Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] Being the extended title of the Wairarapa Daily, with which it is identical THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1892.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4289, 1 December 1892, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878] Being the extended title of the Wairarapa Daily, with which it is identical THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1892.

second Edition

The Prince of Wales' white elephant "The Imperial Institute" seems to be coming onco more under public notioe, Somehow or other it impresses people as belonging to the things thai are shoddy, Even its name has a spurious sound, which rings harshly on the ear. Colonials hold dear tbe title of Queen, but they are out of touch with the newer and stranger namo "Imperial," The old words " God Save the Queen," still stir in them a sentiment of loyalty; but a new version of "God Save His Imperial Highness" or His Imperial Highness's Institute would fail to thrill them. There is shoddy in tbe name and shoddy in the thing which it represents, and though the Prince has refused to believe that colonials take other than a warm interest in his Elephant, he will ultimately discover that they don't care a rap for it. Has it not got abroad that au undistinguished but audacious colonist obtained a title by giving a round sum towards this Imperial Institute, and is it not supposed that those woll-to-do colonists who have come forward to bolster up the undertaking, do so in tbe expectation of obtaining similar favours, We fear that the Imperial Institute will develop into a Palace of Snobbery and Jobbery, and it is with rogret that we 6nd pttblio money going out of this colony to help it, No one wants the Institute, it serves no particular or defined purpose, and it will cost an enormous sum of money both to build and maintain.

It is said that there ia rejoicing at the Agent-General's office, because Mr Mince pat £IO,OOO on the estimates for the Imperial Institute. We presume Mr Ballance lias to do this sort of thing because in due course he himself expects a title—in his case the honor has been earned—and he may have been omtioned by the Imperial Institute people that if did not pay his footing this way, his 1 chance of preferment would be jeopardised, An Imperial Institution of this kind can levy a sort of blackmail on Colonial magnates, and this is one of its worst features. Probably nineteen colonists out of twenty would gladly see the Institute converted into an asylum for idiots, not, of course for colonial idiots, but for the

good people of London who are wont to regard Colonists as imbeciles, and '0 treat them as such. Tbere may be undoubtedly a small sprinkling of colonißts who are to be caught with ibo Imperial Institute bait, but the great mass of them are utterly indifferent to it, and regard the project as a gigantic folly,