Melbourne after the Carnival.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1267, 5 February 1883, Page 2

Melbourne after the Carnival.

(FROM A VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTOR). MELBOURNE, Jan., 16. I don’t know whether “the Carnival” had anything to do with the “strikes,” that an now t iking place, but I think it not unreasonable to trace the effect of the one to the cause of the other. The “ tailoresses,” as tin factor)’ girls are called who make garment? for the “lords of creation,” in Flinder’s Lane, were the first in, or out of, the field, they having thrown up the sponge of dissa tisfaction before Christmas, in the hope, possibly, of gaining the increased wages they stood out for, by demonstrations of independence, and hostility to their employers at the busy season of the year. In this particulars however, they failed ; nor have they got their demand in full to the present; although it is expected that concessions will shortly be made by each party, satisfactory to both. The potency of the force of example has since been fully demonstrated, for with the New Year, when funds were low, and expectations did not run high, other “strikes” were mooted, until we have now the hitches, leather pressers, coach makers, bookbinders, farriers, bakers, and even the the bank clerks, either “out on strike,” or agitating for increased pay, and less hours of labor. In fact “after the “Carnival” seems to have a remarkable effect in awakening in the various artisans a keen sense of the “cause that lacks assistance,” and of the “ wrongs that want resistance.” That some of them are overworked and underpaid, is undoubted ; while they receive both sympathy and support, moral and substanti.il from the Trades’ Unionists, who, in obedience to the laws of the Union, espouse the cause of each set of “ strikers ” as a duty. And they are able to do this having a goodly balance to their credit in the Union Fund, besides exhibiting a willingness to make personal sacrifices. Of course there is no good without its particle of evil, and one of these evils is the absolute necessity for all in a trade to go on strike, if it is so decided by the particular guild or faction to which they belong. The bakers are now anoxemplifying this to the extent at once, annoying to the public, injurious to the interests of the employers, and detrimental to the peace and comfort, not only of the men unwilling to run the gauntlet of a strike, but of those dependent on them. It appears that some four or five months since the journeymen bakers asked concessions which employers granted them, the time for w r ork being ten hours each day in the week except Saturday, when twelve hours were required of them. They now want skilled and unskilled hands to be put on the same footing, |

and that the two hours on Saturdays be given toe them. About one-sixth of the musters have acceded to these terms, censeq”ently the hands they employ are satisfied, but the Trades’ Hall party have sided with the majority; and a resolution has been carried, “amidst loud cheers,” that all the jo u neymen bakers in Melbourne—probably over 1000 persons, must go out on strike on S xturday next, the 20th instant. From this there is no appeal, and will assr.redly take place, if their demands are not complied with. So that to support a very doubtful “principle,” the majority drag the minority into the streets, and bring unhappiness into families that could very well do without it. They do evil that good may come, for they forget, or don’t heed, the probability that employers may not, and most likely will not, take back men who have treated them so scurvily as to leave them without any hope, and not under the pretence, of bettering their condition, but merely in order to uphold the authority of a tyrannical number of their craft. 1 never did believe in these “strikes,” which strike more forcibly at the root of the roof-tree than some of the strikers and I am confirmed in my disbelief by what I have recently seen, for the figures have not yet been put together that will convince me of the profit coming to a man, who sacrifices the earnings of months, living on respectable charity, the while, in order to obtain an increment of pay that will cake him the best part of a year to make good. Taking the case of the factory girls as an instance, I am correct in saying that if proper steps had been taken by them, they would have been met in the same conciliatory way as they have, since been by their em- , ployers, without in any manner jeopardising their interests in the meantime. The “going out ” of bo large a number of girls and young women, has been the opportunity for a section of the Press, and heads of families to »pen up the “Poor Mary Ann” question, md argue in the direction of inducing i number of these females to seek domestic service, and so allow those who remain to obtain better pay, by reducing the ratio of supply inversely to that of demand. But the girls don’t see it in this ight, and they refuse to be allured thereinto by the somewhat specious reminder that in domestic service they will have better, md in some cases, more permanent homes, vhile their chances of getting husbands will he quite as many, if not more so. They lave their own tale to tell about being “slavies,” and, from what I hear, with good :ause of complaint against the treatment r.hey receive. A book, or short treatise, night be written on this and cognate subjects, so many phases of social life do they infold ; but I may say here that the factory 'iris—and others who get their living in warehouses, and by following such employnent during the day, as will give them the evening to themselves—are an institution. I'hey know the value and pleasantness of personal liberty and freedom, too well, to go uto the comparative serfdom of domestic ife ; and they do not care to undertake any nore of its responsibilities, than are comprised in their present state, until such times is they are invited to do bo by those for whom they are willing to make the change. “ Poor Mary Ann” is made the subject of nany skirt, some of which are true, and ithers much exaggerated. Here is one that :omes from your Colony:—‘“Poor Mary Ann,’ who does not very badly in Victoria, apparently sets a still higher value upon her nervices in New* Zealand, where one of the sisterhood is said to have recently sent the <>llowing letter to a person who offered her work : —‘ Will come in a fortnight, must have welve months engagement, double bed, use •f piano, breakfast in bed, every Sunday >ut, and thirty bob a week.’” I think the foregoing a little overdrawn, but the foliowng bears the stamp of fact, and appears in me of our local papers :—“ During the Christmas holidays a lady residing in East Jelboure granted her domestic a fortnight’s ididay. Early this week, Mary Jane’s time vas up, the lady and her family having ar•angea to visit the sea-side. Apartments were taken, baggage, portmanteaus, &c., vere all ready, all anxiously awaiting the lomestic’s arrival by the last train at night rom the Western District. Hours passed iway and she did not turn up. Next morning when the party, pleasure bound, should ■ave been clearing out, a telegram came to land stating that Mary Jane had been taking hot sea water baths, and they must >e continued another week, consequently tier stay must be prolonged.” After the Carnival most of the bidden nysteries come to light. It may be contidered strange, but it is a largely developed •haracteristic of our race, that during times •f unusual excitement, the cool judgment of nen becomes cither heated, or unduly agL ated to such a degree as to make them comnit acts of indiscretion they would otherwise be ashamed or repentant of. At such times we venture, like fools, where angels ire popularly supposedjto be afraid oft reading, and uncontrolled by the wisdom ordinarily displayed in our every day tram sac- 1 tions. Let the venture, or the excitement be that of business or pleasure, the same ciuse produces the same effect, under all circumstances. I have two notable instances i before me, which I am going to relate. The ’ irst is the huge muddle the Managers of the I <reat Musical Festival have made of their ’ nonetary affairs. The accounts not yet ‘ •eing published, I cannot go further into I o.irtieulars than to say that, financially, the Festival has been a sad faiiure. Sad, too, in two ways, Ist, Tnat the promoting guarantors, who will be called upon to pay £25 each, towards the deficit, will have had enough of it, and will not be induced to undertake a like responsibility again, and 2nd, That the cause, for the furtherance of which the Festival was inaugurated—the production of, and educating the public taste up to i taste for high class music—will proportionally suffer. Roundly stated, the money loss m the undertaking will be about £2OOO, certainly not under that, the guarantors quota wil! reduce this sum to £BOO, which the Committee will be responsible for. Now, whi’e all sympathy is to be extended to those who are “ let into it” in such fashion the public do not lose sight of the fact that the loss is entirely due to the want of judgment before referred to. The managers drew largely on the imagination for results. The Exhibition building will accommodate a hundred thousand as an audience, every one of which can hear and see comfortably ; and it was expected that this mighty congregation of units would take place, with little alteration, at least at the 4 evening recitals. But supposing the Committee’s expectations to have been more moderate, and that they had allowed for the new counter attractions on the boards during the carnival, they exhibited a lamentable want of business tact. At the lowest computation—including the extra concerts, making 8 performances in all —from £3OOO to £4OOO must have been | grossed ; therefore, in the absence of expla- I nation it is a matter for wonder how so large | a deficit remains as £2OOO. For it is a fact that nearly all concerned—excepting only professionals, and others whose income was effected thereby—gave their services coh amore y and even those who were promised pay, left it an open question to be fixed at at the end of the festival, according to the surplus in hand. Printing, advertising, supply of music (although the amateurs provided theirs), and the hire of chairs were the principal items, unless the failure of the electric light cost anything. Personally I re gret this calamity, for I can call it nothing less; and this is shared by the general public, I a great number of which, however much they | >

like to aee lege at the theat.ee, will freely give their patronage to braincnow end then. However, ae the Foetival performanoee are to resumed at Beater, with oratorioe incidental to that season, we may hope that the spirit of the carnival will not have departed, and that the Committee will exeroioe “aright judgment in all things.” The second instance of post carnival eon. sequences is the sudden disappearance (a la North, of Wellington) of a “sweep” manufacturer, under the cognomen of "Polk.’V with all the cash of his dupes, amounting to some hundreds sterling. I believe there *, were two persons “managing” the sweep; and they have taken no trouble to hide themselves, having gone to Sydney, and only de dined to remain in Melbourne, ae they disliked the possibility—nay, the extreme probability—of summary punishment, at the hands of an infuriated army of swindled depositors. As with you, the Victorian law, not recognizing the illegolity of these sweeps, the Government will afford no assistance for the punishment of the ewindlers, consequently they act with impunity, risking only personal chastisement, for which it is likely the aggressor mould be recognized by the law; and fined, a result, however small the sum; that would but aggravate him all the more; It is astouishing, once more, that carnival Dt no carnival, such large numbers are to be found so utterly careless as to results. Of course they think 11 its all right,” and as one fool makes many, no one apparently stope to 1 consider the odds against which he stake* V - his money. For I need not tell those who-: have had acquaintance, even with legitimately conducted sweeps, that the odds against him are many. Writing with some knowledge of these “investments,” and of the men who regulate them, I can say with surety | that there is not one conducted., from start I to finish, on such satisfactory bases as those of Mr J. 8. Abbott of Auckland. Take < Miller’s, for instance, not that I have a word { of impeachment to advance against his personal integrity, but his mode of drawing U extremely unsatisfactory, and at the Cup drawing for 1881 many awkward questions ; were asked. For the 1882 Cup alone Miller had no less than 17 “ Consultations" of £2,000 each; consequently he had the tempting sum of £34,000 in his hands to do exactly what Ae liked with, and he was beyond the pale of the law for punishment or redress. But as to the drawing. True, he selects 15 to 20 of the most reliable men from among , the investors to superintend this part of the ’ business, which is done after each “ Consultation ” is filled, for the sake of convenience. A chairman is elected from amongst them, and they attest to a document, showing the bona tides of their acts, and the legitimacy of the drawing. But no notice is given to the subscribers at to when the “ consultations ” take place, consequently what is done occurs in their absence, and they hear nothing more of the matter unless it is the few who are lucky. Mr Abbott, I think, inspires confb dence in hi. undertakings by not handling the money of hi. sweeps himself. It is placed to the credit of three or more trustees—in a bank—gentlemen of reputation, by whom it is ultimately paid away to the fortunate possessore ; and I fancy he has but one draw, ing, to which each subscriber is invited to attend. Safeguards of thia kind are a moral guarantee that swindling will not be attempted, since systematic collusion must exist, which is not likely. Miller’s “committeemen ” are mostly nobodies, for they are taken from the “list ’ temporarily, and not, as Mr Abbott’s, from the community permanently ; and what they may be prepared to do with the wrongful appropriation of horses to members only those who know z what Victorians can do will believe. Andas J to their “ declaration ” —faugh ! I must not omit to mention the theatres, which, with other places of amusement, seem to suffer no diminution of patronage. i After the Carnival, as before it, your regular play-goer will not be done out of hie sightseeing. And it is marvellous how these multitudes manage to witness performances, night after night, until they know them by rote. Dazzling as their brilliancy undoubtedly is ; sparkling and vivacious as are the ' music and acting; bewildering, and intoxicating to the senses as, admittedly, are the effects of representations by characters eott> sisting of 90 per cent of finely-limbed, beautifully, and scantily-attired women—A ' frequency of visits palls upon an already satiated appetite, rather than excites it to the enjoyment of a new pleasure. The “ Princesses’’draws crowds nightly, to see “ Mascotte,” an opera in which Maggie Moore (Mrs Williamson) carries off tne honors. This lady is lit most bewitching actress on the Melbourne stage, and as “ Lizzie Stofel” in “ Struck Oil, was and Is unsurpassed, but she can’t sing a little bit, though she “ carries her audiences away,"as the phrase goes, in spite of themselves. The opera of “Manola"at the Opera House is most successful; and if “ legs” be the attraction, that is the place to see them. The concluding “Ballot of All Nations" is a gogeous spectacle ; and if a portion of the pleasure evinced by witnessing it, is a contemplation of the “ human form divine," no one need grumbla at the liberal proviaion made for his enjoyment. The “Theatre ' Royal ” also has it. crowd, of votaries, who, > in newspaper parlance, pack the building six , times a week (and would the seventh if perI minted) from floor to ceiling. There the only pantomime “ Jack and the Beanstalk,” u ! played by a most enjoyable company of favorites, where Maggie Olioer still draws immensely, and Greville “ gags ” in local puna to the great joy of the gods. At the ‘Bijou’ the Montague-Turner Company are finishing their season of “legitimate opera, that is English and Italian. These two “ done " — soprano and tenor—have not their equal here; and very few this side of the line; still, owing to the small patronage accorded to them, they cannot afford to pay ‘stars’ to play up to them, so that, much ae their own abilities ' are appreciated, their representations, as a whole, have been too weak to command success. Before concluding, Miss Montague will sing in “ Norma”this week, but howtney will get through such a heavy piece of vocalisation remains to be seen. Mis. Montague's flitch is a pure soprano, and if the little ady’s pluck pulls he through in the lower register, she will confirm the opinion already formed of her, that she is most wonderfully brilliant artist. I need not say that all the Concert Halls and places of resort, are filled nightly, eo that, to a superficial observer, there is little difference between before and after the carnival in the great capital of Victoria. Therefore our motto is “ Ride, ei eapis.”