WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2885, 28 April 1888, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(From ouv own correspondent.)

Bank of New Zkalaxd.

Wellington shareholders in the Bunk of New Zealand arc naturally jubilant with the seven per cent dividend. At the same time their jubilation is of a chastened nature, because seven per cent can by no process of arithmetic be converted into that twelve and a half per cent to which shareholders in the Bank have been so long accustomed. The speech and proposals of Mr Justice Gillies will go a long way to restore confidence among the sceptics and waverers, and if lie and the Committee of Enquiry or special Auditors, report favorably there will belittle more grumbling, for ol all

persons in New Zealand Justice Gillies is about the last who would \ burke facts be they pleasant or the reverse. The Scrap. This terrible encounter has come off and neither of the dauntless gladiators is dead, although they fought

, six terrible rounds with Gib feather ,lk beds upon their lists, What are the lighting men giving us ? If anyone will take the trouble to turn over the leaves of some ancient edition of " Boxiana" and note the combats, heroic in their courage and endurance, fought by such men as Mendoza, Cribb, Molyneux, Bendigo, Ben Gaunt, Nat Laugham, Sayers, and a host of feci' lights, ami then read the account of the childish exhibition of those two padded punchers, Slavin and Laing, the larcial nature of such gate money frizzles will be apparent, The only thing that could ever be said in favor of prize fighting of old was that it fostered a certain sort of brute

j. courage anil endurance, but our ® modem pugilists (save the mark) smite one another with a feather and brain an antagonist with n rose. THE DIAMOND AND I'ICK-l'Ol'liET STOlti'. The classical story of the '• Three Black Crows" is frequently illustrated in every day life. Ilero is a specimen. The other day the Evening Press a story from its "Melbourne Correspondent," touching a Melbourne young lady whose pocket was picked by a distinguished male stranger, wearing a handsome diamond ring. When she got home she discovered her loss, but found in her pocket the ring, which the thief had accidentally left there. The diamond was worth (according to the Evening Press) £lO sterling. A night or two subsequently, the Evening Post lmd the same interesting legend in its " Telegraphic News from Melbourne," but the diamond, marl; you, was ; then worth £IOO shiiin;/. The Glasgow Weekly Mail of February last has the ,* identical old wheeze, only the scene was laid at Shrewsbury, England, and the diamond was then worth only £3O skrlinij. Now, either there is a globe-trotter who adds to a penchant for pocket-picking the eccentricity of leaving diamonds in the pockets of his f" tiras, or the Evening Press and the sfclmve Melbourne correspondents who, with their other accomplishments, are very high-class romancists.

THE PEELER AND THE J,P. The Evening Press also indulged the other night in a long and rather pointless story about a constable who essayed to move on a Wellington Justice of the Peace, The story was inspired either by a desperate desire to be l'unny at any cost, or to placate that particular policeman regardless of consequences, Those who read it will remember that the " cop " came out of - the encounter with greatest cdul and serene dignity. As a matter of fact the official in indigo appears to have acted with most impertinent officiousness. An editor of a Wellington ,J.. paper simply crossed the street to * speak to two of his staff, when the 'aughty bobby came along with the peremptory mandate, " Now yez fullers, move an." The J,P. politely pointed out that he and his friends had that instant met, and were not loiter- ( ing, but the stern Italian from Cork >- ®iivied them away. The J.P. isked Tor the Italian's name and number, and the Italian with some ferocity asked the J.P, for his, and then the J.P. reported Robert, not fordoing his duty, but for the maimer in which he attempted to do it, I may say that the Wellington police seem to be a good lot on the whole, but this particular policeman was evidently the victim of zeal induced by indigestion. If the police really enforced the " move-on" clause, 110 one—least of all a J,l 1 . could complain, but they do not, and every public-house corner js made iiltliy by the tobacco-juice and hidious by the profanity of loafers, and I have never yet seen the police interfere with one of them, It is hard, therefore, that three or four respectable citizens, annoying no one, should have been selected as examples. But perhaps i . ; that descendant of Brian Boru does $ not consider newspaper menrespec- , table. m THE I'OST OMCIi.

Still rears its dingy and rui ned front, and no serious attempt, so far as can be ascertained, is made to set about its repair, or even to make the building safe from the possible effects of lire or earthquake. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SCANDAL. Nothing has yet appeared in the local papers regarding this scandal, but I have reason to believe that a move in the direction of a public enquiry will shortly be made. A feeling exists on the part of many parents, that a more thorough .supervision of the children is absolutely necessary, and that an alteration in some of the school arrangements is urgently demanded, on the score both of decency and molality. I have 110 doubt but that in my' next letter, I shall be enabled to afford definite ;.^ail3,