THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 437, 20 February 1909, Page 6

THE CHANGING SCENE

1 (By M.0.K.)

1 A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW.

For the fifth time this week ho folded the paper and drank'his seoond oup- of- coffee rath a worried look. 'His wife could endure ? it no longer. .; "Whatever is tho matterP" • eho asked/ - ."The -paper, soems to have bad news for you every day lately."' .a.:-.-,-:-:-i "No," he replied, "there's no bad news. But there's something lacking. I feel newshungry even after. I've read all the advertise--dents.' I'm afraid journalism is on the down . • grade. I feel every day that something.:, is : Jacking.:-: It: is -a- vague: feeling—kind of unidentifiable uneasiness." >■ "Why," she said, "there's over so much in tho paper,, opart from the columns und :< columns about ?the:: shipwreck. - It ..must .bo /"• that you aro missing something that you are accustomed to read regularly." . : , "But I can't locate the trouble," he : frotted. "Tho Trades Council is still giving. . its. exhibitions, of brotherhood. : Turkey is ' : v still in .the , bill.- It .isn't-the silence of the . Gorman Emperor, or. tho : quiescence of Mr. ::;:jNorth, or, the absence: of news about King •: vMonelik. There are: tho'usual murders.- Mr. Bnddo is. still.-. saying funnythings. The .lawn:.tennis (dispute is..raging as usual, and there iaplenty about tho -Australian oriokot- : : Brs. !r Pro'Bono Pnblioo' shows no falling-off. .m. his . energy.; Mr. O'Regan continues to . boil over. Money remains tight. fact, ? the. world appears to beproceeding-.much as helliveri:il Itlimk. Anyway, I'm very depressed." , ' "But, good gracious l" she said, "how can ::: ' - yon be depressed when you have Sir Joseph's - ; . speech every morning -to cheer you up?" - ; j;. .v. "Why, bless my .1 soul 1".ho . exclaimed. " -;'/You've hit-it. That's -what,l'vo;been mie- ; . sing. :And -to think- that I've - not :been . f :-,enjoying:it. . Keep: me all those papers, my i v -i dear: .I'll read them all again, as a'special ' treat." j

"As a city of summer drinks," says a : contributor to Tiie'; Dominion, "Ohaknne: stands by itsblf—that is, as a commercial entity. Bushmen and others , from tho waybacks -. will ■ drink hogsheads - of summer 'M-r-r..- drinks and risk tho everlasting ruin ofdigestion, if tho liquid can be served only by some.arch ,of;, femininity." -Tho . writer. '.'. j . saw evidence, of .the truth of . this, statement- . •v. - in Ohakuno," bo. also saw the great vogue for .. . » summer, drinks at Taumarimui, Rangataua, : Te Kuiti, and at other places • along tho lmo " .---. 'A depressLng. piece- of nows .that -has' caused D • tho. foil owing sad -. feelings in ■ the) bosom of one of the old hands:—, ■ - Xay aibottleilioro besida me,,whJe I musß-upon* W;tlie;i blight ' That .'has fallen-on .the customs of the: bush, ...- let me -see again in fancy Saltbush Bill ; and 1 Kdashiiig!i'Clancy''V J'&Si As- thoy swooped upon the whisky with a .-.■Tliamenl;, loved and.liquored with in "older; '- 'i .'-brigUtor^daya.V';;';^/; : 'j ' . Are departed, and;jny.saddoned-. spirit rinks . As.l think (upon the puny iSaltbush- BlLIb of Ohakuno i • ■ < y..-.«. > And-tho .fizzing,of their kindergarten ■ drinks; i.Tho ■ old .'.'three-star?,:that: yielded ■ ninety -serpents to tho pint, , , The rum'that ran a spider to the drop, -r ' ; Their : 'flavomc. fiordo'''.and fruity ? isn't known 1 ' Kuiti, r ' c ■ ™ And"Clancy-' cools, llid -throat with gingerpop.'' l Day by day the old rulos vanish, day by day we weaker grow; ; One;by one -wo-drop the : old heroio -links :; - Newer, liquids 'wet: theiri throttles, - alien labels deck the bottles ' , Hark ! .the fizzing of tho bnshman's- summer : drinks! 1 ' ' <

v 1 have paokod my; bouTb old bluoy: for' tho last; long, lonesome road; I'm a stranger in the world, a 'lost and strayed"; ' It is time, high time, 'I: went henoo; I have ' read my fatal sentence. •' • v • . In the t nerve-destroying vogue of lemonade. .Place,.tho :bottle^closer,,handy.;'l Bhall go my Sv.way ?i K-v Pale, already it is, peeping through the chinks; No last kindness, am I craving, not a single fewhir,';?sayirig % vks ; ; -V;'.•• v..That my momory be, not drnnk in -summer drinks. ' ■ .

; ;.Whilo Mr. Hogg has., determined to ■ con-' . eentrate,;his ' energies on-; acquiring fame l as .- theinanwhodottedthe'oountrywithbrid^eaj tho Hon. T. Mackenzie, who has a poetic - streak.;,which,-his iporo' materialistic, colleague s. lacks, is determined; to achieve immortality ; by bringing, the gorgeous scenery to tte doors of tho people, aB it were. "This," he said, referring the,other:;day;to'anarrangement v- i >hich ho has. completed,' "might, be regarded as,., his .. first .administrative, act, - .and ; would : givo effect to what he; so 'much' desired— that.tho glorious ' Boenio. treasurea;

which, jo possessed sbould.be; mado.accessible ; our ownpeople,- .. .under ■ - conditions of .. dispatch, and cost which'ho'hoped would be within tho-roach of many." .i,-;,''-'. f Wo may anticipate tho report of tho ;. Scenery. Department"During tho ' year 89 waterfalls, 240 'drop scenes,' 8665 magni- ' .ficorit : glimpses, ; ,2001 .vistas, and no fewer than 310 ..first-class . and • 502,-. visions.of Nature's*loveliness havo.been made'availably td.tbo public'.. •It will bo-admitted progreK. • In - anappendix toTthis rejiort - . details aro given", of.; the scenery- per head '.t ; , °f the population. ,It .will--bo--'seen -from , the .table. that. in . sylvan : nooks alone the increase has amounted : to: 7 per cent,' It is' unnecessary .to dwell upon the great value of this increaso in the total wealth of the ... op!ony..f, ; The . Government. gave; carcful' 'cdnJsideration to tho -question whether this' material should be disposed of to bona "fide . poets-and.artists, on/tho lcasohold orVfreo,hold syatem,. and the'.former,tehurQ was . cided upon. .For tho present l an area has r??®V;BP i irt,.{fdr,;the use of which only a , s ?i.all' license .fee; will'be charged to:.writers . order'-.that; the scenery ■ may not bo too rapidly exhatisted, it lias been . considered, advisable to restrict ,eacji pflet;to 20,000 lines and 20; poems each season, and /". artists, to. 350 squaro feet of pictured ■!' Wo ; havo not yet'obtained tbo "million. for .. . which ,we ;have offeredr-.-as ■ 'security ! these' ; ; wonderful scenic treasures. Tho.opening up ;;;, of. the natural.boautios should relievo tho rni- . employed difficulty, and it was this'considora- - .vtion which decided, tho Government : to fix , tho license foe 'for; poets and artists at tho lowest figure."