Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-06-19
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM AUSTRALIA

The following letter was received
the past week by Mrs. A. B. Murray
OF this city, from New South Wales.
Under the present conditions, it is of
great interest to every reader of the
Pilot:
Bank of New South Wales,
| Gundagai, New South Wales.
May 5, 1917.
My dear Mrs. Murray:
NO doubt you will be quite surprised
to receive letter from me after so
long silence, but life for every one
now days is rush, and letter writing
goes to the wall.
Note the above address. Four
months ago / accepted a position in
the bank as above l felt that every
woman ought to try and fit herself
In some way to relieve a man if pos
slble, and the junior and intermediate
positions can be filled by a woman
as well as man, so l am now a bank
clerk. At first | felt an absolute i'm
bec1le as l knew nothing of office
work, and had done absolutely no add
ink up or figures of any kind since
leaving school, however, with practice
4 am improving, and f1atter myself.
am making good
This is small town in the south
ern part of New South Wales. on the
banks of the Murrumbidgee, one of our
best rivers. Rivers, of course. in this
country are not what they mean in
America. The surrounding country is
hlIly and very pretty. Some day |
VIII try and send you a few snap
shots nave taken. Photography is
another thing there isn't much time
for. Every one know appears to
nave more to do than they can manage.
Ihe autumn here is very dry, the
farmers are not able to plow and SOW
the wheat. Europe will be wanting
next year. Also in the wheat districts
we are having frightful plague of
mice. They are in millions everywhere.
In walking through the paddocks one
sees them scuttling about through the
grass and the people catch hundreds in
their houses every night. The ordin
ary trap does not meet the case. All
sorts OF contrivances are arranged for
catching therl wholesale. They are
running all 1f the wheat, and the farm
ers say as fast as they SOW it. it is
eaten out OF the earth. They get in
to the stores and destroy the foods:
get into the tanks and water supplies
and drown in hundreds. Altogether
II they continue, it will become a SER
ious menace.
Today we got word of the torpedo
ing OF the transport Arcadian in the
mediterranean. The summarizing is
increasing in most alarming manner.
Surely soon some way of meeting this
dangerous and awful warfare will be
evolved. l can't bear to think of the
hghting on the western front. Both nv
brothers are there. The elder one
enlisted in August, 1914, and had no
furlough after leaving Australia in
October, 1914, until last March. when
ne mad fortnight in London. How he
did enjoy it. The first time he had
slept In double sheeted bed since he
was home on final leave! He was
right through Gallipolli, landing and
evacuation, and so far has not been
Wounder. He is "Bolubr," in the field
artillery. The younger brother has
been gone year and was not nine |
teen when he left. He had period |
or training in England before going
TO France. We must hope that Amer |
lcas intervention will be of great as
sistance. The internal disruption in
Russia means the Germans are able |
to concentrate so strongly on the |
western front. 1 fear industrial strife
everywhere
Today is election day for the Fed
eral government. You know we have
both state and federal (or common
wealth. Parliaments. In the state
election last month, a national govern
ment was returned with strong ma
jority. The nationalist party is the |
one which intends putting Twin the |
war" first, and hope today's figures |
will be another victory. The other |
party says we have done all we can,
and is composed almost entirely of |
labor unionists, who preach this is |
not Australia's war After the bravery |
and splendid heroism of those who |
have fought SO splendidly it makes |
one mad to have to admit them fell |
low Australians. One does not seem |
to be'able to write of anything but war,
| suppose because our minds are OBJ |
sessed with it. Well, dear Mrs. Muir |
ray, | hope you and yours are safe |
and well, and hope to hear again |
from you some day.