Wellington To-Day.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 May 1915, Page 3

Wellington To-Day.

IlTie Ouronicle). ular K«porter). m the .Romans' tinnitus gathered round gan to knock holee )attering rams, and lie catapults on the i. within, and in act uncivilly, a deri through the nartown crying in a roice trom the east! eat! A voice from Voa to Jerusalem I" irst prophet of ill i. When' the nalissaded back into ;hs ago, many there led that in a short ould arrive in JS'ew the front eeat. The forecasts were the the wails of the deJerusalem, where tepreesmg effect on twish people. The ► the cause of much Bral stringency and le first few months rgely due to them, rid nothing serious gradually regained ay to outward ap"is little different welve months ago. 5 in the city from Th'orndon railway •tation, the first view ot Wellington ia not never was inspiring—and with few people along the quay, and the same buildings that have been there for years, one's first impression ia thajf the effect of the Avar has hit her hard. But the centre of tho city soon dispels the idea. Many new buildings have beeiri erected during the past twelve months and many more are being erected. The building trade, judging by the cacophony of trowel, hammer and saw, and' rasp of the tihovel on the concrete board, is in a very healthy state in Wellington just now. The water front seems quieter, but the cry for more berthage space is acute and the Harbour Board is pushing on with the new concrete wharf running along the retaining wall enclosing many acres that have been reolaimed to the east; Year after year, to make room for itself, Wellington goes on. witJi the task of filling up the shallow waters with broken bricks, spoil from the various excavations round about, spoil dredged from the shoals at the narbouir entrance, and with the remains of the oyster, suppers, the sea is being gradually shouldered further out. Pipitea Point, where stood the ol<l muzzle loading guns that coughed out an offic-

ial welcome to visiting warships and people of great tonnage, is now lost in the reclamation, and the guns have disappeared. The dock site at Te Am, where money settled down better than the cement, is now filled up and doub.t will be built upon in the near future.

Ttfbugh Snot booming as they were some years ago, the picture theatres are doing some steady business, and there is no sign of grass growing on the path from the manager's offices to the various banks. mo shop windows are as attractive as ever, acccarding to the prices on the sale tickets, ■till are willing to sell goods at something like a reduction or 50 per cent, on ordinary ( pricee. The brewers' horses still are sleek and fat and the rate of wear of the doorsteps of the hotels shows no diminution. In the poorer quarter of the city, the region between Ctfurtenay Place and Buckle■treet and Cambridge Terrace one would like to see the second-hand dealers looking less prosperous. These places, "with narrow passages and ill-lighted, contain the story of many an unsuccessful about with adveasity, and looking upon these well-filled shops and contened looking proprietors, one feels about aa cheerful as when looEing at a well-filled cemetery or a tatted vulture. '

In one of the streets within the ■ above area, early in the mornibg, an individual is led, protesting volubly, by another from & house to a street. The ejection is business-like; bare-headed, •hirt-sleeres rolled u/p, and squarejawed. He has a fir.a grip of the protesting one's arm, and when he shows a disinclination to move along gives, him a audden jerk. Tiie house has is the front window the sign "apartment* to let," and a woman follows the two to the gate and across the fence explains to anyone who cares to listen tfcat she has not received any rent'for a room for some time; hence the proe«s. No one takes any Seed; city dweller® in all parts are used to these little scenes.

The number in the reading room of the public library—a good barometer trtffltfding unemployment—does not Meni to bo any greater than usual, while in the book room upstairs the attendance is the same: nine or ten during the day ;-sjsveufcy to tweaty-tive during the night ispsT* -pearly t'hc» same Tn the - reference in the newspaper room, it-, -Monday evening, were" %ro womeii, raihar an u/icommon occurrence in "Wellington.

To the multitudinous -sounds of the eity one, not heaird twelve monEhs ago, is the cjf»ar and insistent call of "Wild Bahhit!" The seller of wild rabhit has made his appearance lately, and the rise in the prioe ot other meats brought about by the war probably gave him a part to play on the stage of eity life.

Taken all round Wellington shows practically little effect of the present disturbance in Europe, though it is stated -that some channels of business have felt it pretty severely. Even

the present-day pomp ot war (khaki)

dose not protrude itself on one's notice as much as might be expected with

sever*] thousands of men in training

at Trentham, and to outward sign

things it Mount Cook barracks and

uckle-etreet drill half are normal, though insids all iB activity.