VICTORIA.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1702, 4 August 1879, Page 3

VICTORIA.

[FEOM THE "PBESS" COBBESPONDENT.] MELBOURNE, July 22. The New Zealand mail stoamor has an awkward habit of sailing from this port of Melbourne just when something of unusual importance is about to transpire. Within a few hours of the time at which these lines are being penned our new Constitution Act Amendment Bill will be out, of which I should like to give a full account, but am now able to say in a general way, from what has alroady leaked out in regard to it, that it will give the Assembly the same command over Money Bills that the House of Commons possesses, and that it will reform the Council by making it a nominee instead of an elected body. Einality in legislation is to be obtained by means of the plebiscite. It is all nonsense. No such measure will ever pa»B. We want no finality and no plebiscite, only some patriotism, moderation, and common sense in our party leaders. Given those qualities, and good government and wise legislation will certainly enane. Without them no amended constitution will be of any avail—not even if an angel from heaven were to descead upon the colony to help us to frame one. We have had two weeks of a new session of Parliament, the last of the present one. Very little has been done as yet—nothing, I may say, of a practical kind, except the passing of a Supply Bill to meet immediate demands. The first few days of the sossion were Big-naliee-i by an interchange of personal remarks almost more offensive than we had previously been 'accustomed to. That dreadful young man David Gaunson raked up an an eight years' old personal slander against the head of the Government, and so used it as to occasion a flow of tears from Mr Berry's eyes. It was a coarse, cruel, and brutal attack, and enlisted on its victim's behalf the sympathies of all kindly witnesses of the scene. The matter referred to was of an entirely personal and private nature, and one in regard to which the outside public can form no proper opinion, being necessarily only partially informed as to the facts of the ease. The truculence of this member's (Mr Gaunson's) conduct in the House is in singular contrast with his appearance and general bearing, for he is really a handsome young fellow, with a pleasing and rather refined manner of speech, which, if we might judge by externals, would give promise of better things. The truth about him is that he is eaten up with self-conceit, which prompts him to come to the front on all occasions, and he is so entirely without wit or humour or appreciation of the ridiculous, that he never knows when he is snubbed or laughed at, and so goes on to extremes where men with a little more nous would see the propriety of stopping short. The most important debate which the present session has produced was on the subject of a most vexatious and injurious code of rules iaeurd by the Crown Lands department, known as the "Leasing Regulations." An opponent of the Government moved that these should be repealed, when another member on their side of the House moved that some of them should be repealed. A three days' debate ensued, which began by being factious and acrimonious, but afterwards settled down into seriousness and tolerable good sense. Shortly, the matter in dispute was the propriety of permitting the Minister of Lands to hold the power to determine when and to what extent a selector may mortgage his property. Mr LotJgmore has long been exercising thia power in rather a despotic and high-handed manner, contending that he does so to prevent dummyism and to protect the poor selector against the machinations of unprincipled capitalists. On the other band, it is alleged, and very generally believed, that this Minister and his regulations have bftenthe means of preventing the struggling selector from obtaining necessary advances, which he otherwise could have obtained in the ordinary course of business. The question having been fully discussed, the House divided, when there was a majority of eight votes on behalf of the Government. But this result was only obtained by Mr Berry making a fervent appeal to support Government, lest his reform, should be endangered, and the tendency of the discussion was unquestionably to disparage Mr Longmore's administration of the Land Act, which, it is hoped, will be a lesson to him to relax the severity of his rule, and allow the very numerous tillers of the ground to have some little say in the management of their own private affairs. And, by the bye, these same free selectors are in a bad way just now. What with dry seasons, red rust, and mortgages, thoy are nearly as badly off as they can be to exist at all. An incident in illustration, which combines tho comic and the pathetic, may be mentioned. A bailiff was despatched from Eohuca the other day to levy on the property of a Crown tenant, and having had previous Bad experience of the sparse housekeeping of this class he went supplied with his own previsions. But, behold, when he got to his destination he found nothing in that Crown tenant's dwolling but a swarm of hungry children. These young cormorants ate the poor bailiff out in a few minutes, and next day he had to leave or perish at his post of duty. The case will probably be ended by means of interpleader proceedings, but it is pleasant to remember that tho selector's children got a good bellyfull for once. There was nothing very notoworthy about the re-assembling of Parliament, except that the meeting took place in a re-arranged and greatly improved Legislative Hall, the principal entrance to which ia now approached by a magnificent flight of stone stairs, with a grand terrace at the top, from which one can view Bourke street from end to end to the utmost advantage. Inside the main entrance are two splendid halh, separated by a highly ornamented wooden screen—the outer one for tho general public who have business with members, the inner for members and the ; r friends. The pillars, pilasters, cornices, and other enrichments of these halls arc executed in the highest style of mechanical art, as is, also, the wood-carving in which their decoration abounds. Architects and others capable of forming an opinion on suoh subjects inform me that no better work of the same kind oould be Eeen in any part of the world. The sensational incident of the reassembling of Parliament was Mr Deakin'a resignation of his seat for West Bourke—in point of fact he may be said to have abandoned his seat before he ever took it, for, in reply to the Governor's spooch, he formally resigned, although the effect of this Parliamentary coup de theatre was slightly marred by the Speaker's intimation that the young member could not resign until after thirty days. after taking hia seat. Tho resignation was, of course, prompted by the difficulty that occurred when Mr Deakin was elected, through one division in the electorate being virtually disfranchised through an insufficiency of voting papers. Mr Deakin made a favorable impression upon the House. He is of agreeable appearance, pleasant manners, speaks readily and correctly, and if he is a littlo too wordy and arouses in one's mind certain reminiscences of the debating society of one's early youth and the Christian Young Men's Association, that is no great harm. The worst about Mr Deakin is that he seems to have got into bad political company, and is entering public life under very baa auspices. The " unemployed " movement still goes ahead, but with diminishing impetus. In fact it begins to show symptoms of oxhaustion, and looks aa if it would soon be played out. Aa a strong anti-Berry man, I should rejoice in the unemployedness supposed to prevail in the colony, but conscience compels me to state that our destitution is more or less a fictitious affair, born of faction and carefully nursod and coddled. I have gono to some trouble to get at the facts of this destitution business. I have attended many meetings of "unemployed," and have notioed that if idle themselves the perions ultonding them were obviously tho cause of industry in others—-

say in the butcher and baker, the tailor, the shoemaker, and most particularly the tobacconist. Yesterday a deputation from the unemployed called upon the Minister of Railways to complain that the men put on to do (eleemosynary) navvy work digging utterly ÜBelejs holes in the terminus reserve, could not make more than 4j a day at so much per cubic yard of stuff removed. Accordingly, they incautiously struck work This was showing a proper spirit. "With bread at 4d a loaf, and mutton Id per lb., he would be a mean spirited caitiff who would work for four bob a day, especially in times when there are benevolent people actively canvassing the city and suburbs for destitution, making in fact a house to house visitation in search o c starvation that they may write hysterical letters in the " Argus" about it. This week an overseer on a Government job had to report to the head of his department that Borne honest poor men who had been put under hia orders were incapable of pick, shovel, and barrow work. They fell off the planks that they should climb, their hands blistered, their spines curved in. And naturally enough, for they were not laboring men at all, but photographers, bookkeepers, dentists, and artists in water colors. What can be done with a few unemployed of this description. The case is a serious one when viewed from this standpoint. Certain new Corporation by-laws, which are to come into force on the first of next month, may possibly render Melbourne a more endurable placs of existence for several classes, notably for those who go down into the streets in 'busses, and also for that very important section of the community, pedestrians in a hurry. Firstly, the long-nc-eded and almost despaired-of attempt to put down loitering in the streets is to be made, and the betting men "Under the Verandah," and the crowds of thieves who nightly block up the entrances to the Bourke street theatres, are all to be dispersed. These are great and long-standing nuisances, but can easily be put down with a little effort. But I fear that it will take a long time to cure the Melbourne youth of both sexes of their inveterate habit of promenading Bourke street on Saturday nights, gaping open-mouthed at the shop windows, or to deter the suburban larrikin from congregating at corners. Many a time, irritated by one or other of these nuisances, I have longed for one day of the " Broadway squad" of New York police—men whose peremptory " move on" could be, and very often was, promptly enforced by a truncheon like the staff of a weaver's beam, with a six-shooter in reserve. At last, also, an effort is to be made to educate people here in the road for foot passengers—" keep to the right"—a similar experiment in Ballarat having proved tolerably successful. It has always seemed strange to me that in a country where all the adult population must have had at least three months at sea, the simple rule of " porting the helm," on meeting another vessel should not have impressed itself as a guide for both land and sea. To be met, while hurrying to a train, by a contrarybound pedestrian, who will " starboard " and then " port," and so on until your last halfminute is gone, is a trial to one's patience. Then 'buses, at all events, ought not to bo allowed to stop in the particular places where the maximum of mud has to be gone through by intending passengers, and the maximum of inconvenience caused to people using the crossings, as they invariably do at present. By the opening of the Exhibition some good may be effected in these respects, but I am far from sanguine.