[Editor: These extracts are from the general news section published in The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 4 April 1912.]
[General news items]
References to the State Ministry’s main roads policy were made by the Minister for Works (Mr. Edgar) in reply to a deputation yesterday. Mr. Edgar said that where the State could not make railways it must make roads.
“Beautiful samples of perjury” was the description given by Mr. Justice Higgins of sworn declarations which were brought before him in a case he dealt with and imposed the maximum penalty. He suggested that the declarations might be framed.
“There was not a misfortune, apparently, all through our season,” was the comment of the president of the Victorian Football League on the annual report adopted yesterday evening. Delegates smiled with satisfaction, and the report was adopted unanimously.
Instead of 17 men, there will be 16 players in a team in the game as played by the Victorian Football Association.
It is a common practice among children, especially those living along the tram routes, to mount cars while they are in motion, and spring off on the appearance of the conductor. The danger of so doing was illustrated yesterday when the coroner (Dr. Cole) held an inquiry at the Morgue touching the death of a little girl, Edith Mary Norton, which occurred at the Children’s Hospital on March 23 as the result of a fall from a tram-car in Nicholson-street, Fitzroy, the day before. Evidence was given that the girl got on to the step of the dummy, and jumped off backwards whilst the tram was proceeding towards the terminus. She received injuries to her head, which proved fatal. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death.
The Prime Minister (Mr. Fisher) was asked yesterday if any steps had been taken to provide for the representation of the people of the Northern Territory and Papua in the Federal Parliament. They have at present no voice in the government of the country, though they must submit to taxation. Mr. Fisher indicated that it would not be long before the matter would be settled, and he added that it would be referred to in his next policy speech.
Dr. Norris, the Commonwealth Director of Quarantine, who has just returned from a tour of the world, during which he conducted inquiries into quarantine practices, has prepared his report. It was yesterday handed to the Minister for Customs (Mr. Tudor), who, as he was about to leave for Western Australia shortly afterwards, threw it into his bag with the remark, “That will do for light reading on the trip.” The report will be made public on the return of the Minister.
Port Melbourne Town Pier for 25 years past has been used as a Sunday promenade resort and a meeting-ground for preachers and speakers. A regulation of the Harbour Trust, forbidding assemblages of persons on the wharf, long unenforced, is now being put into action. At yesterday’s meeting of the Harbour Trust, Commissioners Sinclair and Murphy constituted themselves the champions of those who have for so long freely used the pier on Sundays. Commissioner Murphy said that very few complaints had been heard of meetings there until an “anti-wowser” gathering was recently held. In reply to a query from one of his fellow-commissioners, he explained that a “wowser” was “one who had escaped from the Zoo.,” adding that he did little harm. Commissioner Davey voiced the general opinion of the members of the trust when he said that order must be maintained, and that a dangerous precedent had been permitted. The regulation prohibiting assemblages was a wise and protective one in the interests of the trust’s wharves. A motion, proposed by Commissioner Sinclair, to alter the regulation was negatived.
Source:
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), 4 April 1912, p. 6, columns 4-6
Editor’s notes:
dummy = (also known as a “grip car”) the leading carriage (made with an open design) of a pair of trams
See: 1) “Melbourne Tramway & Omnibus Company cable tram set”, Melbourne Tram Museum
2) “Cable & horse tramcars”, Tramway Museum Society of Victoria
3) “Cable Tram – No.1 Melbourne Tram Set, John Stephenson & Co., New York, United States of America, 1885”, Museums Victoria
4) “Melbourne cable tramway system”, Wikipedia
zoo. = (abbreviation) zoological garden, zoological gardens
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