Our Wellington Letter

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 29, 23 August 1890, Page 3

Our Wellington Letter

(fbom our own correspondent.) Wellington, August 21. For a piece of true heroism comrceiu: me to the gallant action of a laboring Juan named Phillip Shannon, who a fow days ago had his hip dislocated whilst saying the life of his comrade, Sullivan. The two men were working on a co;i] hulk which was lying alongside the steamer Kanieri, when Sullivan fell between the vessels into the water, and for a moment it seemed almost certain that he would be crushed by the vessels coming togother, but Shannon placed himself as a buffer between the two boats and thus saved his chum's life, though unfortunately with the result mentioned above. Such a noble action calls for the highest praise. As I mentioned in a previous letter the ** Skinflints " are only economists so long as their own preserves are not trodden upon. Quite recently we had the Auckland contingent raving because an attempt was to be made to reduce the Government House, Auckland, vote, and yet tliey cried 44 Retrench, retrench," wheu the saiiu-y of some poor unfortunate outside their district was presented for their consideration, and now we have the great Mr Fish, who claims to be the kin,u r of economists, stiglnatifing es disgraceful ihe :;tten>pt to cut down the Diiue-iir. Working JMun's College vote. It woriii appear that even politicians are human after all. They all have their axes k> grind — and their price. Our kind hearted and liberal-minded old li'iund, Sir Geo. Grey, woke up on "Wednesday morning with a feeling of horror at some dreadful nightmare that had been troubling his mind during the darkest hours beiore dawn ; but after rubbing his eyes and glancing at the morning paper he could see that it was no nightmare, but a hard reality that he had the previous evening voted against the vote i'looo, grant towards a Working Man's College in Dunedin, and that he liad also voted for a reduction of the vote for Public Schools .£344,214 by £32,250, as an indication that free education should stop at the fourth standard. As these were votes that Sir George always defended with all the power of his magic eloquence, he concluded that the division list must, have got mixed, but at last the sad truth dashed into the veteran's mind : He had gone to the Anti-Chinese meeting the night previous, and had left a " pair" against the Government on ail reductions proposed in the House, and never even dreamt of his " favorites " coming on for mutilation. Chin Kee, Low Kee and the others of their kind have been receiving the benefit of some good honest .British criticism during the past week. " John " must go, is the cry far and wide, and it would seem that the popularity of the " almond eyed son of the Flowery Land " is on the wane. His "forced" vegetables are condemned as unwholesome, whilst his morality has e\en been questioned, and war has begen in real earnest to drive him from our midst Well, John Chinaman is a tough nut to crack, and on more than one occasion he has withstood liie terrors of the •* boycott," but if Unionists stick to their colours and keep to their resolutions the Mongolian mast depart, for even the " oiled rag" will not be given Mm to smell, and without that he must perforce pass on. On more than one occasion it has given me pleasure to record the liberality and benevolence of our foremost fellow citizen, Mr W. H. Levin. His £1000 headed the list for our Free Library, and in almost every case where charitable aid is required the name of W. H. Levin invar iably tops the list. Quite recently one of Mr Levin's female servants had occasion to seek medical attention at the Hospital, and the Hospital report just issued says that the amount of .£45 3s has been paid hv Mr Levin in full settlement of the «laim. That is the sort of Unionism we want — the union of man and man.