XieViKW of Rerii'irs, _■ . 



History of the Month, 



"3 



Johnstone, O'Shannessy.] [Photo. 



Mrs. Stephen Henty. 



The late Mrs. Stepheu G. Henty, who died at Hamilton 

 (Vic.) on the 4th inst., at the age of 91 years. Mrs. Hentv 

 was the first woman to land in Victoria. This fact made 

 her quite a celebrity, and it was the custom of all the 

 Victorian Governors to visit her. She was an exceedingly 

 charming character. 



trade are quite sufficient to render it compulsory on 

 the part of any tendering company to provide the 

 most up-to-date accommodation in this respect. 

 After all the question is one of mail delivery, and 

 not of freight carrying. Some commotion was raised 

 against the conditions because they included one to 

 the effect that the Federal Government may pur- 

 chase at a valuation the line of ships which is sub- 

 sidised, and by some terrified folk it was dubbed as 

 an extremely socialistic measure. When, however, 

 it is remembered that some such clause exists in the 

 contract made by the British Government, the sug- 

 gestion seems rather childish. It is certainly in the 

 interests of the Commonwealth that such a provision 

 is inserted, for if Governments can control better than 

 private companies freight and passenger traffic on 

 land, it is not unreasonable to suppose that they 

 might very well be able to produce the same satis- 

 factory results by owning their own lines of mail 

 ships. 



Indeed Mr. Seddon. speaking lately 



State-Ovned at Wellington, made some pointed 



Freight Ships, references to the possibility of such 



a contingency arising in the near 



future. He said he was satisfied that producers 



were not getting fair value for produce and stock, 



and that part of the danger came not simply from 

 Meat Companies, but from shipping rings. He 

 pointed to the fact that in spite of the refusal of 

 the companies most interested in New Zealand trade 

 to run steamers to the West of England, his Go- 

 vernment had arranged for a service, and he prac- 

 tically held out a red flag of danger to the Shipping 

 Companies when he warned them not to presume too 

 far, or they would find that they had a fierce Go- 

 vernment opposition to meet. Possibly his words 

 were prophetic when he said that a country might as 

 well have steamers of its own to take freight. If 

 Mr. Seddon be bold enough to undertake this, the 

 mere determination would kill high freights in a 

 week. 



Mr. Deakin has in a friendly and 



The Ear of the diplomatic way turned aside a small 



King. cyclone, which gave promise of 



large development and rather fear- 

 ful results. It will be remembered that the Federal 

 Government passed certain resolutions anent Home 

 Rule, and these were forwarded to the King. A 

 meeting of protest was held in the Melbourne Town 

 Hall, resolutions were passed, and the Governor- 

 General was requested to forward them to the Bri- 

 tish authorities. 1 he Governor-General, however, 

 politely declined on the ground that the matter 

 involved was of too controversial a nature. This 

 puzzled the man in the street very much, who could 

 not understand how one side of the question should 

 be so dubbed and the other not. Moreover, it was 

 felt that the pride that is felt in the belief that the 

 ear of the King is open to the cry of his meanest 

 subject was ill-founded. It turns out, however, that 

 the resolutions should have been sent through the 

 Prime Minister, and that this course was not fol- 

 lowed as it was felt that it would be invidious to ask 

 Mr. Deakin to forward resolutions which were op- 

 posed to those he had been responsible for the pass- 

 ing of in Parliament. Mr. Deakin has, however, 

 very magnanimously said that he would be quite 

 prepared to forward the resolutions if they were 

 handed to him, a kindly and fair action which will 

 be appreciated by every lover of justice and fair 

 play, while a small flame that might have caused a 

 conflagration is stamped out. 



Some little time ago the Melbourne 

 The Health of Board of Health instigated an in- 

 School Children, yestigation with the idea of dis- 

 covering whether children in indus- 

 trial suburbs were handicapped physically in com- 

 parison with children in residential suburbs. Typical 

 groups were taken in different parts of Melbourne, 

 the ages being between 9 and 10 years, and between 

 12 and 13. In each group, twelve of each sex were 

 selected. Eight schools were visited, and 384 .children 

 examined, and it was found without doubt that boys 

 in residential suburbs were superior to industrial 

 boys of industrial suburbs, but that the reverse con- 



