Melbourne, April 13.
The general success of the, initiated alr-services in Australia have been a source of great satisfaction to all: concerned. There is, in the immediate fature, a good prospect of extension of the services outside Australian territory. A' commanication with lands of the Timor Sea Has been rumoured, as well as a Line of planes bringing us nearer to Singapore, Last year's endeavours on the part Plight-Lieut. Wackett and his "Widgeon" seuplane have been brought to fruit fulness. This little plane has been hovering round the environs of the Harbour City, Sydney, most successfully, and has taken up as many as"fives passengers at a time. It is safe to assume that, at last all its troubles are over, and the parts and balance have been perfected.
'The fact' that our now Governor-General, Lord Stonehaven, is a patron of travel by air has given the civil aviation services a big lift. He has taken several interstate journeys already, under the able pilotage of Victoria's young airmen 'A quite notice-the passenger lists of the civil services has been noted since his arrival -here. It would seem that even overseas air terests are awaking to the existence of Australia in this sphere. During this week is reported at Freemantle, the port of the West Australian capital city, Perth, also the city of the black swan, the arrival of Mr. H. De Havilland of the renown ed aircraft company of designers. Mr, H. De Havilland will be in Melbourne next Monday if all goes well. Walle in Perth, it is possible he will have the opportunity to meet one of our most go ahead, and experienced air promoters, Major Norman Brearley, Major Brearley is lucky survivor of the Great War, from which he emerged with ome honours and was fortunate to overcome a nasty lung wound, the result of being hit'in the air during campaign operations. of-wonderous silks, sparkling gems, and rich red gold.
The Lure of Gold The "lure of the rich red gold has indeed been experienced in Victoria more than once during the last few months. Some road repairers in Ballarat found a few small samples of—gold-bearing quartz, as well as a quantity of tiny nuggets. This was interesting, and drew a few gloating eyes to arch the paths their owners trod in hope of seeing something even of a glittering dust, but this was nothing to compare with this week's find. At a tiny hillside township called Warrandyte, which is situated in close proximity to scenes of the great fires in the -Dandenongs recently, there is a revival of the old "gold rush" days, prospector, who has worked patiently and with perseverance under tite showers of natured "barracking," has struck gold. For some time he had been comparatively successful in the gleaning of alluvial grains, with a mate" the prospector sank a sha: some 20 feet or more down with the result that he was rewarded for his concentrated efforts by the gleam: of gold which looks a very Hikely key to a good reef. Warrandyte awoke to the fact that all was not as it seemed, the sceptics were not 98 clever as they imagined. But, not to be deterred by this from sharing in any gold, and glory, all straightway started to Pog out claims in feverish hast Beneath the blaze of the sun they hurried hither and thither—one racing to secure the rights to this block while a "mate" stalwartly strove to keep other people off the chosen locality. New arrivals caused further need for haste in the ever increasing "ant-hill" to which the sleepy township been converted. As the sun went down, suppers were neglected, andi still the claim pogging operations went on, while treasured plots were zealously guarded till official claims were all in order. At two o'clock two Valiant Sten One of her own airmen whom Australia is watching with great interest is Alan Cobham, who is to attempt to emulate the flight of the late Sir Ross Smith and his brother, Sir Keith. There is small doubt inthe minds of all Australian that he will be successful, although he may not have to arrive, ig hoped, with his machine in the same condition as that of the intrepid pair, Parer and Mackintosh, To use a purely Australian simstie they were as the out-back "cocky" who Keeps his "sulky" together by the aid of fencing wire, binder twine, and odds and ends of rope. These valiant young men had to descend several times toward the end of their long journey, and, fortunately while over land, to bring the parts of their machine into closer ce-operation with one another. The writer did witness one of "these occasions, and can remember that fencing wire was not Altogether out of the list of repairing materials.
Alas, for Australia, Mackintosh thas flown beyond the sight of mas Parer lives quiet, and compai ively unseen to the public in a suburb of Melbourne. He is still an enthusiast, and ramours of construction going on in his little suburban yard are heard of from time to time, It is to be hoped he will meet with as: great success as thas the young military officer and his "Widgeon," but unfortunately he thas perchance more financial troubles to contend with. With such a complement of air enthusiasts, and energies Australia does not, even in the most pessimis ments, fear that this generation will not live to see the giant air-all glide from out the clouds to bring us wondrous cargoes from tthe foreign lends. Tt has almost the lure-of the: tales of the. Arabian Nights, with its. sons of kings and righ merchants. Inden with presents in the morning at last the rush was over, and the weary ones had Pegged out their claims throughout the areas around Warrandyte, or despondently taken themselves off, having been too late.
The prospects of gold which have been so against Australia during the last fow years, when we have been compelled to import gold from overseas, seem as if they may be on the turn, Of course the Warrandyte "find" may not be of great national import, but the outlook is, as far as one can see, healthy for success in a small way at the very Toast; and quite in the right direetion. West Australia has also reported gold "finds" of some little Jeonsequence. Here, private claims were disappointed of spoil, and an established firm was found to have secured the mining rights for the area. If these finds should either of them prove to be—successful it should help the Government's desire for greater immigration. Nothing has so helped forward the figures of excess of arrivals over departures as the periods of gold finds have proved to do.
The Birth of Cotton Manufacture One of the outstanding ventures among the secondary industries which are growing up within the Commonwealth, is that of the firm of George A. Bond, Cotton Mills La. It is now reported that in addition to the factories which they have already been operating with Some success, this firm is erecting new factories at Wentworth, New South Wales. Bond's hosiery is now well established in the Australian home market, and many a man and maid who to their friends talk grandiloquently of the wonderful imported wearing apparel at. such and such a store, quietly buy Bond's woven goods in a different emporium altogether. Housewives too, are beginning to become familiar with their trade mark. All this is very much to the interests of the northern districts of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.