OUR WASTE PAPER BASKET.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 364, 25 February 1876, Page 3

OUR WASTE PAPER BASKET.

by Parthian:) Bull every desperato blockhead dareo to . write— Why not ?—' Art of Poetry.' The ' Daily Times, 1 in a sub-leader of the issue of 15th inst., is somewhat hard upon the Civil Servants and tho people of Wellington generally for their enthusiastic reception of Sir Julius Vogel. Perhaps they did go a little too far in their demonstration of esteem and testification of pleasure at hia return to the Colony. But those who, after reading that "an immense amount of nasty stuff has been voided over the return of Sir Julius Vogel," take the trouble to continue the article to the end will probably arrive at the conclusion that an equally large amount of much nastier stuff has been voided by the ' Daily Times.' Who knows but that some if the Civil Service receptionists may have served their time under Brough Smyth, or some other kindred spirit, and may thus be in an excellent position to appreciate an official chief whose urbanity and considerate kindness is invariable, and in keeping with his abilities ? I confess that for myself, T hesitate whether to rejoice or no ; for when I reflect upon the advantages the Colony will reap from his administrative capacity, I also feel, with something of dismay, as becomes a staunch Provincialist- -that he is a perfect tower of strength to the Government and their followers. It is amusing though to note the ' Daily Times' conclude the article above alluded to by expressing pleasure at his return. As a resident of Naseby, somewhat locally and inconsequentially put it to me—"lmagine Price being delighted at the return of D. F. Main" !

Judge Ward has been delivering judge ment on the matter of sheep, and has found tho " Leicester" a very heavy offender indeed. "In its best form," says the judge, "it is simply an animated mass of tallow : its consumption leads inovitably to dyspepsia and dyspepsia to drink." Here we have a simple explanation of the extraordinary hold which Good Templarism has taken upon this district. Ido not profess to know much about sheep, but if fat is the distinguishing peculiarity of leicester mutton I take it for granted that no Leicesters have been killed m Naseby for at least 12 months. We have become habituated to a kind of sheep which may be described as an animated mass of ekin and bone, and if these latter are "merinos" it becomes a matter for serious consideration whether Judge Ward, dyspepsia, and the assizes notwithstanding, we might not profitably exchange them for the much abused Leicester. And while on the Bubject of the mutton supply, I am reminded that herein lies one of the principal reasons—hitherto overlooked except by myself—why the squatters should have their runs cut up, for they have signally failed in what maybe regarded as a solemn contract,, namely, that, in return for their monopoly of the 'Waste Lands they should supply the community with decent mutton. 1 dont say that such a contract really does exist, but it may be assumed on the same principle as that on which philosophers have based the doctrine of the great '' original contract," by which the people, in return for their allegiance, have a right to demand good Government on the part of the monarch. There's an undoubted analogy between the two.

M ost of our representatives in the recent elections had something to say in the matter of our Upper House, and second Chambers generally, and a good many of them from out of the fulness of their political knowledge, gave vent to the idea that the only useful function (if any) of such a body is to act as a "check to hasty legislation." I'm inclined to think, however, that a little study of the present position of Victorian politics will nave the effect of considerably modifying their views. Clearly the most effectual check to hasty legislation is a " stonewall." Mr. Berry has so successfully demonstrated its powers in that direction that we may at once proceed to abolish the Council, as we have already abolished the Provinces—and upon much bettor grounds too. Little does Sir James M'Culloch dream that he is employing his "iron hand" against a most valuable institution of modern political reform.

When Sydney politicians call each other "scoundrels," and Victorian members term their non-confreres " damned sweeps," they are generally compelled to "withdraw" the offensive expression, and this withdrawal smoothes the matter down and takes, as it were, the virus from the wound. Well, since I read the telegrams which have passed between Mr. Kowe, M.H.R , and Sir Julius Vogel re the Thames miners, I feel inclined, on a somewhat similar principle, to " withdraw " those commendatory expressions which I applied to Sir Julius Vogel in my first paragraph. It is quite evident he is not the statesman ho is reputed to be, otherwise ho would never have refused to recognise tho fact that the miner is the primary object of attention and legislation in this or any other country, and that it was bis bounden duty to devote the puolic money to the obviously beneficial purpose of supplying an income to tho unemployed at the Thames. It is no argument to say that there are other profitable G-oldflelds to which tbey might have shifted had they choae. The plain fact is that tho miners at tho Thames, like other people elsewhere, have formed associations, and, as Wendell llolmoß put it " taken root" there; and it was clearly tho duty of the Government, to see that those associations were not rudely broken. As a mining journal, I consider that tho ' Mount Ida Chronicle' should levol a leading article at Sir Julius which would utterly annihilate nim.

s The lectures of Mr. Charles Bright wero by no means bo successful in Now Zealand as thoße of the Rev. Charles Clark, but I have some doubts whether the diS'erence between them is one of ability only. The latter estute gentleman chose his subject judiciously, and varied his entertainment with some excellent music. But when Mr. Bright chose " Yankee Humor" for a subject I fear he found that some few knew us much about it as ho did it himself, and that a large number probably had no desiro to know anything about it at all. I think that he might have got u valuable hint from Dr. Whitton, of this town, and hud h*.B Yankee humor judiciously intermixed with chemical explosions. It is undeniable that the doctor had a most attentive audience when he bo ably loctured on Experimental Chemistry, and, apart from tho powers of the lecturer, I attribute it to the fact that no one can well be dull or unappreciative when in momentary expectation of being blown up.