There is little doubt that while the New South Wales coal strike ation seems to call for a clear Jheaded policy is at the moment likely to be treated to such, The: Premier, Mr. Bavin has stated plain~ ly that the time has come when it is assent for a supplement to the jocal supplies which have been comting from overseas. The Yallourn miners in Victoria are unsettled. The Prime Minister, Mr. Seullin will not discuss the matter beyond say-jing that he is still of the opinion that pacific means can be found to straighten out the matter. Moan-time Volunteer labourers are being stripped naked, their garments burned and their' bodies thrashed by: sticks and batons. The New South Wales police declare that they must juse batons occasionally to protect these volunteers. Lesser members lof the Labour party are calling upon Mr. Scullin to insist upon the dis-Jarming of the New South Wales police; while Mr. Bavin declares he }will, if needed, call for a. volunteer police force to aid in keeping the peace so that coal may be got out lof the mines. The safety-men have been withdrawn and there is danger of flooding to be contended with by ithe mine owners, While these tactics sound disgraceful their full significance must be judged by the fact that humanity and sabotage for the seamen, or the wharf Nabourers and their unions. The notorious few have harmed a majority. Jock Garden is once again in Jevidenee and was among 2 number fof men brought before the New [South Wales courts and fined for disorderly behaviour. What is more serious is the defiling of miners in system and with organization. All) firearms in the danger zones have been disbolted. The Premier has Jdrawn the fact of this breech of [Commonwealth law upon the part the miners to the Prime Min-
Lord Somers, Governor of Vie-
ing the campaign in that state for the prevention of bush' and grass fires. In a rousing speech he re-celled his own impressions of the futility of man once a fire had hold? jot a forest or stretch of grassland. 'This was in 1926 at the great Noojee' and Gippsland forest fire when His Excellency went out with some of his staff to see the fire, bat was so appaied when he saw it, that he and his companions threw oft their coats and hastened to put themselves at the disposal of the organizers of the fire-fighters' Ale ready this year in the various states fnnach has been Tost in. grass fie 1,000 acres' by one grazier on the Murray, which divides N, South Wales from Victoria, another area had a six mile front of fire threatening partly harvested crop, grass, stock and homesteads; and' various small areas of grass and forest have jail been destroyed. The organization.of motor transport for the fire fighting volunteers is not before its time, nor the propaganda for a system of motor, horse and food [patrols in forest lands, lookouts to be established; portable and fixed telephones in. aorvice day-light signalling lamps; and the cooperation of the Commonwealth by medium of the Larkin-Sopwith Aircraft Company for air patroling in fconjanction with the Forests Commissions. In recent years the forests have: been depleted. by fire land seedling growth killed, while scared. trees have become. the vic-[tims of timber pests. This, with the fact of the visitation of drought throughout many Australian districts makes the prevention of fires this year a very urgent matter to both States and Commonwealth, frrariers and forest areas.
The Sturt Centenary The Victorian Historical Society and many interested sections of the community has been following out part of itinerary of the explorer Sturt daring his 1830 expedition which led him to the Murray valley. 'The South Australian Royal yhieal Society and kindred organizations South Wales joined image, and a Memorials' committee of which Sir James Barrett ive member visited Went= Jworth, NSW. and other notable [sections of the expedition's journey unveil a chain cairns in South Australia and the two eastern states Jwhich the Murray river divides. This river lows some 1,090 miles, Jand the valley Yying each side of it approximates a rich tract of land four miles in average width throughout its course benefiting three of the six mainland states. The import-of its discovery, and the consequent value which it has been, and will in the future prove to be Australia can be widely visualized loy even one of unimaginative tem-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.