OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4092, 20 April 1892, Page 2

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) ' Wellington, Saturday, :'.'._' i I mentioned in. one of thy letters \ some weeks ago that.the convict camp- 1 at Milford Sound had proved a rank ' and utter failure and that it would ' be bettor to ship the : whole lot .back again, for the road to the; Sutherland Falls would ! never be completed Hnder existing ■ conditions, To a certain extent L.' proved a prophet, for how it is an'- ■ nounced that the experiment of utilis- \ ing convict labor in opening up our tourist attractions in the marvellous ' region of lakes, falls, glaciers,-and fiords is not a. success, and the camp at Milford will ahortly he abandoned to the kea and kiwi, Mr Sutherland, the reputed discoverer of the fails that bear his distinguished cognomen, will feel rather lonely when this cheerful convict camp " folds its teats like the Arabs and as silently steals away." Fancy our new Governor—poor man-coming all the way from Sydney with a retinue of some forty attendants in the little "Hinemoa," It is commonly said that tho stretch: of ocean between Australia and New Zealand is the worst twelve hundred miles of open sea to be found any where, and I should think that Lord Glasgow and suite will be in a state of collapse by the time they roach our > shores. - The Hineraoa is a very cora--1 fortsblo yacht for short sea journeys, 1 but when it comes to twelve hundred ' milea of ocean and a full ship in the bargain the prospect is not entrancing, | for the steamer is not noted for its seagoing qualities; She is,,in fact, inclined to make heavy weather of it if i there is anything of a " wobble "on, 5 Even the society of the genial At- , torney-General aud the hearty Fair* • child would not compensate for the

discomforts that are in store if Lord Glasgow is rash enough to accept the Government's offer. Perhaps there is some sinister design in the proposal —ls Mr Buckley-deputed to •" work the oracle" with reference to the Upper House appointments while the Governor is in a state of mental col* lapse from the fell effects of «ia? de merV • > Sir Francis and Lady Bell left yesi today by the Tongariro to return to : England; chiefly on account of the unsatisfactory state of Lady Bell's health,' I hear that Sir Francis chafes very much at being out of harness, and is bitterly disappointed that there was no opening here for him in some official capacity, It is, however, easy to be understood that a man who has. als ways been in the front of tbo battle ao far as New Zealand is concerned, would be unable to settle down to the hum-drum existence of a dull colonial town. Sir Francis" did the State some service" as Agent-General, and it was a thousand pities and a vast mistake for this colony that be was ever superseded,, for he is still a man of untiring energy with an inlelleot as fresh and as unimpaired as ever, There is a strong feeling that this colony has ilhcjuited his life- , long labours in its service, and Sir Francis is right to shake the dust of this ungrateful "country off bis shoes.

Our" Grand Old Man," Sir George Grey, celebrated his eightieth birthday yesterday, and it is wonderful to note the unanimity with which all sorts and conditions of men have hastened to tender their tions, Sir George Grey, like a Colossus bestrides these narrow isles and no matter what mistakes he has made in the past.so far as his politics are ooncemed, yet his services to his Queen and country in many a varied scene and clime will hand his name down to posterity when the memories pf his would-be' detraptors have ages ago faded with their dust jnto nothingness, Such a record as Sir George Grey can show is unequalled by any Colonial not to say Imperial statesman, Think of them: Soldier, Explorer, Governor, Author, Politician, Scholar, and Philanthropist. Surely Her Majesty might fittingly bestow—amongst the next list of birthday honours in May—a peerage upon.one who bag deserved nipre at tho bands of his sovereign than has ever yet a colonial statesman. Sir John Macdonald of Canada was raised to the 'peerage: flis Service's to : the State narrow into insignificance compared with fejr G ; eorge Grey.'s. •"■ .

The' Wellington Liberal AGEOcia<| tion.meeting.fbe other night" was a perfect/lewcodespife the New Zcqknd 'Tjme'f to 'the po'^trary.' sp|. tlje: faintest cptb.usjasm was 'shown and the promoters ha'd'to ."'bustle round." tp pbtaip oj)lcp'. bearers even for the Association,' Liberalism' as pricked toubby thppresent paftyin powpr is dying a sure but certain death of inanition. That true Liberalism is alive still there is no doubt, but the people are becoming rapidly sick unto death of this false religion that is beirfg preached—this (jbotnne of Liberalism'wbjcji is' Libe'rat |h nothing liut name,' ; 'A strong revulsion of feelipg js gettjpg ; iu, and it will go hard wifh t|}B PoyefDippnf, pe*t seepioo wlign ifsfpjlpwerg cry out for bread and are presented with notbiDg' but stones wherewith to whet their appetites. Even, now murmurs ate into a sullen roar of dissension, The : Income' Tax is,'of course, highlyniipopulor,'but when thersis blbo a great diversity of opinion ol upon what the tax has tobepiid the curses' are loud and deep. Everyone appeal's to be in a delightful stale of con'fuMou fionr the Colonial .Treasurer, the Commissioner of Tajt'es. and the' Law .Offi'celßJdownwards. ■. Ev'erybofly is 'aeekijig enlightenment, and no one can get it. The whole Act seems .to, have been drafted in a very ; slip«slipd' manner and there are many clauses which re*-

quire amendment and definition, I hearlhatias !at'present drafted the Act is almost-unworkable and the Commissioner and his staff are nearly harried into suioide by the multitudi ■ nous questions and explanations which are hourly being asked of them. Have any of your readers ever seen Gilbert and Sullivan's opera of " There is one amusing episode therein which is singularly apropos of the Tax. The heroof the opera suffers under a curse which has been put upon his family in bygone days-id the effect that each day he.as head of the family must commit one-sin.' Every evening, he visits the gallery where the pictures of his ancestors, male And female, hang in endless rows down the long vista of tho spacious apartment. Here he coramunes.with

his departed antecedents and "they very affably step out of their frames and group themselves around in order to question hini as to'-whether he has carried out the conditions of the ctfrse by committing one sin at least during theday. After confession of Bundry peccadilloes., he 'suddenly slates that lie has committed one great enormity by falsifying his income tax returns, 'but is immediately .met with the reply ' Ohi'to is no sin; that was Expected of you; it wont do I" Will the jnoome. Tax Commissioner take the 'same lenient view as Ruddigore's ancestors did? '••;.-■

Dr Chappie's report on the sewerage of the City is loathsome reading. But as the dootor has ruthlessly exposed the foul condition of our sanitary arrangements, perhaps the people will at last wake up to the fact that it is better to pay a'drainage rate than doctors! bills. . Hitherto we have always thanked our. stars, while apos; tropbiaing the wet weather, that at any rntesome good was being-done by flushing the drains. Dr Chappie has completely exploded, this idea. He conclusively proved that typhoid was. even more prevalent in rainy weather than in dry, This arises from the' terribly rotten and congested state ol the wooden drains in Te Aro. A torrent of water sweeping, through these drains only banks up the foul accumulations and the death-dealing exhalations are worse than ever. When will we pull together and wipe out this disgrace to pur nineteenth century Civilization I

The Publio meeting held op ,Wednesday night under the auspices of the 'Central Eailway League to proteßt against a diversion of the North Island Main Trunk Railway from the Central to; the Stratford .route was not, numerically speaking, a saoqeas, and only illustrated the deplorable state of apathy with which the people of Wellington always regard public questions—questions which are of the greatest monunt to thorn and which eventually they wake up to the fact have been neglected when too late for a remedy. The speeches made were really excellent, and all parties flung political considerations' to the wind and deolared themselves thoroughly in accord with the objects of the League. Dr. Newman has earned the thanks of the community for the energetiq manner in which he has brought the matter before the public,.,. The battle of therouteß, by the way, will bos burning question in the House; next session. The Government cannot possibly bring in a Bill to repeal the Aofc which appropriated ; tho £I,OCO,OuO loan to : the construction of a line through the centre of the North Island—and ifthey.do not, well; tho Auckland and perhaps Taranaki votes will tremble in the balance. It is an awkward fix, and reminds one of the ancient.fable of the mariners who escaped from the toils of Scyllaonly to fall into those of Charybdis.

What will bs tlio eventual fate of the Ministry is the question on everyone's , lips? Will Mr Ballance cut the paiuter and escape the trials and tribulations of political life by taking up the Agent-Generalship at the end of next session] Will tho strong man ot the Ministry, Mr Beddon, assume the reins of Government and drive the chariot of his party to destruction as did Phieton the son of Ftobml Tho recent announcement of the retirement of Messrs 6. S. Cooper and W. B, E, Brown came with a ahockofsurpriseto many. Mr Cooper has been bo long identified with the service as its head, front, and understanding that it will be hard to recon« cile oneself to his absence, it is, however, only just and light that a man after attaining nearly fifty years service should retire and make room for the promotion of other deserving officers—especially when, as in Mr Cooper's case, there is no great, hardship in sucoumbing to such a band'* some pension as L6OO per annum. Mr W, R, E. Brofl n, the BegistrarGeneral, has also had his day. Ap« pointed Hke many another high officers in the Service by a lucky pbanpe and by a judicious use of political influn ence, he has had a very fair share, of the sweets of office, and it is meet and right he should mako room for the next, In the early days, when Mr Cooper and hie predecessors held office, their title of Under, beoretary for the Colony was a thing easily understood, but now when there are so many Under SecretariesfortheYarioußDepartments itis somewhat of a pißpopier, Mr Cooper, from his length of service, was 1 of course the senior officer and is such took: precedence o?er'the others, The appointment of Mr Pollen to the vacancy will, h'owpve'r, parry with it a different status to the position. Mr Pollen, I uridersiand.'will simply act as Uuder Beoretary of Ihe Colonial Secretary's B'epartni§nt, and not rank as'JJjr'Ciiqperdid—tjießead of the Service." wljl'jn'tact, be solely the pfjeer through whom the" directions/of Parliampnt pil the Executive are issued,' Mr Pollen's and Mr Von Dadelszen'spromotionsare well earned, for they are capable and hard-working officers of considerable length of service, ... ; Koshos.