The Victorian Government is, faced with a ticklish problem at the present moment—the devising of a law. which will prevent fraudulent bondsman obtaining the release of a prisoner who is held for a criminal offence. The neces. sity for shis law has arisen, out of the case of a man named John Williams, who had secured bail and failed to put in the necessary appearance when his trial came forward. Williams had been arrested Berrigum, on a charge of conspiring with' two other men to defraud a man named Roberts.
Jwoman, who stated that she was Mrs. Kathleen Crawford, living at} 'Victoria Street, Brighton, the same. address as Williams gave, approach. led Mr, D. J. Murphy, a' Justice of the Peace residing in Richmond, offering to go bail for Williams. Mr. Murphy demanded to see eredential to show that she could afford the bail of £200. This the woman did, producing what purported to be genuine documents, and, Mr. Murphy had the prisoner re-eased on all, It now appears that, when the police wont to Victoria Street, Brighton, to estreat the bond, they discovered a Mrs. Kathleen Crawford, but she was not the woman required. The Mrs. Qrawford in re-Isidence in Victoria Street did not know Willi Departmental chiefs state that this not the first occasion, although it is not necessarily common occurrence. It is customary, however, for the production of Savings Bank book showing money available cover the bond, which is kept by the police until the man answers his bail, although, if a bondsman assesses freehold property, this accepted as a sign of good faith. Often the potice allege that they do not see the person who offers to. go bail for a criminal. In such ceases, the police are powerless to unform the Justice of the Peace ]whether the bond is trustworthy or not. The Attorney-General, Mr. Macfarlan, has now taken the matter up and a stricter watch will be kept in fature upon all bondsman. wealth prickly pear investigations. Mr. Frank Hurley is the well-known, cinematographer who. toured Papua and New Guinea, talking films of snnibalistie savages. Mr. W. Marr from the permanent staff of the Discovery, the vessel used for whaling research work around the Falkland Islands and is regarded as one ofthe world's authorities on
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.