COOK MEMORIAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XII, Issue 1084, 30 December 1903, Page 1

COOK MEMORIAL.

'(To the Editor of the Times.)

Sir, —Assured of your co-operative influences of pres 3 and talent, I desire to mako a suggestion :—Tho Cook Memorial which will bo orected hero, if wo patiently persist in our intention therefor, should stand in our leading thoroughfare. Tho handsome post oflico marks the commencement of our town’s main avenue of business, and of our evening's gas-lit promenade. At Adair’s, Miller’s and Masonic Hotel’s crossing, the memorial may stand in centrical adornment. The firebell skeleton toweris already judiciously placed. Tho Cook Memorial Group, I suggest, humbly as I may, hut—perhaps, with some artistic taste and perceptions—a Statuary Group : —Captain Cook as a Naval Commanding Officer ; threecornered cocked hat, epauletted, sworded, telescoped. To Maro, the first Martyr whose patriotic blood baptized the Britons’ advent to Now Zealand. Ho to be represented—ancient Maori war chieftain, head attired with comb and huia plume, war belt on loins, arm raisod in act of poising spear preparatory to cast. Cook, calm, majostic; To Maro, fierce, muscles all at tension. A third figure to completo the group. A boy of sixteen years, in infantry regimentals, bugle pressod close to lips, but graspod by left hand, right arm broken, hanging by side. Why should this figure bo so sculptured V To tho immortal memory of tho boy, Bugler Allan, who to sav'd the

lives of his comrades sounded “ to arms,” and died on tho instant under tho battlo tomahawk of tho enemy. Is tho story of that heroic boy known to your readers?— I am, etc., Geo. H. Wilson.

A despatch ftom Chicago, December 7, says : —Armed with a paddle to ward off ice cakes, Captain Sidley Hinman, a wealthy Australian, who has made a hobby of nautical feats, lowered himself into the Chicago river, just below Kush street bridge, at noon, and swam with the icy current down to Maddison street bridge, winning 5500 dollars from George W. Turnbull, contractor, who had bet him he would not dare to attempt the feat. Mr Turnbull was at every bridge as his friend went by, and had a cab awaiting him as he omerged from his icy swim. At Maddison street the swimmer was cheered by an ad miring crowd. The hardy captain caused a commotion on Saturday at his hotel by ordering a 501 b lump of ice to cool th« frigid Lake Michigan water, furnished through the city's mains, for his bath. To-day,s al fresco dip camo as a result. Captain Hinman is tho son of a wealthy ship chandler. He spends every summer at a resort on Morrison Lake, New South Wales, near his home, and acts as a sort of volunteer life-saving crew. Ho has a record of saving twelve lives. Five years ago ho saved the life of a wealthy woman who was summering there, and received as a roward a valuablo piece of land and 3000 dollar?. He has spent tho last five years in travel. J T, XT IU.

Referring to tho Harpor case, tho Utago Daily Times says : — 11 Tho fact should not be overlooked that our own colony is hedged in with restrictions that act just as harshly as those of the United States Government. If the Customs officials were allowed to use a littlo discretion in carrying out tho provisions of the Immigration Restriction Act, there would not be much room for complaint. The law has, however, to be enforced to the very letter by the Customs authorities, and in consequonce instances of hardship to travellers and involving expense to the shipping companies are of frequent occurrence. A few months ago, wo are informed on roliablo authority, two young Maltese wished to come to tho colony, their inte-n----tion being to settle down with an uncle in Nasoby. On arrival at Lyttelton, howover, one was unable to pass the test provided by tho Immigration Eestriction Act, and he bad to return to Sydney; while tho other, who passed tho test, was allowed to laud. Even’ more recently an Italian, who bad resided in Hobart for many years, desired to join his brother in New Zealand, but when he got to the colony ho was refused permission to land because he could not read nor write any European language. This man could speak English quite fluently, had ample means, and w’as hirrblv respected in Hobart, where he had

been in business. Under the present posi* tion of our law a native of India, and one of the subjects of Kiug Edward, would no doubt bo prevented from landing, oven though he might be tho wearer of his Majesty’s uniform, and in every way a loyal subject. The steamship companies are compelled to convey the so called undesirable immigrants froo to tho original port from which they carried them, while a fine of j£'loo is inflicted should tho ‘undesirable’ manage to get ashore secretly.”

M. Ferdinand Labor!, (lie wellknown. advocate of Dreyfus, who defended Madame Humbert ami her brothers in .the recent famous trial, is a broad-built,- bearded man, fairhaired and blue-eyed, two or three inches over six feet high, and looking more like a jovial German than a Frenchman. lie is as ingenious as a schoolboy, and without a particle of the craft and cunning -which arc generally considered good things for a lawyer to have. His wife, a most beautiful woman, was Miss Miss Maggie O'Key, a London con-

cert. singer, whose mother kept a large boarding-house in the West End There two guests fell m love with her—M. Labor! and the great pianist, Vladimir dc Pachmanu. bhe chose, and married, the latter ; hut the union proving an unhappy' one, a divorce was obtained, and, subsenttcully meeting her old lawyerlover in Paris, she made an alliance with him J7.hich she has never regretted, ....