66o 



REVIEW OF REVIEWS. 



September 1, 191S. 



'action, and with several bulkheads filled 

 she found it mipossible to enter S\dney 

 Harbour or the Melbourne Heads. It is 

 such circumstances those who state that 

 the harbours are deep enough fail en- 

 tirely to take into account. Another 

 notable visitor to Australia is the White 

 Star liner " Ceramic," the largest mer- 

 chant vessel which has ever come here 

 She is commanded by Captain Stivey, 

 R.N.R., whose gallant rescue of the crew 

 of a burning steamer in the West 

 Atlantic is still remembered. The " Ce- 

 ramic," full)- loaded, could hardl\- 

 negotiate the Rip, and other vessels still 

 larger are now being built for the Aus- 

 tralian trade. Wlien will the authorities 

 wake up ? Let us hope before a grave 

 accident opens their eyes ! 



The Federal Situation. 



One needs to attend a sitting of the 

 Senate to properly appreciate the present 

 political situation in the Commonwealth. 

 There one has ocular denu nstration of 

 the hopeless position of liie Government. 

 Four or five men, on the right of the 

 President, support Senator Nlillen, and 

 opposite them, filling all the benches, in 

 serried ranks, overflowing into the cross 

 benches, strolling in and out of the cham- 

 ber, arc the Labour Senators, inter- 

 jecting, laughing, keeping up a running 

 fire of remarks as perhaps the Liberal 

 Minister replies crushingly to Senator 

 Pearce, who refuses to admit that 80,000 

 unsigned cards were entered on the elec- 

 toral rolls of New South Wales. The 

 sight is almost pathetic, but it compels 

 one to realise that the Liberal Govern- 

 ment will never consent to a dissolution 

 of the Lower House onl\-. The Opposi- 

 tion takes entire charge of the Senate, 

 and does as it likes. It held up urgent 

 business in order to discuss the Chinn 

 case, and prostituted democracy by ap- 

 pointing Senator de Largie -Mr. Chinn's 

 chief advocate — chairman of a Commit- 

 tee of Enquiry into his case. The Sena- 

 tor has no doubt perfectly satisfactory 

 grounds for describing Mr. Chinn's sum- 

 mary dismissal as the most " scandalous 

 piece of ]3ersecution that has ever taken 

 place," but for the Senate to apjioint 

 ^ anyone to a committee of enquir\- who 

 has taken any part in the controversy 



THE KINO ON H.M.A.S. " AUSTR.M.I.V." 

 The Kine:, Sir (i. Keid. the Prince of Wales, and - ' i r -n i • 



Admiral Sir G. K. Patev uviiom the Kinsr hart just is a grave reversal oi rarhamcntarv 



knighted on the qj.arter deck) are in _the centre ^^j^j^^ ^j^^ ^^,^^^^ COUntrV mUSt COndemn 



of the group of officers. 



ITopical. 



