JOTTINGS FROM WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4375, 22 March 1893, Page 2

JOTTINGS FROM WELLINGTON.

(By Our Own Correspondent),

Wellington, Monday. Popular opinion here in reference to the Magisterial appointments hue a strong tendency towards condemning the whole business in tolo. Nor is this feeling confined by any means to only those of the " wrong color," but even the " chosen people" are loud in their denunciations. Such palpable political jobs, as these appointments mostly- are, have done much to alienate confidence which formerly was given unquestioningly to the Ministry. Mr Hawkins is, no doubt, an estimable man, and a lawyer of some ability, and his many friends in town and country will be glad to hear of his good fortune, for his own sake; but his appointment to the Magistracy is nevertheless quite unjustifiable from a pubtio point of view, Mr Hawkins 1 sole claim to consideration consists in the fact of his having aoted as dry-muse to a certain well-known legal luminary in ■Wellington who stood for Parliament in the Goverment interest at the last General Election.

Mr T. Hutchison, a scion, by the way, of that illustrious house which has already nobly sacrificed father and son on the altar of patriotism by sending them to Pailiament, is reported to be sound on tho Liberal goose, from the orown of his head to the soles of his boots; and he can conveniently perform, like the Yicar of Bray, the most astounding feats of political acrobatism, feats which have brought him under the patronising eyo of the Government, Otherwise, Mr Hutchison has no oluims lo con» sideratibn; he is not even a lawyer of repute, although he has shown on more than one occasion that he has a passing fair acquaintance with the complex Native Land Laws of the Colony. Mr Hutchison's elevation will not altogether strengthen or add lustre to the Magisterial Bench of the Colony,

Mr J. C, Martin, not perhaps liking his companions in the Colony's misfortune has had the good senso to refuse the .proffered kindness. Mr Martin's acceptance anyhow was improbable, as lie is a solicitor in good praotice in Chrislchurcb, and Government ' billets' are after all only useful as "dernier resorts " when everything else fails.for there is a delightful uncertainty about one's tenure of office which to a married man with a large family must be positively entrancing,

Mr Eyre Kenuy and Mr Clendon are only receiving their just dues by tbe appointments just conferred upon them. They are both deserving officers of long standing, commonplace ability and unspotted integrity. Mr Robinson will bo much missedin Wellington and more especially in the Wairarapa where he is entirely in his I proper element as a District Judge. Mr Robinson works vory hard but he will have to work a little faster if he wishes to keep level with tbe District Court work in the South. Mr C. 0, Graham will not be removed from Wellington just at present, but will temporarily take over Mr Robinson's duties as Resident Magistrate in addition to bis own as Official Assignee. Two officials work will thus.by skilful manipulation, be performed by one officer for one salary, And yet the Government are rewarding the industry and ability of thismostvaluable public servant by breaking up his home and shifting him to Dunedin, where at considerable personal expense and inconvenience a fresh start in life has to be made,

On Hit that Mr Poynlon J.P., barrister and solicitor, and great Liberal partisan, has been selected to fill the position of Assistant B.M. in Wellington. And yet the indignant "Morning Journal" loudly and forcibly disclaims any attempt on the part of the Government to adopt (as Mr Bruce at Auckland and others before him have put it) tbo American system of" the spoils for the victors." Uinc illae lachrymce I

Sir Patrick Buckley has been selected this time as the guardian angel of the Governor in Hawke's Bay, Sir Patrick is the presentable man ot the Ministry, and when any particularly swell ceremonies bave to be performed he is generally told off for the purpose. Tlio Hon. Richard hurried back to town from his upcountry trip, hoping that the choice might fall on him, but suffered disappointment, This is bard ona man who has hob-nobbed with and conducted seveialreal " Heads" all over the Colony. The wildest dreams of the democratic host of the "Kumara Arms," or whatever the name was, never rose to the height that the actual experiences of "Hai Jay" Ministerof Public Works have reached, Apropos of the Hon. "Dick's" journey through the east coast of the Middle Island with Lord Onslow, a very good story, now somewhat antique though not perhaps known in your district, of the Minister's hots occurs to me. It is related that during the expedition the Minister's private Secretary was always to be seen riding along in the rear carefully shepherding a large' bat-box upon which the great Dick from time to time cast anxious glances, Curiosity was aroused within the breast of the Governor, who dropping behind stealthily' whispered to the P. 8., "What on earth have you got there.'!' Pasting a cautious look wound him, the gentleman interrogated, replied : '! Oh, these are the Cardipab's hats," poiptiog at the same time to the Minister who was riding serenely ahead, cracking a" joke with one of the aide', The Governor looked astonished, and said, " a bat box is a queer piece of luggage for a trip like this, and why 'on earth do you guard it so carefully. The Secretary in a confidential whisper replied:'"Well, the fact is, Mr Seddon is a man who likes to be prepared for any ernergenpy, never, in fact, to appear to a disadvantage. So in tnjs |)px.i| the bell-topper which he will wear when we enter Hokitika in state to day to receive an address from the Corporation, for to-morrow, when we visit Kumara, we have the usual miners billy-cock, to bo in harmony with surroundings, and to show we haven't forgotten old times. For our visit to, let us say Beefton, here we havo tbo" hard-hitter" or common garden " bowler," which you will observe is a sort of happy medium between the two, and .eminently suitable for the town. For the road wo don the caps which you will observe the Cardinal now wears, That is why I guard the hat box carefully, the success of the trip depends on the safety of the vktious headgear." -The 1 Governor' thnnked.the communicative Secretary, and rode'ahead again with a thoughtful look on .bis face-be bad only one chapeau, and that was a plain and unpretentious riding cap,

Mr Ballanoe is in town, and though he is, according to the papers, so much better, yet he is unable at present,; to pay much attention to public business.. Mr. Ballance is foveiiahly anxious to be. at. wofk again, but his medical advisers will not allow him to perfoim anything but the merest official routine business. Ministers are now getting ready for the coming session the various measures which it is proposed, to introduce in order, to their hands at the general election. Female Franchise will not, however, be one, nor trill the Government hold out a sop to the Civil Service by again bringing forward the much talked of - Civil Service Bill. Tho fact of these two Bills being left out in the cold ihia session alienates the Government from a large amount of support which would otherwise have been given them,' from mere gratitude if from nothing else, More legislation on labour questions will be attempted and I hear that tho Shop Hours and Shops and Shop Assistant's Bills will again be reintroduced.

The .Trades and'lOTur Counoil have administered a severe snub to the Liberal Association by refusing to be a party to the suggestion put forth by the Association, in reference to choosing representatives at the next elect tion, The Council docs not wish to efface itself, it says, by pledging itself tofollow in tho Association's footsteps. In other words, the candidates pro* posed by one body will not be acceptable to the other. The Trades and Labour Council naturally wants a genuine representative of Labour; the Association wantsquiteanolherthing.

The Opposition are delighted with -^. Mr Brace's great success in Auckland, J&& and it is quite on the cards tkat<Jl«Spi will be asked to deliver addresses a! Wellington, Christchurch and Dun» edin also. Mr Bruce, although no • doubt peculiar in his viewß and a man of many fads, can always command a ready hearing anywhere, for ho is most certainly gifted with a trick of oratory which attracts and enchains the attention, even if the matter of bis discourse may be tinged with his own sombre and somewhat pwiroislio ideas. At least, Mr Bruce is earnest and sincere, and from a party point of view, if he consents to his stamping tour which I very much doubt, his addresses will greatly strengthen his party's cause,

Sir Robert Stout at Auckland libb declared himself in favour of the Direot Yeto, and although this may be good news for the Prohibitionists it will not Gnd much favour with the Government who are undoubtedly opposed to Prohibition in every shape and form, Tho Ministry are "biting their thumbs" over this expression ot opinion for there is no doubt they are not anxious for this question to crop up during the next session, recognising that Prohibition and tho Woman's Franchise will be the rocks upon which they will stand in much danger of sbipwreokr

The damages caused by theJtjcent floods are gradually being repaired but it will bo some considerable time yet before tho houses which were inundated by the muddy waters are fit for habitation. In the meantime there is great danger of typhoid from the horrible stenches arising from the outhouses, etc., which were wreoked by the flood. Public and private con-j tributions of money, food, fuel,' and olothing have flowed in in thfe most liberal marner and it reflects much'\

credit upon the people of this city that the appeal to tbeir sympathy and assistance bus been thus readily res» ponded to, Much good work bos been done in a quiet unostentatious manner by tlio various ladies charitable organisations. These organisations are of much benefit for tliey are enabled often to reach people sorely in need hut who are far too proud and too self-reliant to appeal to public charity. There is unfortunately much distress in Wellington at present, a fact all the more surprising when it is considered that work iB said'to be fairly plontiful. Mr Bell, the Mayor, attended a meeting of the benevolent institution the other day, but left after half an hour, saying, that he had heard enough to make, him miserable for the rest of the week.

Now that Wellington is to be lit with electricity, privately as well as publicly, it is high timothat attention was given to the question of compelling the N.Z. Electrical Syndicate to run the wires underground, in order to prevent serious if not fatal acoidents arising. Only the other day jl boy incautiously caught bold-jW

wire and received a severo 6hock and had his hand badly lacerated. In the large cities of England and America many fatal accidents have occurred through tbo wires falling from their posts, and the danger is particularly apparent when a fire occurs, for the wires have to be cut away to enable the firemen to get at tbo burning buildings, Our streo'ts aro now threaded with a maze of telephone, telegraph, and cleotric light wireß, to say nothing of enormous posts at short intervals erected to carry tho wires overhead, Tbo practice of carrying wires overhead is not only extremely unsightly but highly dangorous flora several points of view, for i should a largo lire occur it would take some lime to get ladders up to the buildings, The mattejjjhonld certainly receive decidedly electric light wires should bo made to be run undprgroqnd.