THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1892. A LABOUR MINISTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4121, 26 May 1892, Page 2

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1892. A LABOUR MINISTER.

It is doubtful whether' any consider* able surprise was created by the announcement in the New Zealand Timtsitol a new portfolio has been brought into'existence, No one, of course, was in a position to prediot that this. particular- portfolio' was rapidly coming to the birth, .still less could anyone have said that it was likely to appear "inorder to meet a long-felt want," But every one—both friend and foe-know how prolific our present Government is in the matter of billets; and friend and foe alike perceived the impor'ance attached by the Ministry to the operation of placating the Labour interest. Consequently the formal announcement that the Hon. W, ,P, Reeves had been made Minister of Labour was received, when it came, with little more than a shrug of the shoulders on tho part of those, onlookers who proverbially see most of the game,

The game of the Cabinet i 3 tolerably apparent, At all risks—even at the risk of making themselves ridiculous—it behoved them to keep constantly ; before the almighty " working man" the magnitude, of the interest which they take in hira. As a matter of fact the working man is pretty well monarch of all he surveys just now; bis-hopes are any* thing, but languishing, he never stood in less need of a 'dry-nurse than today, Put rnost of'a)l ))e is monarch of the MmJEtry ;. -and, lience

the sudden appearance .01. a Labour Portfolio, springing— MjnervH-like—-in full fighting panoply from tlje head of our colonial: Jovg, ■■. By cjie way, which is Jove just now ?■ Is it Ballance or is it Beeves ? Is it Oodlin or Shoi't.who is the "pore" working man'B friend at this crisis ? Never mind, we pay our money-yes, we deoidedly W OM money—and we can take our choice is to picking out the l social benefactor to whoni t! ie _oredit of this smart scheme is due. There is fgertajn appropriateness: —we had almost referred tp it as the irony of fate-in the resignation of the Department of Justice .by 1 the honourablegentleman who forth to guard the interests of Labour, We observe, however, that Mr Beeves retains Education; and we trust he will'Vot fin/} that'-tile■ legitimate claims pjE.this impprtajie are ever Invaded by the demands' on ths colony's resources \yhic|.may be expcoted '.to prepeed from,.his r)eiv; clients, - ; ;

The Evening Post' contends that it is illegal to constitute another portfolio without an Act of Parliament. We daresay'it isj and we gladly leave to'our' Wellington' c6n« temporary the congenial task of framiiig a'formal indictment against a wholly of men who are'««! TOWfe tq tJjp'PPß*. For ourselves we are .content to ask the modest question''< What wjlflie do with it wHli' referonpe to the new ' portfolio and its holder. We posaeEsialready the official Labour Bureau, which was tp be the salvation of the, Colony from the incursions of the unemployed.'lf, it. is considered the duty of the. Government to provide work for the governed, wp should havesupposed that the llinister for P.U.blio .Works was the jnpsi' likely p,e>S'>n. 'to'- knqjr- whero work jsould be, given. Bjjt tljis is, doubtless! #1) wbibitipn of our ignor.. anise; and our ignorance ,is due to |b.3 faptth,at wfar'e in the ranks of thp' OpppsilioH."' We;-, a'jy,ajt : ;:. thebj tfe arrivalflf some announcement which shall eplain the urgfltioy of the need for # labour. Milliliter, and, justify the appointment of this oilcial. _ : We shall,'however,'.be'left waiting, injall probability, 1 till r some : - disagree able person in Parliament,askstjie Question ofMlie' IritoA. 'Then the collective wisdom of 'the (Treasury beucliea -wj)l be summoned]

to defend ajpfboeedihg t which looks' like a bit of 'political humbug to oatoh the »ptes of swaggers-though of couraeitmay be possible for Ministers to demonstrate to the Colony that in taking this action they have in reality been" wiser than the olnldren of light,"

.Only ono flaxmill is now working in the Lower Kangitikei district. ■ Three have recently been closed. Three hundred head of store oattle have just been placed on Mr Donald Donald's properly at the Pukotois. The Mastorton Borough Council, out of loyalty to the Queen, held no meeting on Tuesday night, The mooting will be held in a fortnight.

The Hon. Patrick Buckley, Colonial Secretary, has been created,a K.C.M.G., and will henceforth be known as Sir Patrick Alfonso Buokley;. / The estate of the late Hon. John Martin,, nnder'the last}property assessment, was valued at £IOO,OOO.

Mr J. O. .Yorke, for many years the proprietor and editor of the Hawera, Star, was on Monday evening entertained by the settlers, ou,the occasion of his leaving on a visit toEngland. Samples of liquors' from all the hotels 1 in Palniefston North have been sent to Wellington for analysis.

The new trial of Smith and Harrison for the murder, of John Dalton at Eketahuna will he commenced next week. The witnesses-over twenty in number—proceed to Wellington on Saturday. There is only one fresh witness, whoso evidence is morely corroborative.

Vigorous measures are being taken by ;he police officials in Wanganui for the mppressien of larrikinism.

Thore are Btated to be : no - less than sixty men out of employment' in the Woodville district,

Richard J. Chapman, charged at Car" tertonoji Saturday with assaulting his wife, was bound over to keep the peace. The Kiore (New Zealand) Sheep Company is bein? formed at Hume, with a capital of £20,000. ; li is'stated that Mr Bruce will probably contest the Rangitikei. seat in the Opposition interest; and it is considered likely that Mr John Stevens will come forward aB a Government supporter, In the Hawke's Bay district the excess of bachelors over spinsters is 1337.

Miss O. Payne, Feathoraton, ; Miss L Batt, Eketahuna, and Miss R. McGill, Olaroville, have tendered their resign nations as teachers to the Wellington Education Board,

Greytown was the scone of two weddings on Queen's Birthday, uno in which Miss Sissio Jackson (youugest daughter of the late MrS.' Jackson, Veterinary Surgeon of Greytown) and Mr HonswoodDuff, baker, of Grey town, were united in the holy bonds of matrimony in St. Luke's Church by the Rev,T. B. Maclean, and the other In which Ada, tho : eldest daughter of Mr John "Wilkio, of Greytown, aud Mr Willis, farmer, of Feafcheraton, tied the nuptial knot in the'Wesloyau Ohurch, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. W. Bowse,, 'Whilo the former couple were in the vestry a lively youngster, of seven summers, haying borrowed, or perhaps stolen, a kerosene tin, began playing " Bweet music" at tho door, much to tho consternation of the verger. ■ The Eketahuna footballers entertained the Woodville players to a liqht supper in the rear of the hall after the concert on Tuesday night. The health of the members of the two teams, umpires and Bush Union was drunk, and the visitors proceeded home amidst great cbocriug and good wishes. There was to have been a dance after the. concert, but the ladies being in a great minority it was adjourned till'some more"auspicious occasiim,.,' .'

A tug of war between the Eketahuna and Woodville Football Clubs was held at Eketahuna after the concert ■' on Tuesday nifht. Tho home team wag captainedby MrFodeu,Mr Mackenzie officiating in the same. capacity for Woodville. On the whistle being blown for a start, Eketahuna pulled their opponents nearly over the mark, but Woodville were playing the waiting game and brought the ribbon back towards, thoir own mark until' they were within an inch of victory. Eketa ; huna, however,, spurred on by the diners of the audience, gave a mighty heave and brought their opponents clean over the mark. The Eketahuna team is to be congratulated upon having won the double, viz, the football match and tho tug-of-war, and it is to bo hoped they may bo'as successful alhhrough thosnason.

. A correspondent writes regarding, the Bachelors' Bull held at Mauriceyille on the evening of Queen's Birthday :—The Bachelors' Committee very thoughtfully ran a'bus to convey tho ladies to''and from the ball, and I have been instructed by Borne of the weaker box to express their thanks for the kindness, Not beiug a ladies' man myself 1 had ample opportunity for takin? a uoto of the large number of bachelors who wore doing the amiable, and lean confidently say that Maunceville will be short of bachelors ere many mouths have passed. In fact I overheard something approaching a proposal, I cannot close without mentioning the neatness.of the ladies' dresses and the affability which characterised the wliqle proceedings,

■ A young lady pf Maatertop narrowly esonped meeting a horrible death a few nights ago. She had been reading whilst in bed, and fell off to sleep with a candle by her bedside. When she was awakened, by other members of the household, who observed smoke issuing from.beneath the door and rushed to the bedroom, tho bedclothes wero in flames, the paper on the wall was.on fire, and the very pillow on which her head'rested was smouldiiii""; T' ,e e6M P e waa both providential and marvelious. li'is fortunate that tho fire was so soon'detected, for haa in gone a fow minutes longer tho consoquenoes mqs'fc have been serious. Beyond susfc lining a severe fright tho young lady js uninjured.

'; Tho first race meeting in connection with the Akura Nativo Eaoing Club |s being Qpaki .course (lont for. the occasion) to-iay. The weather is all that could be desired, but the course is in a ye'fy alo'ppy Condition on accounji of the late heavy rains. Although a holiday is not being observed in town," tho iaoesaro well patronised, visitors being present from all parts .of the (Jistnpt. A totolisator is on the eoi)rs.e, and adequate provision is made in the'matter of refreshment booths, eto The meeting altogether is very successful,""" '"" i Wo have ; to .acknowledge ireceipt from the lady oditbrof a copy of" Baby: The. Mothers' Magazine." ,-]This, little monthly,'published''ih'liondoh; contains, imioh that is interesting and '"concerning tho/'health,! dfesF, jfopd, 'education and Management of children, is brjgMlyiyrittehl'Wstefully got up, and Bhowaindicajtiofja of careful oditortaj' Biipervisj.9ll. ' tferh'sps' the greatest fribuje t|jat' gati }jp paid';to' My as 'a ;S!iccess(i)l'magazine' : js fhe statement tjjat in style an<l,nyo'n in wording it has. 1 beto' \\\<4 imiiitdently and dishonourably copied in' America, and that an endeavour is being made there ; to profit by a similar journal, made up to a considerable extent of imaoknowledaed'extract?'from i(s Jegiti* mate contemporary, No. better example than this is needed to illustrate the necessity' for an international; copyright law whioh would suppress the wholesale and barefaced' robbe'i!/ of 'authoralatid journaluits' literary, prpper,ly now" constantly .taking place in {he priited Sta.tes, At present there is.no jertres! whatever, and this constitutes a most djehearf en/og; ap 3, demoralising state of, things in'the literajry yprhj."',.; ■• -' ':• : If'will be sgoii from ah Inset .appear ing {nbii'r jssii'e.fif Prpfessftr Liohtwarkj-the renowned borsp'tamer, will give class lessons in. llastertpn ; on j?riday'' evening noxt. and .'also 011' the the afternoon and evening of Saturday." The Professor visits the Lower Taueru on Saturday, 4th June.

To-day beinp Ascension Da/, or Holy Thuraday, a apeoial service was heldiin St, Matthew's Ohuroli. Frederick Marian was fined £2O in -the Wellington B.M. Court yesterday ihor.-i ing for illegal betting, ' Tho barque Elizabeth, bound from Sydney to .Rotterdam with a cargo of shale, struok on a rook 6C3 miles northeast of Ruokhampton. The captain and crew remained on board for sixteen days, aud then the vessel sank, Thoy put to sea in an opnn boat, and had drifted. for fifteen'days before being picked'up by a pasbiun steamer ne« Ularemont Island.

Mr B.M.D.'Whatman, of the "Mhsterton Football Club, has been'elscted a vice-president of the Heir Zealand Rugby Football Union. Two drunks—a : male and femalefound their way into the Masterton police cells last night, 'They weredealt with in the.usual way in th'e'R.M, Ceurt this morning; :,,;.!■■■,

Tho second term of the Girls' High School, 'Wellington, will begin on Tuesday, the 3lst May. Miss Hamilton, the lady principal, will beat the 'school on Monday alternooh 1 from 3to 5 o'clock to see parents of pupils, . , . , j The Masterton.Park Trusteos. have resolved to give the Rod Star Football Club the use of the Park Oval for 15 a ; season, with reservations, instead ot .£lO as at first decided upon, . The .Maaterton Assembly of 'tho Knights .of Labour has passed the following resolution:—" That ahearty vote of thanks be passed to tho Government for tho manner in which they have recognised the importance and rights of labour by the oreation of a special portfolio," ,!:..■

Tho following conversation waß overheard in the.street the other day, bat for obvious reason's we shall omit tie' name of one o! the parties; tho other was tho well known draper, Mr L. J. Hooper. Mr Spot Cash 'ls it true Mr Hooper that you intend: opening the shop next your .drapery es« tablishment as a grocer; and provision warehouse?. MrL.J.: " That is so,..Mr Cash, and in about a week I shall bo able to quote to you tho lowest prices for al kinds of general merchandise," Mr Spot Cash;'"Glood I Isuppose you will keep only good goods and sell as cheap as anyone else ? ."Mr L.' J,: •' You bet I The best and nothing but the best, and every article at lied rook prices I Those aictho foundation stones upon whioh wo intend to ereot our business.". Mr Spot Cash; '■" Your hand my boy, My;account with so-and-so's worth thvee pounds a week, and Ipayoash, I am not satisfied lately. I fancy Ipay more than I should do, So directly you open'your business look upon me as a regular cus-tomer."-Advt,