WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2924, 14 June 1888, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(From Our Own Correspondent) I'AIiMAJIENTAHV, Theiie is little or 110 Parliamentary news to descant on. The " Midland Muddle," as it lias been appropriately termed, continues muddled, The committee brought lip a report yesterday which enabled Sir George Grey, the determined opponent of the line, to move for an adjournment until Friday 011 the ground that the Speaker had exceeded his powers, 111 permitting the debat o . on the Customs Bill to.be interrupted while a motion, appointing 11 committee, was moved, Eventually, Sir George was defeated and the report, which it is neodless to say does not make matters any clearer, was ordered to lie upon the table. As a lime pressman remarked, the report- probably lies, anyway.

CUSTOMS DILL, By menus of souio parliamentary jockeying—of which Mr McGregor was not altogether guiltless—an unexpected division on this Bill was taken yesterday afternoon, and ths second reading thereof was carried by a majority of twenty-four, Messrs Beotbam, Buchanan, Izard, Macarthur, Newman, Wilson, and Withy, all good men and true, were among the noes. Oil the motion for commitment of the Bill, Mr Beethaiij' strongly dissented, stating it had been his intention to move an amendment, but the division on the second reading had taken him by surprise, The view of Mr Beetliam and others who think with him, is that further retrenchments are possible and should be made ere additional taxation is inflicted upon the, country. Mr M&cartliur, who followed in the same strain, was both caustic and severe, and more ruffled than I have ever previously seen him. Mr Buchanan also opposed the premature committal, as did Mr Bruce, who pathetically and withall sarcastically reminded tljo Premier (lie

traders had followed him for man/ years though good and evil repute—and lie placed some stress on the word "evil." Subsequently, as the hours wore on, Mr Beetlmm in moving the adjournment of the debute, made a good speech indeed, and the adjournment was carried shortly after midnight. WICKEDNESS IN niGU PLACES. On several occasions it has been pointed out in the columns of the Daily that houses of ill-fame in this city are owned by persons holding respectable and responsible positionsone or two, indeed, by a gentleman in the commission of tho Peace. These statements appear to have partially done their work. Mr McGregor has tho following question on the order paper: "Is the Minister of Justice aware that persons in the City of Wellington, holding Her Majesty's Commission of the Paace, knowingly let their properties in that city for immoral purposes ?" It is rumoured that, since notice was given of this question one if not more of the nuisances complained of have been abated, It is, however, a peculiar commentary upon our local journalism that a paper published as the Daily is, many miles from Wellington, should have been the first to call attention to the scandalous state of tilings which exists, and has long existed here. We hear of many extraordinary proposals foij" putting down" the social evil. Tho simple plan of publishing the names of the bagnios of a city does not appear to have struck any of our would-be social reformers, Great, sacred, and mysterious are the rights of property 1 TIIE GAITERS MAKE THE MAN.

Carlisle had much philosophical admiration for clothes, holding indeed that if they do not make the man, they make at least nine-tenths of that reflective animal, A very pathetic story, which comes to us from England, appears to lend corroboration to the theories of the Philosopher of Chelsea, 'lhe Home Country is at the present moment enriched Ity the presence of a Colonial Bishop. Mr Cowie, Anglican Bishop of Auckland, is the gentleman to whom I refer. Some weeks since Mr Cowie shed the light of his Antipodean Apostolic presence upon "Westminister Abbey, London. In his hand he carried a baa; -his All Saints bag lie playfnlly terms it—and the stern policeman, beholding that bag, refused Mr Cowie permission to enter the sacred vane, until he (the police-officer) had examined the bag, which lie. suspected of containing not exactly all the saints, hut dynamite, Mr Cowie protested against such sacrilege, " I am a Bishop," he said, sternly and icily, and waited, expecting to see the profane Bobby curl up at the words, But Robert did not curl to any appreciable extent, He glanced downwards at Mr Cowie's well shaped episcopal limbs for what lie did not find thereon —episcopal gaiters. Thou the suspicions of the gentleman in blue, that a desperate dynamiter faced him, became almost certainties, and lie demanded the opening of that ha? with considerable official asperity, Mr Cowie opened it, There was nothing in the bag save a small, a very small, prayer hook, and a pair of bishops' gaiters. Then the guardian of the peace became suave to a degree. Ho apologised. "Beg your pardon, My Lord, but we have to be particular." The undeserved "mylord" fell as sweet balm upon the ears of that colonial bishop. He smiled a holy forgiving smile and passed in. But Mr Cowie has learned one lesson from the incident. He will go nowhere in modern Babylon in future without those gaiters. Stripped of his gaiters, even a colonial bishop may be taken for quite an ordinary man, perchance a dynamitcird. There is a deep moral in this anecdote, which every reader may find for himself and muse on,