JOTTINGS from WILLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4381, 29 March 1893, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WILLINGTON.

[By Our Own Correspondent.]

Not very much enthusiasm U felt hen over the Easter Encampment, and it ii not anticipated that the attendance will bo rery kgo from corps outside of Wellington. The site chosen for the encamp-ment-Jobnsonville-ia not by any means a happy selection, for various retL, sons, from a volunteer point of vjgltfH tho first place, Johnsonville is undenunH bleak and cold, in consequence of being situated upon the hills and exposed to the wintry blasts of heaven from both sides, North and South; secondly, it is a considerabledistanoe from town, which, to the citizen soldier, is a great draw? baok, and naturally so too, for the volufr teor gives up a great deal of his time) and even spends a good deal of bit money in' serving his country, and it is rather hard upon him that he should.be denied a little fan when off duty. As it is, the local hotels, of Johnsonville, and tbe caterer will reap a great harvest, whereas, if the men were allowed to tun into Wellingh!, the chances are that the amusement's indulged in would be of & much less harmful nature. 'While an ardent believer jn - discipline, even amongst vnjflKjn,,! cannot but help thinking,thatl^fthing may be overdone, by treating men who are gratuitously serving in the ranks, sometimes at considerable loss and lnconvenienco to 'tueutelves, as if they were so DianyßhllliDg-a-dayTommyAtkirjßo3.En< thusiasm for the volunteer movement is slowly, but.surely being crushed out of tbe men by tbe rigorous discipline, harsh and even insulting criticism of what are, after all, only trifling defects, which ii now being adopted, It is a mistake to suppose that men voluntarily serving > under arms oan be treated like so many i paid pipo-clay pnppets of the " widow, as Jludynrd Kipling terms Her Majesty, i Discipline is ot course absolutely i essential, but I don't see how.it is to be ' e H2^™^ 1 for ' DB ' anco i the inspepiirf ; down the'jMHS i and seizing liola ot the ilaok of appaj

uniform tunio and insinuating thatthe coat either wants cutting to fit or that that portion of the anatomy underneath requires to bo increased to fill up the; vacanoy, or playfully grabbing the collar of the tunic and sarcastically suggesting that the man should put his head inside also as there seems to be plenty of room. The men can't help the fit of the Government slops which are served out. to them, If the capitation was a little' more liberal the tunics might fit better. Over and over again in Wellington 1 havo known Volunteers refuse to weir tho " reach-me-downs" supplied to'tho, corps, preferring to pay L 7 or L 8 for a cVontly fitting turn-out, out of their own pockets. Volouteoiing has, beenmore than a success in this Colony and 1 it h" been proved ove: and over again that tho military were not ut it whon placed against the Volunteers in the field during our Nalive troubles, Milltary r; I tape and military despotism have failed out here before in aoMavin'g any good, and it is to be hoped .now that mijitary autoerotism will 9pi! n ea»jely_ crush out that enthusiasm which vJHBj reply in tho stormy days whelHß Colony had maiuly to look tffH| Volunteers for protection. bBH Of news political there is veiy Ij-BBH r.'cord tins week, everything is d(9j|B£ uninfecting. Mr Scobio McKoiBH to address the constituents of MoiirOgßJ for the last occasion in a I hear. No doubt we alr'l then mfflH finitely what are the future ot this warl'ke OppositioigHHHH thencs, Mr Kugeno elect of Westport, is in "MBH doubt on Mokihinui Coal ComptHWH business interest, but also at thesanM time, perhaps, to bully some small favfl out of the Government for his bolovffl Westport. Or are those river frontagfl In Westport, which the Jiailway Com™ missloneridetiro bo very much tbeoquire and the goed people of Westport desire ' bo much' to hang on to at peppercorn rents, are those lcrscs. I wonder,' falling. in ? Mea-,rs Buckland and Bjick, M.fl.R.'s, have also been in town during the week. It is rather early lor sessional lodgings, so it must be somothiog else that h?' brought these worthies to the 1 seat of Parliament. Perhaps their oheques for £2O a month have not been coming to hand regularly ? I learn that Mr Wal-. ler Johnston has no des'-e whatever to re-eater political l ;f e. He is now build* ing a palatial count;/ house in tho Manawatu district, where ho and hit family will shortly tako up their permanent residence. There is no doubt that Mr Johnston's large influence would se« cure him a veiy good chance for a seat in his province, but matters are.different now to what they were when he last Btood for election, Tempera mufantur and moßt decidedly tho people of the Manawatu have changed with them.

On dit that Sir Walter Buller has to in. tcntion of remaining in England f the term of fiveyeatßhe was appointed by the Government to the Governorship of the Imperial Institute. Many tongued rumour also states further that the worthy knight will be out here again by November next if hie eonuta, now said to bo busily at work, report that there Ui any chance of his successfully conduJN ing an electoral campaign in the iSBA crnment interest, After the seveinß huff, however, that Sir Walter, reMB at the hands of the electors of ho is a bold man if he tries JHH a»ain. The name of Bullet ilffiKnH as it might have been once, a%amTW conjure with. ir*

The rumoured retirement of Mr J. E, Fitzgerald, 0.M.G., Auditor and Conn troller-General would appear not to bi without some foundation. In his speech at the annual meeting of the Public Service Association the other' night Mr;. Fitzgerald vei'y plainly' hinted that'll might be the last occasion upon .which he would address that body, and tlio in. ferehce was that no had in bis mind's eye tbo prospect of an early roli'oment from tho Service. Mr Fitzgotrld's official career has truly been adistinguishedone. Ho l)as been successively superlnJ tendenl of Canterbury, Member of the] General Assembly, Cabinet Miniitohanji' for many years past has occupir 1( the; high and responsible position of Auditor' arid Controller General,. fa. which position he acts wlely as a par*" liamentiuy officer andean only be re. moved Tvora ofiicMjl' vote of both Houses, As an oralojßn by-gone days Mr Fitzgerald was without a compeer, and there were giants in thosodaya In parlii' raentaiy oratory, "Orator" Fitzgerald was his souWjuei, tid the announce, mentthathe would speak was sufficient to throng the galleries with crowds of interested auditors. In his speech at the Public Service Association.,meeting Mr Fitzgerald nbowd that muoh of the old tire burnt in him still, Mr Fitzgerald is a type of a legislator that has unfortu. natelybecomeexlinctin these degenerate days. Highly cultured, eloquent, witty, and the very model of cbivalrouscourtesy' to friend and foe alike. Mr Fitzgerald's rofiremenf w'll leave a gap, which it will be hard' for bis successor to fill with the same advantage,' The Auditor andOpn. tro'ler-Ooueral has now "attained to the allotted epsn of life, he Is, I believe, over 70, and is entitled to a well-earned (est after a life creditably and honourably put in the service of his adopted jconn,' tiy. . ' " •' ■'--

At for (be suggestion that Sir Jullm Vogel should receive the appointment oL Auditor and Controller-General in i]J event of Mr Fitzgerald's retiiemenwfl quite unlikely that he wouldatffHH if it were offered to him, a vei/ good thing on, managership of the liwr York' liife Oral In the world's metropolu, and .he is] hardly likelyto give it np :q preference] to. the Controller»(J.enera!sbip. ThonJ sgain, Sir Julius Vogel, although aWy! eupreme as a creative genius if as sad) J lacking in administrative a boul above detalLj. Given t free ban! in the New York Life, with oompeterJl men to carry out tbe'defeils, fae'wiJl'ifl doubt make a'gredt success of his'manM gersbip, but as ContfoMantfiluditol General, when careful attention'bat » bo paid personally tocouritleßS rainutM bis sucoesp .would not be so usnrefl Besides, I am credibly- informed M Jiiliui has no desire to retnm to m

Colony, thinking, and with gome show of reason, that his sorvices in tdo past havo boon repaid somewhat shabbily.

ThoTe Aro Railway Extension is now <tu fait accompli and the Wellington people aro beginning to wonder whether after all thoy haven't acquired n whito elephant which will provo of more nuisance than it is worth. In the first place the trains pass ris>ht through the most crowded and buiy parte of tho Mitf, to wit, Custom House Quay and the end of the Queen's wharf, opposite the Post Office. Troflio is likely to be stopped and horses frightened by the en fine, and if a good 3 station is erected at Te Aro, which is now an almost absolute certainty, the foreaho.'o will be taken up by trains ohunting all day long and gradually a valuable slice of tho city's sparo ground will be ocenpied as a terminus for the Wellington-Mastorton and eventually tor the whole of tho Wellington-Napier section, The proposal to make Te Aro the terminus for the Wellington Manawatu railway will also aggravate matters and so in a very few yoars in tho very hcrt of the city will be seen ono of the largest railway termini in this Colony. Tho Mayor and Corporation and tho Harbour Board wore right in thoir omsition to tho proposed goods shed andfinfi, and the' deputation which-HPjwT on the Minister, headed b tho übiquitous'-Mr McLean, M.H.R., did not by any means represent tho real fcolings of the chief business section of the community, who would bo found if a vote were taken, to be strongly opposed to any more encroachment on thecity'salreadytooslenderspareground.

Tho Wellington Gas Company are becoming very much afraid of tho determined opposition which is being Bhown by the New Zoaland Electrical Syndicate, in the matter of supplying pnvato promises witn tho electric Already, a considerable reduction in gas is nounced to take effect in July nezt, and ps a counter njoye t/ ft* Syndicate, thoy feto""" H» llo S*awCTectric light by means

applying people with their own dynamos. Gas sharo3 rwve proved so highly remunerative in the past, and so many ot the leading people in Wellington have such large interests in the Company that tho most strenuous oppu~ siticn has been shown to the introduction of tho electric light into the public olfice3 and other institutions, Seeing that the general use of electricity as an illuminant was only a matter of time, tho Gjs Company have now taken tho bull by tho horns, and are offering separate installations. Not that I Ehould think many people would take advantage of this offer, one might as well have ono's own gasometer as run a private dynamo. It is, indeed, now a cry of" new lamps for eld "in town.

It is pleasing to note that the Premier has so far recovered his strength to bo able to go out for a drive on bright sunny days, Mr Ballance, howoyer, still looks very ill, and many sympathising glances are cast at him db he drives elowly through the town accompanied by Mrs Ballance, who is his constant nurse and ever watchful attendant, Everyone Ijghted tbat Mr Ballance ia at least c improved as to be able to drive ccasionally, for with all sections of ommunity in Wellington, no matter their political ideas may be, tho dor is regarded with feelingß of the ist respect and esteem.