ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 165, 29 August 1903, Page 3

ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE

THE death of the Marquis of Salisbury, the great statesman and scientist, will doubtless stir up the old controversy as to whether he ever visited this colony. Mr. George Leslie, who lives in Vivian-street, is able to answer the question. In the "fifties" Lord Tollemache was resident in Wellington at intervals. He lived on the west corner of Abel Smithstreet and Willis-street. The Marquis, then Lord Robert Cecil, visited him, and together they made a trip up the Wairarapa to the wild country which now rejoices in the name of Martinborough. New Zealand, weather of the "fifties" was as execrable as New Zealand weather of to-day, and, mistaking a lagoon for the river, both noblemen essayed to cross it in a buggy. Mr. Leslie, then a station-hand, and ai very youthful one, appeared, and told them of the danger ahead, of them and led. them to the proper ford of the river, probably saving their lives by doing so. But, the country was wild in those days, and when the buggy with its noble load got safely across a tremendous 1 thunderstorm arose. They became "bushed" once more. » * * The future Prime Minister of England and his friend stood to the heads of their horses all night, in the pelting rain, and got a good deal of colonial experience in a very few hours. The Hon. Dr. Grace, who was in England shortly before his death, saw Lord Salisbury, and, in chatting over old times, the Doctor asked His Grace if he remembered any incidents connected with his early days' trip to New Zealand. Lord Salisbury recalled this incident, and particularly asked if the "bare-footed boy" was still alive. He asked Dr. Grace to remember him kindly to the boy who had saved his life. * * * Mr. Le&lie was the first white man on the country that is now Grey town. He was shepherd for "the Bidwells," and knows the Wairarapa plains perhaps as well as any man living. Afterwards, he became coachman for the Hon. W. B. Rhodes. He is spending the autumn of his years in well-earned retirement, and is not at all sorry that ne was able to save one of Britain's greatest and best men from an early grave. ♦ * * In its references last week to the passing away of Centenarian Pharazyn, the Lance made mention of Mrs. Christie, of Karon. Mrs 1 . Christie was the senior of the three centenarians prior to the death of Mr. Pharazyn. She was three months older than the deceased gentleman, and about sax months older than Mr. Williams, of the Home for the Aged Needy. Mrs. Christie, who has no surviving relatives in Wellington, lived in the oitv until a short time ago, when she went out to Karori, where she is living with Mr. and Mrs. Donald. In the days when her husband lived Mrs. Christie was a resident in Karori, the Christie family being among the first of the settlers in the beauteous suburb. She is the oldest member of St. John's Presbyterian Church, and the members of that church take a great interest in the well-being of the old lady, who for a long time past has been unable to attend kirk.

Two names have already been mentioned of gentlemen from w horn a choice will be made either by Mr. Justice Cooper or by the Government to act as locum tenens for Mr. Samuel Brown during that gentleman's absence from the Arbitration Court bench. As our readers are no doubt aware, the Premier has introduced legislation providing for temporary appointments to the Arbitration Court bench during illness (or any other cause) which may prevent either Mr. Brown or Mr. Slater, or their successors, from attending to their duties as members of that Court. Since the illness of Mr. Brown, who represents the employers' interests on the bench there has been a block of the business. * * * The names mentioned for the temporary vacancy are those of Messrs. W. H. Quick and J. A. Frostick. Mr. Quick is in practice as a lawyer in Wellington, with which city he has been identified for very many years. He is not frequently seen in court as a pleader, Ins line being more in consultation and conveyancing work. Mr. Quick was the first chairman of the Wellington Conciliation Board and it was said of him in those days — as 1 it has been said of all chairmen — that if he leaned at all it was towards the workers/* side of the oases. We are inclined, however, to think that Mr. Quick was not altogether as clay in the hands of the working potters, and held the balance impartially. He was succeeded in the chairmanshit) by Mr. Crewes, who, in turn, recently gave way to the Rev. B. L. Thomas, the present chairman, of the Board. Mr. Quick is a prominent pillar of the Anglican Church, is a worshipper at St. Paul's pro-Cathedral, and is a member of the Wellington Synod. * * * The other gentleman named for the position (Mr. Frostick) is undoubtedly one of the ablest men for the position in the colony , but we very much doubt whether he would accept nomination lie is the head of an important firm of boot manufacturers m Christchurch — Messrs. Skelton Frostick, and Co. — and is, perhaps, the most up-to-date manufacturer in the colony. His factory is equipped With the latest machinery, and is run upon American hues, and by an Amen can expert. Mr. Frostick has had much experience m the working cf the Arbitration Court, because he has, on all occasions since its formation, conducted the cases for the boot manufacturers of the colony before the Curt. He is a man of strong and upright character, keen, clear brain, quick wit, has much energy, is still in the summertime of life, is a good speaker, and knows his business. ♦ » * Mr. W. H. Smith, the stalwart general manager of Te Aro House, returned to Wellington last week from his visit to the head-quarters of his firm in London. We extend the hand of welcome to Mr. Smith, and express pleasure that he was so heartily received by the many members of the Wellington staff. The company which took part in the reception was so numerous that the New Century Hall had to be engaged for the occasion, and the casual citizen or man .of business would have been very much impressed with the largeness of the operations of Te Aro House had he dropped into the hall on the occasion of the festivities, and seen the gathering. • * • Mr. Smith during the week since he returned to town hat> been busy explaining to his many Wellington friends and acquaintances how the great city looked whe he saw it, and answering multitudinous questions as to whether he thought that Wellington had improved during his six months' absence. His private opinion is that the City of the Empire is as murky as ever, and that the Empire City is muddier than ever!

Last week the Wellington Ratepayers' Association, which, though it does not receive much encouragement from citizens, appears to be a body which neglect fails to kill, elected its officers for the ensuing year. The new president is Mr. Henry Hurrell, who succeeds the junior partner in the firm of Messrs. Macdonald, Wilson, and Co. in the chair. Mr. Hurrell is a very active citizen, is an energetic man of business, takes a prominent part in evangelical mission work in the city, and is also the possessor of a singing voice which is frequently heard from the concert platform. He is the general manager of that very much alive and up to date local enterprise, the Rouse and Hurrell Coach and Carriage Manufacturing Company, the head-quarters of which are in Courtenay Place, and branches of which extend through all parts of this island. By the way, can anyone tell us why the Wellington City Council sends £15,000 out of the colony to buy tram-cars when they could have them built in first-class style by the Rouse and Hurrell Company? That is the way our City Fathers encourage Local industry. * * * Mr. Hurrell has been connected with the firm which bears his name for a matter of twenty-eight years, and, on the business growing beyond tihe control of one man. he formed a limited liability coimait- about a year ago. In the religious life of the city, Mr. Hurrell has identified himself with the Central Missions, the meetings of which are held in Heirbertstreet; and, now that Mr. Turner has left Wellington to take up life insurance work in Sydney, the bulk of the responsibility of running the Central Mission will devolve upon Mr. Hurrell. In politics he is a Liberal, and has more than a sneaking regard for the present Government. The new president of the Ratepayers' Association has the energy and the ability to make a success of the Association, providing the latter can make itself popular with the bulk of the ratepayers of the city. For long enough it has been representing a very small minority. Two vice-presidents have been elected — Messrs. R. H. Davenport and J. H. Underwood. The latter, who has recently returned from a tour round the world, is a well-known builder and contractor, is the owner of not a little property in the city, and has been a many years' resident in the city. Mr. Davenport is, we believe, Wellingtonborn, is a master plumber, has a strong ambition to sit with the City Fathers in the City Council, and has made some endeavour to get there. The probability is that, as he is still a young man, and has much persistency, he will there some day. We do not think he will get there per medium of the Association of which he is vice-president. Mr. J. McAlpine, who has combined the offices of secretary and treasurer almost since the inception of the Association, was again re-elected to the dual position. * ♦ • A telegram from the South last week stated that Miss Jane Ewart had been appointed matron of the Timaru Hospital. This lady, who hails from Nelson, and was on the nursing staff of the Christchurch Hospital when she was the selected of eight candidates, is a sister of Dr. Ewart, who is in charge of the Wellington Hospital. It is an interesting coincidence in the history of the Ewart family that Matron Ewarts elder brother was in charge of the Timaru HosDital before receiving his appointment in Wellington. Miss Ewart, who had been with the Christchurch Hospital for a term of seven years, received the whole of her experience in that institution, bears very high credentials, and worthily represents a family which has produced three medical men.

Some strange politicians have come to light in Australia. The Prime Minister of South Australia, Mr. Jenkins, is an American who made his debut in Adelaide, as a book agent booming a shoddy Yankee publication known a® "Our First Century." Mr. King O'Malley, one of the Tasmanian representatives in the Federal Parliament is an Irish- American, who lived for a considerable time in Arizona, and has a full-sized wallet of stories about that famous journal, the Arizona "Kicker." He landed in Melbourne as an agent for something or other at the Exhibition of 1888, and afterwards took a turn at life insurance. Then _he went to South Australia, and got into Parliament there, eventually migrating to Van Dieman's Land. He is always in the limelight, and his latest exploit consisted in punching the landlord of his Melbourne lodgings. * * * Word comes from Christchurch that it is likely that the next Moderator if the Presbyterian Church, of New Zealand will be the Rev. William Gillies. This gentleman is well-known in Wellington, and particularly well-known in Canterbury, for it was m Timaru that he occupied a pulpit for over twenty years before resigning to take charge of organising the Presbyterian Century Fund. After touring the colony in the interests of this fund, with great success, Mr. Gillies was called to the charge of the Presbyterian Church at Tauranga. Mr. Gillies is one of the oldest fathers of the Presbyterian Church m the Colony, and would make an admirable head of the Assembly. He is a younger brother of the late Mr. Justice Gillies, and has a fair share of his family's well-known business capacity. * * w Sir Rupert Clarke, of Victoria, who is on a visit to this colony in connection with a yacht that Mr. Bailey is building for him, is a devoted sportsman, and gives up a large amount of his time to it. He is immensely rich. The fortune he inherited was created by his grandfather, and carefully administered by his father, Sir William Clarke, tihe first baromet. Sir William rarely missed a day from his office in the city of Melbourne, and he was one of the most easily accessible of men. He had a host of modest pensioners, and one day a week he filled his pockets with half-crowns for charitable purposes. * * • Mr. A. S. Adams, the particularly brilliant star of the Adams firmament, of Dunedin, who was in Wellington the other day, to fight the cause of the Prohibitionists in the Court of Appeal, is a prophet who attains honour in his own country. Last week the canny folks of the kirks of the Edinburgh of the South elected the clever lawyer to the presidency of the Council of Churches, an honour which was enjoyed for a time by Dr. Gibb (the new pastor of St. John's). * * * By the way, the Proliibitionists of the colony have on foot a movement aiming at making a national testimonial to Mr. Adams, in acknowledgment of the great services he has rendered gratuitously to the no-license cause in New Zealand. The Lance would not be surprised if the Proliibitionists conspired in a monetary sense to send Mr. Adams to London to pres«nt their side of the case to the Privy Council, in opposition to Mr. Skerrett's presentation of the case for the "trade." * * • The late Signorina Majeroni was more talented as an actress than, as a writer. She was ambitious, however, to shine as an authoress, and wrote a book called "The Living Statue." It gave less pleasure than her splendid stage work. The preface to the work was a letter of the renowned Ristori, the deceased lady's aunt.

Tommy" Walker, the South Australian aboriginal king, whose majestic remains were recently found to have been stolen from the coffin, was one of the quaintest, characters in the dry and dusty State. "Tommy" was no respector of persons. During the office of Lord Kmtore as Governor, "Tommy" was "put on" to His Excellency by a joker. 'Tommy" saw the Governor going up the steps of the Adelaide Club, and immediately followed him. ' You the Covanah p " he queried, dragging his Excellency's coat-tail. "Yes." 1 Well. I'm King Tommy. You gib it tickipennv for 'butcher^ o' beer 9 " The ''Oovenah" proceeded "tip _ the steps. "My word, you no good mine think it. Budgerv blackfella' wntem Queen Wictona, and givem the sack!" * •«• * • Tommy" oftentimes apparently disappeared from the face of the earth. He took long walks of a couple of hundred miles to see his brother. When " Tommy " returned, he was scarcely respectably clad, and was always "run in" for purposes of sartorial envelopment. He lived mainly for beer, and apparently when he died he was chiefly of interest from a "bier" standpoint. "Tommy" was a hirsute animal, and even in his periodical spells of primitive adornment he appeared to be clothed with a, mat. * * There is a grand nephew of Lord Nelson now in Australia. He is m the suite of the South Australian Governor. He has come to Australia knowing th t Admiral Nelson's claim to fame was questionable if he had no relatives at the Antipodes. Australia is peopled by the little-known relatives of great men. Even the Kaiser William has a relation there — a fat German, who keeps a ham ar.d sausage shop in a mining town, boldly claiming to be the Kaiser's half-brother. * * * There are tw o gentlemen to be seen in tovrn both of whom are strikingly like Mr. David Nathan. One of them is the real David ; the other is his younger brother, Maurice, of London, who has come out to renew his acquaintance with the Empire City, and the many people here with whom he is acquainted. There is such a striking likeness between the two brothers that not a few friends of David, who knew not Maurice, have wondered why :t: t was that Councillor Nathan has failed to recognise them when they have said "Good-day '" to Mr. Maurice. Mutual friends of both own v" to not knowing t'other from which. And both Nathans smile down their beardless chins, and wonder why folks shouldn't know David from Maurice. * * I>l~. Maurice Nathan, who is attached to the head-quarters of the Nathan firm in London, came out to the colony na America over the 'Frisco route. Though he camp through the States at a pretty ouick pace, he saw enough of the conditions prevailing there to surprise him. Every where labour troubles were being experienced, and he found the country was generally being inconvenienced and trade largely dislocated bv strikers. It seemed to the AngloNew Zealander as if the United States was fast being hurried on to a state of industrial revolution, and to a direct and general trial of strength between the unions and the trusts * * # John Johnson, of Melbourne, ;s; s dead. He was ai very careful man, and hated w aste. His property consisted of 500 lead pencil stumps, 300 old boot soles, a hundredweight of old nails, hundreds of cigar butts, and many thousands of pounds in money, scrip, and securities. He was formerly a policeman, and having, by dint of hard saving amassed £30,000, he retired, and did not spend it. He was found dead in his room, emaciated, ragged and ill-nourished. The exconstable had won a certificate for bravery. The State is 1 richer for his death, for he left no will. *■ • * Youthful Lord Lytton is not to get the Commonwealth Governor-General-ship after all. An older than he cometh, in the person of Lord Northcote, of Exeter, who is fifty-seven years of age. He succeeds Lord Tennyson in December. He is the son of Lord Iddesleigh. and has had large experience as a diplomatist and ambassador. He has been financial secretary to the War Office. Lady Northcote is a distinguished linguist, musician, and writer, and was the adopted daughter of the first Baron Mount Stephen. ♦ * * Senator Play ford, of South Australia, is a playful gentleman. He recently told the House that his father was a Baptist clergyman, and but for this fact he, the senator, might have been. Chief justice of the State. His clerical parent, however, had said he would as soon apprentice him to the devil as to a lawyer. "And did he?" eagerly asked the House. "I would ask Senators to take the statement of Sen-

ator Pla> ford's lespectcd father with a giain of salt " said Senator Sir J. H. Symon. "I knew him well — in fact, I was his legal adviser. ' Oh, oh'" rang from all sides of the Chamber, "that tccounts for it." Mr. G. H. Reid the comfoitable politician, who sprang a surpnse upon the Commonwealth by dramatically resigning last week, is a quaint peirson. He has been stumping the country, as the press of the other side remarks to see if he can pick up any tufle' m the shape of a Premiership. Mr. Reid s rotund, and he is fond of walking, which he fondly hoipes may induce his embonpoint' to become less pronounced. In one large Commonwealth town recently Mr. Reid w andered far from his hotel. In fact, he was "bushed." He met a policeman. Could the constable tell him where he was going? •+ ■• * The policeman, who evidently knew that eyeglass and the most-cancatured "presence" in Australia, looked gloomy. He reached round to the back of his overalls and gave them a, hitch, pushed back his helmet to allow the "bnckfielder" breeze to bake his brow, and said, remembering Mr. Read's alleged "Yes-No" proclivities "Well, sir, you appear to be eoing -nest, but if you really are Mr. Reid you're probably eroding east, and away from your hotel " And Georgie tells this tale with the greatest relish. * * * Ye ancient Scottish game of golf has become a very popular pastime with the modem New Zealander. Its popularity was demonstrated this week on the ideal and picturesque links atMiramar, where ladies from all parts of the colony foregathered to take part m the annual championship tournamemt. The quality of the playing of the lady golflsts of New Zealand has considerably improved since the championship tournament was instituted, with the result that year by year the champion becomes harder to pick. In the early part of this week, for instance, when the meeting began, there were no fewer than eight players who had support from ardent friends as likely champions. * # * Amongst these possibles w ere the champions of each provincial district. There was Mrs. Collins, the Wellington champion, who went out a strong favourite for the premier place. Then, there was also Miss Winnie Scott, Otago's champion, who w as put dow n in the first heat by Mrs. Arthur Duncan (Wellington) Miss Lewis, Auckland's crack , Miss Campbell, the premier player of Canterbury , and Mrs. Cleghorn Wanganui's champion. Last, but by no means least, they had to reckon with Mrs. Bidwell, of Wairarapa, who won the championship for New Zealand at the last tournament. * # * Ar,other crack player whose' chance was considered rosy was Miss Gillies, of Auckland, the ex-champion of the colony, and Miss Laing-Meason, the clever Timaru musician, who oame to the tournament with a great reputation as a godfist. Napier sent a lady who was considered to be a "dark horse" for the championship in Mrs. Perry, the comely daughter of that wealthy Hawke's Bay landed proprietress, Mrs. Donnelly The latter lady, who is as enthusiastic a golfist as her daughter, was also entered for the championship event, but scratched at the last moment. * ¥■ * There was perhaps the strongest and most interesting party of players sent over the links this week that has ever taken part in such a tournament and a remarkable feature of the party was the strong representation of youth among the ladies. The modem girl, in all her up-to-date athleticism, was also to be found wielding her "driver" and "brassey" and "cleek" in finished style. Golf though a game suitable fox a land of lots-of-time, is an interesting pastime to watch, if you have patience in sufficient quantity. * -<• - There is to be seen the excitable girl of exclamations, and the girl of the happy-go-lucky natuie, who takes things as they come with a philosophic air — whether she's "bunkered" or strikes "casual waiter." or gets aanong the rushes or drives from the summit into the Ruahine morass, and has to take the ball out with an iron in three hits, or gets lost in the cratetr, or loses a stroke by dropping into a ditch. It is all the same to enthusiastic Miss Philosopher what happens so long as she has her game and she is perfectly happy if she can go the whole of the eighteen holes from the Summit oiver Sunny Braes through Coates Fancy, along Miramar, into the Haven, round the Racecourse, over Seaview, across Kaikoura, through Burnham Water, then, turning for the homeward drive, across the Sheep Yards over the Lawn, across the Crater — twice happy is the player who can get across instead of

dropping into the Cratei ' — along treacheious Rualune, over the tricky Bunker, through the Flax Bushes round Wardrop's Fancy, past the Windmill, and hey for home. * * * This journey covers the circumnavigation of the eighteen holes of the Muramar links, and the description includes the names given by the Wellington Golf Club to the various holes. That this is a loumey seldom accomplished was proved by the fact that on Monday's first round of the championship, in which twenty-four competitors took pait, only, three pairs played out to the Home (or eighteenth) hole. These three pairs were Mrs. Bloomfielcl and Miss L. Brandon, Mrs. Arthur Peairce and Miss Winnie Scott, and Miss J. Richmond and Miss Gorrie. The Bloomfield-Brandon heat was followed with a. great deal of interest, mainly due to the fact that the Auckland "representative " Mrs. Bloomfield — a fair and stailwart Saxon, of a wealthy family, and an enthusiastic eolfist — was competing against one of Wellington's youngest players, who started at the game whilst her hair was 1 still down her back, and who made a fine fight of it on Monda- The petite Wellingtonian played hole for hole with her Amazonian rival, and was only beaten on the Home hole by 1 up. * * Wellington had a goodly repiesentation at the tournament. Mrs. Lees, who drew a bye in the first round, owing to the absence of Mrs. Pharazvn through the illness of the latter's boy, was the holder of the Wellington championship m 1896 the year of its institution, and again in 1901. Mrs. Pearce, who was also a competitor, held the local championship during the two years 1899-1900. Miss Harcourt. another local wielder of the cleek, won her first heat • so did Miss Fitzherbert, of the Hutt, Mrs Collins, and Mrs. TnrnbulJ. The better halves of medical men were in force among the players, including Mrs. Cleghorn, of Wanganui. and Mesdames Collins and Adams, of We'llmpixm. * * * Dan Leno the "King's jester," who is now entirely broken mentally, lias hallucinations centring entirely round his recent appearance before the King. Dan receives hisi friends as though he were King, and, having commanded them to bow the knee, he "knights>" them. Of course, he has been prevented in drawing cheques for anybody and everybody, an aberration that first drew attention to his mental condition. It was believed in some quarters that Dan was intended for titled honours from His Majesty. * * *■ Mi-. John Sheridan ought to stick this little anecdote from New tow n in his autobiography. A small boy, who had been to "The Lady Slavey" matinee, was passing a shop in Riddifoidstreet last Saturday, and paused for a moment to admire the wares in the w indow. The shop was full of customers, and the shopkeeper called loudly for his assistant to come from the ba.ck into the shop. ''Bill'" cried the busy man. Instantly, the small boy, who had lieaid just such another voice in "The Slavey." shouted into the shop "Bring in the barrer'" One of those customeis recognised the' fittingness of the boy's joke and he smiled.