.30, in the Cathedral Sunday schoolroom.

Mr. Geo. Trimnell informs us that a company of ladies and gentlemen left Melbourne on Tuesday by the s. Victorian under engag. ment to produce a number of plays in this colony. The company includes* the well-known comedian, Mr. Geo. Dean, who is one of the principal stage directors in Australia ; also Mi*. Jivles Shnoiison, a tenor singer of considerable repute. During the season, burlesqiie, comedy, drama and operetta will be produced, and at Christmas, when the tour will close, a grand pantomime will be produced. The company are bringing with them a full wardrobe, a stock of scenery, and a sem'c artist will accompany the troupe. Full particulars of the company, and the date of the opening performance, will be given in our advertising columns shortly. Lord Arthur Butler, in the unavoidable absence of the chairman, presided on Thursday at an extraordinary general meeting of the shareholders in the Hampton Lands and Eaiiway Syndicate, at Winchester House, Old Broad-street, reports the Australian Trading World of July 29. After some ordinary business had been transacted, Mr. R. H. Lupage, M.I.C.E., one of the directors, who has recently returned from Western Australia, stated that upon the discovery of gold upon the company's property becoming known, he went out to Hampton Plains and made a selection of 216,000 acres freehold from . the 1,340,000 acres of leasehold which the company owned. During his short visit he had only time to inspect a small portion of their property lying between the Coolgardie Goldfields and Mount Martin and Lake Lefroy, the districts where he discovered gold ; he also

reported that hetound no less than 200 outcrops of reef quartz, whilst the manager had informed him that ho had seen more than 500 outcrops. Since his return the company had received a letter from Mr. Anderson, their manager, informing them that several reefs had turned out goldbearing, one of which had proved to be a true ' fissure ' carrying rich free gold. These would be easy to work, most of the gold quartz being near the surface. Within a mile-and-a-half of their land one lump had been found that did not require crushing, being' solid gold, and three lumps of quartz, together when crushed (weight 62 lb.) gave a return of 506 ozs. of smelted gold. The climate being a temperate one the country was suitable for colonisation and for the rearing of cattle and sheep. He expressed a strong belief th-t in the near future theirs would be one of tho most valuable enterprise in the whole of Australasia. Friday and Saturday next (Sept. 8 and 9) are, by proclamation, appointed Bank holidays at Bunbury.

The following appointments and promotions are officially notified :— H. Page Woodward, F.R.G.S., &c, Government Geologist of Western Australia, to be a justice of the puace for this colony; J. Hasleby, to be clerk to the magistrates and Clerk of the Local Court at Northampton, vice A. Patten, transferred ; W. D. Cummins, to be ?district registrar of births, deaths andmarriages for the East Kimberley District; Thos. Rowe, to be a councillor for the East Ward of the Municipality of Geraldton: robert Davey Hardey, to be a member of the Perth District Roads Board, vice Thomson, resigned; and John C. Mews, to be a member of the said Board, vice Henry Gibbs, deceased; J. Talbot Hobbs, to be a member of the Central Board of Health, vice Jas. Manning, deceased; Campbell Taylor, to be a justice of the peace for this colony; William Waugh Hope, M.B., Melbourne Univ., B.S., Melbourne Univ., registered as a medical practitioner of this colony. The Liquor Law Amendment Bill, for suppressing bogus drinking clubs, /was discussed in committee, by the Legislative Assembly, last evening, and was .passed through this stage, with some amendments, but no material alterations. A number of amendments and new clauses, which would have materially altered the bill, were discussed but rejected. One amendment, which was adopted, will confine the colonial wine licenses (retail sale) to towns only. The police received intelligence this morning that a man named Fletcher had been found dead at White's Mill. Dr. Stewart has been instructed to hold a post mortem examination, and if an inquest be deemed necessary, Mr. Cowan, P.M., will hold it at Guildford. The quarterly sitting of the City Licensing Bench will be held on Monday next, at 11 a.m. The twenty-first popular concert under Mr. Julius Herz's experienced direction will take place to-morrow evening at the Town Hall. Among the items on the programme are Mendelssohn's fine overture 'The Hebrides,' and a symphony by Hadyn, which will be played by the orchestra. Madame Herz will make a re-appearance, and Mi'. A. T. Chamberlain, a visitor to this colony, will sing Sullivan's ' Lost Chord,' Tosti's ' Good Night,' and will take 'oart with Miss Wainscot in the'' duet,

' The Sailor Sighs.' Mr. H. E. Parry will make a first appearanca in a comet solo, and the otter members of the company will appear in new songs, duets and instrumental selections. His Excellency the Governor has signified his intention of being present at the concert. In consequenee of the success of Mr. W. J. Ferguson's recital ' A nicht wi' Scottish Song Writers, ' delivered in the Fremantle Town Hall on August 30, Mr. Ferguson has been requested to repeat it next Monday evening, in the Scots Church Lecture Hall Fremantle, and has consented to do so. It is expected that Mr. H. E. Dixson will pay a short visit to this colony, leaving Adelaide about the middle of next month. Every servant girl in Germany is obliged, to own a little blank book for stamps. Once a week her mistress pastes in tho book a twopenny or halfpenny stamp, which is purchased from the Government. When the girl gets old or falls ill, the stamps are redeemed by the Government, so that she has a small sickness or old age-fund. It is a simple provident custom that was inaugurated some two years ago by the direction of the Emperor. Mi\ James M'Culloch, metallurgist and mining engineer, who is now visiting this colony, we are pleased to learn, is very highly recommended as a mining expert, having had 30 years' experience in America and tho Australian colonies. It is Mr. M'Culloch's intention to proceed at once to the Coolgardie goldfields, and he has been commissioned by a Melbourne syndicate to give a candid opinion on the prospects of that field in respect to reefing operations. Should this opinion be favorable, it will be followed by the expenditure of a large amount of capital in developing several selected areas. The landlord of a New York restaurant that has an orchestra has made the following interesting study of the effect of different compo3ers on the appetites of his customers :— On Wagnerian evenings I supply

j T five times as much lager beer as usual. When Mendelssohn is performed no demand is made for ham sandwiches. Strauss is the composer who makes tho wine flow. Directly a Strauss waltz is played champagne is ordered largely. A meeting of the Fremantle District Board of Education was held at the local Town Hall on August 30. Present, Archdeacon ?Watkins (in the chair), Messrs. T. H. Marshall, J.E. Doonan, andW. E. Wray. A minute paper from the Central Board re results of teachers' examinations, and the Inspector's remarks thereon was read and considered. The following correspondence from the Central Board was read : Stating that a monitor could not be appointed to the Boys' School, it being fully staffed in accordance with by-law 10 ; accepting the recommendation of the Board to purchase Block 29 Beaconsfield, adjoining that recently purchased for the proposed new school ; approving of 20 per cent, being added to the average attendances of the schools in the district for the last quarter, the attendance having been seriously affected by the small-pqx epidemic. In reply to a letter the Central Board wrote that a portion of the Depot

site had been pegged out for a new school at North Fremantle. Copy of a new scale of allowances for the cleaning of schools was received. Mr. Adam, Head-master of the Boys' School, wrote stating that the sum allowed tor his school, viz., i.8 per annum, was insufficient to have the work thoroughly performed. Re establishing a provisional school at Coogoe (Clarence), the Central Board stated that it would be better to defer the matter, as these schools would be provided for under the new | Education Act. Mr. Wray drew attention to the fact that nothing further had been heard as to ' starting the new school at Beaconsfield. It was imperatively necessary to push on the work before the summer -weather sets in, as the present building was injurious to the health of the children. The Board concurred, and the Secretary was instructed to write strongly urging the necessity of starting this woi-k. Mr. Doonan stated that under the provisions of the new Industrial Schools Act the police could render great assistance in dealing with cases of habitual truancy. The Secretary was instructed to write to the Commissioner. of Police asking that this matter may receive attention. Other routine business was transacted and the Board adjourned. On Tuesday evening a very successful concert was held at the North Fremantle Congregational Church, in aid of Church funds. The hall -was filled by an appreciative audience. The Eev. W. H. Peters, the minister of the district, occupied the chair. The programme opened with an overture by Misse3 Pearse and Duffield. Songs were contributed by Mesdames Broomhalland Harrison, Misses Kavanagh and Haley, and Messrs. H. Bolton, Carter, Bell, and Little. Mrs. H. Bolton and Miss

Bolton gave a pianoforte duet. Mrs. Harrison and Mr. F. Westlake were very successful in an amusing vocal duet. Interesting recitations were rendered by Messrs. Savage and Carlton. A reading from Dickens.iby the Eev. S. Bryant, was listened to with pleasure. Mesdames Sendey and H. Bolton, with Mr. Cowan, kindly accompanied the various vocalists. Refreshments were partaken of during the interval. It is expected that a substantial sum will be handed to the treasurer as the result of this special effort on the part of the church committee. Mrs. A. H. Leonowens, in her book, ' Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok,' gives some glimpses of Court life in Siam that are of peculiar interest in view of the present troubles in that country — says the reviewer in the last issue to hand of the European Mail. Of tho present monarch Mrs. Leonowens (who, by the way, was formerly a resident of Perth), writes : — ' The Prince of Somdetch Chowfa Chulaloukorn was about ten

pears old, when I was]J Appointed to ieach him. Being the eldest son of the Queen Consort, he held tho first rank among the children of the King. For a Siamese he was a handsome lad — of stature neither noticeably tall nor short; figure symmetrical and compact ; and dark jomplexion. He was, moreover, modest irid affectionate, eager to learn, and easy to influence. From his studies, both in English and Pali, he derived an exalted Idea of life, and precocious and inexpressible yearnings. To this young Prince I was strongly attached. He often deplored with me the cruelty -with which the slaves were treated, and, young as he was, did much to inculcate kindness towards them among his immediate attendants. He was a conscientious lad, of pensive habit, and gentle temper. Speaking of slavery one day, ho said to me, ' These are not slaves, but nobles; they know how to bear. It is we, the princes, who have yet to learn which is the more noble — the oppressor or the oppressed.' Once he told me he would rather be poor and have to earn his living than be a King.' Of King Monghut of Siani, father of the present ruler, Mrs. Leonowens tells the following amusing story: — One night a little after 12 o'clock, as he was on tho point of going to bed, like any plain citizen of regular habits, His Majesty fell to thinking how most accurately to render into English the troublesome Siamese word ' phi, ' which admits of a variety of interpretations. After puzzling over it for more than an hour, getting himself possessed with the word as with the 'devil' it stands for, and all to no purpose, he ordered one of his lesser State barges to be manned and dispatched with all speed for the British Consul. That functionary, inspired with lively alarm by so startling a summons, dressed himself with unceremonious celerity and hurried to the Palace, conjecturing on the way aU imaginable possibilities of politics and diplomacy, revolution or invasion. To his vexation he found the King engaged with a SiameseEnglish Vocabulary, and mentally divided between ' deuce ' and ' devil' in the choice of an equivalent. His pompous Majesty gravely laid tho case before tho Consul, who, though inwardly chafing at what he termed the ' eonfounded coolness' of the situation, had no choice but to decide with grace, and go back to bed with philosophy.' Eainfall registered at 9 o'clock this morning: — Hamelin Pool 8 points, Geraldton 42, New Norcia 50, Gingin 38, Newcastle 25, Northam 30, York 11, Beverley 15, DoodleMne 2, Southern Cross 1, Guildford 38, Perth 48, Fremantle 54, Jarrahdale 67, Pinjarrah 93, Mandurah 1.7 5 Bunbury 48, Bridgetown 3, Busselton 49,Quindalupl*13, Karridale 67, Bannister 12, Williams, 35, Kojonup 5, Mt. Barker 3, Albany 10,Katanninsr 1.

This evening a special public mooting will be held in tho North Fremantlo Congregational Church in order to inaugurate a Good Templar Lodge. Further particulars appear in our business columns. The following communication from the department of Lands and Surveys reached us this morning : — I am instructed to inform you that Mr. H. P. Woodward, Government Geologist, lias been appointed by His Excellency the Governor in Executive Council, on the recommendation of tho Hon. the Minister for Lands, to temporarily perform the duties in and excrciso the powers of Warden of the newly proclaimed Dundas Goldfield, and will at once proceed to that locality, by way of Broome Hill, Jerramungup and Phillips Eiver, so that he may deal with many cases requiring attention and issue necessary documents and attend to and report upon the wants of the field. Ho will also prepai-e a geological reporb on the Dundas Hills and surrounding country. I am, &c, Henry Pbinsep, for Under-Secretavy for Lands.'