FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 49, 26 August 1933, Page 11

FIFTY YEARS AGO

ITEMS FEOM " THE POST "

A LAWYER TOWN CLERK

"Seeing that we for some years liavo persistently advocated the appointment of a solicitor as Town Clerk to this city, it is perhaps hardly necessary to say that we cordially approve and supper* xk<> motion which is to come before tne next meeting of the council," comments "The Tost" of this date fifty years ago. "The Wellington ratepayers have learned by sad and expensive experience how very unsatisfactory the present arrangement is. The city pays a Town Clcrli, who has a large stall of subordinate officials, and a City Solicitor, who holds consultations with himself as barrister, and gives himself copious and costly instructions, and yet we are always getting into frightful messes, of which the Wainui-o-mata muddle is the latest. The Corporation is a constant shuttlecock between the two battledores, the Town Clerk and the City Solicitor. It is quite unnecessary to have a clerk who is obliged to fly to the solicitor at every step to ascertain whether ho is acting rightly or wrongly. A Town Clerk "ought himself to be able not only to determine whether, his own proceedings are legal or illegal, but also to advise tho council, and interpose a check on< any vagaries on the part of the Mayor by dropping a timely hint. We do not want the council to bo getting constantly into shocking messes through sheer ignoraiico of the law, and then paying out of tho ratepayers' pockets for . their bliindcriugs. This sort of tiling has gone on long enough, and the annual bill for 'legal expenses' has been out of all proportion. Lawyers, and good ones, too, are very plentiful nowadays, and for ono tho Mayor proposes a salary not exceeding £.1000 a year. But we do not think that it will be necessary to offer anything like tho maximum sum. Probably £600 a, year would secure a thoroughly capable legal practitioner as Town Clerk." THEATRE ROYAL. "Satisfactory progress is being made with the work of renovating and altering the interior of tho Theatre Boyal, but it will be fully ten days yet beforo a performance can take place in the building. The iron chairs imported from England several months ago arc being repainted and fitted in position in the dress circle as quickly as possible. The intention of tho directors was to erect five rows of these seats, but as it was found that such a number would bo inconvenient, it has been decided to have only three tiers, thus reducing the seating accommodation of the upper part of the house. This, however, will be made up below, as tho directors have arranged for the construction of orchestral stalls accommodating nearly 100 persons, admission to which will be at about the same price as that charged for seats in the dress circle." RAILWAY REVENUE. "The railway returns for the first 16 weeks of the current financial year exhibit as a. whole the same features as recent returns, the result, as usual being a diminished net profit. The Hurunui-Bluff line shows the biggest decrease in receipts, but the Auckland section of the railways, as well as the Wellington-Napier sections, show an increase in profits. The Canterbury and Otago branch, lines display their usual unsatisfactory results, the bare working expenses amounting to a great deal more than all the receipts put together. It is instructive to noto that some of these lines aro to be further extended as a moans for the local disposal of part of the new loan." A JUDGE AND THE PRESS. "Mr. Justice Bichmond liberated his soul yesterday oil two questions of newspaper management. His Honour feels deeply aggrieved that the Wellington newspapers do not publish reports, of proceedings in Parliament as fully as Hansard, and he is disgusted that the two metropolitan newspapers should be sold at only a penny per copy. These are surely eccentric grievances. It has never entered our head that anyone would clamour for more Parliament. Our constant haunting fear.has been that we should be assailed with the bitter reproaches of bored and wearied readers for inflicting upon them so much dreary stuff as tho Parliamentary debates have degenerated into. We are quite sure they would not stand any more. The learned Judge's view on the penny question is also singular, and we doubt whether it Trill be shared by the rest of our readers. Perhaps, after all, his Honour, although a Judge, and a good Judge, too, is scarcely so good a judge on questions of newspaper management as he is in respect to those legal problems within the scopo of his review." "THOSE PANTS." "Mr. Tuniliull has given notice Hint he will ask the Minister of Public Works whether the sum paid to the West Coast Railway Eoyal Commission includes Messrs. Ballantyne and Co.'s account' amounting to £24 for goods supplied to the Commissioners, which goods included one pair of gloves, two pairs of socks, two shirts, one muffler, two pairs of pants, and one jersey for each Commissioner; and if so included, whether these articles have been roturned to the Government. It is truly painful to think that these worthy men were in so a deplorable plight as to clothing as to need 'rigging out' before entering upon their duties. One feels saddened on reflecting what a condition, their wardrobe nrust havo been in when they were unable to start upon their Eoyal Commission until they had been clothed from head to foot at the public expense. Each Commissioner seems to have been 'found' throughout, with the exception of boots and hats. It is a strange revelation to find that they were even without pants. However, in our. opinion they were quite right in securing pants and complying with the requirements of decency before they made their triumphal progress as a Eoyal Commission, even if they had to do so at tho public expense. It would have been unprecedented, not to say improper, had a Eoyal Commission travelled the country pantlcss. But what will they do now if they have to return those pants' to the grasping Government?" A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. "A recent visitor to Wellington was not favourably impressed with our trams. The cars, he says, aro small, and the guards assume a devil-may-care rollicking sort of style and throw the paper tickets at tho passengers or on the floor as the spirit moves them. The genus tramway guard in Wellington is not an improvement on his fellows in other cities in the colony, seeming to be a larrikin of the harmless' type. On the other hand, twohorse carriages can be used in Wellington at a lower rate than elsewhere, and the Jehus who manipulate the reins of .these well-appointed vehicles are of better class than the tramway guards, thinks out distinguished visitor. The climate of Wellington, he considers, is grand, except when it rains, and that is'sev l en days ajweek." In the last few years mothers have been learning many interesting new facts about their children. One is the daily dose of Skipper's Emulsion, which contains all the. health and strengthbuilding ingredients of cod liver oil, yet has the cod liver oil flavour so skilfully hidden aa to prove-most delightfully palatable. .. Chemistsand grocers sell Skipper's Emulsion, at 2s 3d and 4s-3d.—Advt.