WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 630, 27 November 1880, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

[from our own correspondent]

November 25 If.' I might, for once, use a sportii phrase, I should Bay that my " tip" f. the Mayoral contest proved correct, in asmuch as Mr Hutchison, the presen occupant of the civic chair, has been re elected, scoring 91 votes over his .nearest opponent, Or .Young. For this result Mi

Hutchison has entirely to thank Mr Divor, who persisted in going to the poll, notwithstanding the fact that he had not the slightest chance, and that the only effect of his candidature was to split Mr Young's votei. How hopeless his chances were is evident from the fact that he only scored,about'one ; third of Mr Hutchison's votes, and considerably les3 than half, even, of Mr Young's, Contrary to general expectation, Mr Dwan, the comic man of the quartette, did go to the poll after all. It was not his fault that he did, •He went to a meeting of Mr Young's supporters, and asked- them whether he should retire, and if so, in whose favor. The meeting, however, urged him to go on, probably thinking he would do more good than harm, in diverting the Roman Catholic votes from Mr Hutchison. Mr

Dwan succeeded in imparting a decidedly funny element into the contest. He caused considerable divorsion by pointing to the reporters and calling them " laborers," while he vigorously denounced the County. Council as a compound of the " Boss Tweed Ring" and the Tammany Ring." He also said very candidly thst he, didn't care very much for the Mayoralty, but" intended to go into the House." The Hospital squabble is still going on. Another of the medical staff, Dr Kemp, ha 3 now come into the arena, and has shown, I think conclusively, that the accounts of the linen, &c,, are kept in a loose way. Again vyeliave the names of mysterious under-garments flaunted in ou? faces, and Dr Kemp shows us how num. bers of them have disappeared in an extraordinary way, while others are found in stock without any entry of their having been purchased being discoverable. One thine is very evident, and that is that the Hospital affairs generally are in a pretty muddle. Cr Brown has come to the defence of the Hospital sub-committee, and urges that the doctors are largely to blame for the great expenditure, by their extravagant prescriptions. 'He points out tkat during one month the patients of one doctor alone had no fewer than 12 dozen of lemonade ordered them. He admits that 10 quarts of milk daily was unaccounted for, and adds that less is now being got. How is it that Education Boards seem invariably to make a great,*'muddle" of their business. I don't ffiw how it may be with the Boards of other.districts, butl know that all the Education Boards with whom it has been my misfortune to be personally acquainted have taken at least three times as long as any other public body to transact their, work, and have generally ended in doing everything in the" wrongest" way possible. The Wellington Education Board is no exception, and just now is more than the laughingstock of the City. It appears, that a late' schoolmaster under the Board, named Gurr, brought an action against it. The Chairman (Hon 0, J, Pnarazyn) then remarked that a solicitor was sure to lose the case, that he knew more about it than any solicitor could, and that he himself would defend it. Tho case duly came on, and the aolicitor for the defence then took the objection that Mr Pharazyn was not a lawyer, and had no authority to appear for the Board. The Chairman got the'case adjourned, and procured thenecessary authority. Then the objection was taken -that no statement of the trnney paid into Court had been furnished, whereupon the R-.M; said the whole proceedings'were irregular, and the case could not g6 on. Mr Pharazyn, much crestfallen,' then had to go the solicitor of the Board 1 , and beg Him to take up the case. This lyas done, and the plaintiff succeeded in only substantiating part of his claimThe sequel took place at a meeting of this interesting body, when Mr Bunny, M.H.R., vigorously denounced the action of the Chairman, and a little gcene occurred.' Mr Bunny was also exercised m mind about the questions given at the late soholarahip examinations. One was, he said) " Supposing a marifto be six feet high on this earth, what height will he be in the moon ?"—the answer being " thirty six. feet." Mr Bunny tersely "characterised this sort of education as "rot." He also said that the questions were such that not half-a-dozen men m the colony could answer them;. " And," he added, if they;) can answer them they aint worth twopence,"., I expect wa shall hear more alaout these examiriation and the Chairman's amateur: lawyering at the next meeting of the Board; i • ° • In the midsVof his n)ahy ; funny remarks the other : night, Mr .Dwan dropped, in to figures. He informed his audience, that the National Debt-df the world.amounted' to £5,301,591,697, adding that New Zealand, for her population, ow«d more than

the whole civilised and barbarous world put together. He further'yoluhteered the information, that to cart ajvay the debt of thejcoiohy in gold, would require f fforty-v three drays each earry ; ifig}bne/'tpn, 'and one spring cart" carrying jhalf,a toil,' I am. afraid there is not ' much chance of "carting it away" at preaent, but l give the figures in case the opportunity should arise, and some of my., readers might feel interested in the experiment. ' ' ;.; Just a little gossip for the ladies, in conclusion. It may interest them to hear that just as we are at the very % end of the dancing season, the old-fashioned, cotillon has juat come into unexpected favor. Many of the figures are exceedingly amusing. •* For' instance a'lady is called upon to choose a partner, which she does by making Him kneel upon a cushion in front of her. Or a gentleman chooses a lady by." lassoing "her, so to speak, with a scarf. Most trying ordeal of all,'the ladies retire behind a curtain and exhibit only their hands, from an inspection of which the gentleman, makes a choice of a fair companion for. the mazy dance.. It was a great favorite in London some years ago, and never fails to excite amusement. It was tried iii a notified form at a small party at the Premier's the other night, and there it provoked considerable glee;