JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4433, 1 June 1893, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

The Birthday M.-Politica Gossip,-The Abolition of Grand June?.*— Skilled Labor at Preniiuni»\ —Australian Importations,-A ■ Coi> valescent Borne,—Electric Tramways in Wellington. -The BaUance Memorial Fund Hanging Fire,— New Zed' land made Medicos,

The Queen's Birthday was com- ; : pletely spoilt for the great bulk of ~ L holiday-makers,-to. the drizzling rain which fell at intervals throughout the day. Certainly "Queen's weather" was not the order of the day upon this oocasion. The Birthday paiade ' waß a lamentable fiasco, as our gallant Volunteers did net venture forth . ': from the welcome shelter of the Drill Shed, the Artillery, however, did firo a salute later on between the showers. The wretched day was, however, moro thancompensatedfor,to those whowere fortunate enough to be present, by the brilliant and successful function which took place aMjiovernment House in the evenings-Birthday Balls"have been " time honoured"' functions ever since this Colony had . a Governor and a constitution, but this particular ball, in the opinion of ' the " oldest inhabitant" eclipsed all previous efforts of the kind. Nine,. , o'clock was the hour fixed for the ball) > and by that time cabs, carriages, and 1 conveyances of all sort and style commenoedlio roll up to the front ■ portico of GoveramontHouse, disgorge : ing hosts of be-shawled and he-wrap- | ped ladies, and oloaked men, all I muffled up to the eyes, for the night i was bitterly cold and wet. Upon ■ entry into the front hall a footman ' , olad in the gay Boarlet and buff livery , of the Boyles, politely demanded your [ invitation card. The arrangements in i regard to the ladies' and gentlemen's 1 dressing-rooms were very good and a ' decided improwmHArtm the old 1 system, when to be a , stalwart athlete to hold your own at." J" i all in the scramble that ensued to i divest yourself of your boot? and coat, ' to say nothing of being trampled and 1 walked upon during the performance; ' Coming downstairs from the dressing- | rooms you enter the long corridor i leading to the ball rooms and drawing , rooms, and were presented by another ■ servant with a tastefully got up programme. The corridor was artistically i decorated with ferns and palms and the E gas globes were draped with pink 1 shades throwing a soft light over ' everything, Seats abounded every- ' where, in all sorts of cosy [ nooks and corners, and broad com* [ fortable divans extended through* : out the corridors. Tho ball room 1 was a brilliant sight, crowded with 1 fashionably-dressed ladies, and rendered piotumque by the uniforms of ' ex-military men, militia andvolun- , tear officers and consuls of the various , nations represented in Wellington, The two ball-rooms were beautifully . ' decorated with flowers and ferns, a 1 large monogram of V.E., in white ' flowers on a red back-ground forming ; a conspicuous objeot. Precisely at I 9.16, the Governor and Lady Glasgow, , attended by their suite and accom--1 panicd by their family, entered the i ball-room to tho strains of "God Bavo ! the Queen." Lady Glasgow was 1 most magnificently costumed, and | wore a the , Governor b uni* , form of a Post' Gmmfl J Navy, and wore across fa. shokaers tho I insignia of the Grand Cross of St, M. ■ and St. Geoige, with the badge of the | Order, and bis service medals on his breaßt. Colonel Pat, Boyle wore tho | fine uniform of the Grenadier Guards, and Mr Clay ton wore that of the Scots i Guards, Captain Hunter-Blair was l particularly noticeable in the Bplendid uniform of the Gordon Highlanders, 1 Kilt, Tartan, Dirk, Claymore, and Philabeg complete, and on his breast were his Egyptian medals. The long , programme of twenty-two dances waß commenced by the Gbvernor and Lady Glasgow dancing in the first set of Lancers, and the danoing then con* tinued without intermission, with tho exception of the usual brief respites between tho dances to admit of re* freshments and flirtation, till 2.80. The supper, needless to say, was perfect and fit for a Prince, the wines ; and viands being all the heart of man, or woman either, could desire. Thanksto the efforts of Col. Boyle, who stood on duty at the supper room door the* whole of the evening; there was no 'crowding, no hurry, no bustle, and no confusion. All the arrangements were, in fact, perfect, and carried out with military precisigtniml discipline, In spito of tlie" larfJSlu'Uibertf people present, about GOO, i believe, the ballroom wasneverinconveniently crushed and danoing was always practicable • with care. Of course, there arc a few gentlemen at evory dance who think it necessary to charge up and down the room as if they were leading a forlorn hope or a rußh for the ball at football, but with its exception it was no actual discomfort to dance, Aa tho evening drew on the ball-room thinned perceptibly and dancing on tho delightful floor was a perfect pleasure, Nothing was forgotten to add to the enjoyment of the evening, every little'detail had been, carefully thought out with a care that evinced a keen desiro on the part of our kindly entertainer to provide for tho : comfort of their guests. The broad verandah had been softly carpeted and enclosed and was furnished with luxurious seats, the pretty was hung with softly shaded lamps, and couches and chairs werescattered about in a profusion Zmywhere, Even down to and bonne bouche before parting .everything was complete. The general conoeriaus of opinion on comparing notes waß that the Birthday Ball of the year of grace 1898 waß the' largest) the best and most enjoyable on record. The lavish, kindly and unostentatious hospitality, displayed on this memorable occasion will not easily be fort , gotten by tho good people. of Well lington.

There is not much gossip in the political world at the present, but T havo gleaned a few items which may be of interest to your readers. The Premior's triumphal campaign on the West Coaat is regarded here as an electioneering smooth the way for Sir RobeftMout when he submits himself at'the ballot for the suffrages of the electors of Jnangabua, Mr O'Began, the irrepressible young Colonial Irishman, is however, making the running pretty strong and it is fully expected he will push SirI Kobert hard in several parts of the constituency.. There is an impression in town that Mr Dutbie by his rash Statements regarding Finance and Native land purchaaes (since proved to be .completely incorrect) has. not done much good either to bis party or himself, Then, also his disavowal ofsympathy, with the Prohibition and Women's Franchise movements isdis-j tinctly unpopular at this critical stage. Mr Dutbie was, amongst other things, eleoted on the Women's Franobiea

tioket at tto la»t general election. He i has apparently recanted his former i ■beliof now. , The rumour is gaining ground that 1 Mr'Bolleston will retire from the < leadership of tho ■ Opposition party, ] supposing lie has a seal in the next I Parliament, in favor oi cither Captain t RflSsoll or Mr Scobie Mackenzie, pre- I Burning, of oourse, lhat the late is I aho electod. " Scobio" if, I hoar, i quite confident of defeating the othor i redoubtable " Mac" despite the fact | that the Minister for Lauds has just c ■ delivered himself of a very telling speech at which will do much lo strengthen his position, Mr t Scobie Mackenzie is, however, a most 'I persistent and indefatigable canvnssor t and he certainly, when he likes,has h c most perßuasivo and oily tongue, a i quality whioh the bluff and burly c Minister lacks entirely, Then again, s Mr Scobie Mackenzie is oftener on tho i spot, which, of course, the Minister, t from the nature of his duties, cannot c he, MrDuthie.it is reported, has e definitely decided not to offer himself I for eleotion in December next, rank- j ing rooter Mr H, D, Bell, who is j very to appear in Parliament, i and will no doubt succeed in doing so i this time, Dr Newman will be op- I: posed very hotly for the flutt by Mr 1 B. C. Kirk, the popular Mayor of i Petone, In Pctone and the Hutt t Mr Kirk will rcoeivo a largo I i amount orftpport, though Dr Now- l man is much the strongest in the out- r lying districts. It is also quite likely I Mr W, MoLean may not seo tho i Houseagain.asthereisarumourabroad \ to the effect that ho will nmko way for t the Hon W. P. Reeves, in the event I of the latter deciding to contest a Wei- t lington 89*1, The Opposition will a lose three of its strongest men in the v persons of Sir John Hall and Messrs e Bruce and Duthie, but on tho other I hand they reckon upon obtaining nc- i cessious to their ranks of some new e and strong bloO.I, notably Missrs H. t D. Bell J]irs/lk Lethbridge, they o aro also'lnhopes'of inducing Mr 1: Bryce to come out again, p Mr Justice Richmond's charge to ( the grand jury a! the quarterly sitting v of tho Supreme Court which opened ii to-day, was significant from tho fact s that be pointedly alluded to the probability of it being the last occasion upon which it would be necessary v for him (o address a grand jury, as 1 the abolition of their functions was d impending, The Judge was, of i course, referring to the contemplated t change in the Statutes, whereby the t necossity for sueli a body as a grand o jury will be obviated by the substitu- v tion of a Board of Reviewers consist- n ing of the law officers of the Crown fi and the Crown Prosecutor, who will v ascertain and determine whether it is m necessary to send a case to the com- p tDOD jury for trial, thus absorbing the h funotions performed by a grand jury J now. Tho contemplated change is fi most certainly a step in the right direction, and will result in tho saving of much expense to the country, ii and of much time and trouble to the fi Bar and the public generally, The a proposed innovation has worked ex- t cellently in 'some of the Australian b Colonies for a long time past, The a present grand jury system is incon- fi venient, cumbrous and costly, and I unsatisfactory. s There is a of skilled a -labor in more k especially in the carpentering, plum- n bing and painting trades. This is no li doubt due to the large amount of ut building which is [jwjeeding just now, a but cannot be reeled as a perma- 'J nency, nor does the Scarcity justify a t rush to the place. Some of the con- s tracts for the large buildings are now n expiring, and this will, no doubt, y considerably ease the demand. The s painters engaged on the co-operative t< system on the painting of the Court 2 Houso and Police Station, overwbich, t by the way, they have bceu an uncon- t Boionably long time, have nearly ( finished their contract also. Not- 1 withstanding the fact that good and c even indifferent tradesmen can readily s find employment at fair wages, it is c astonishing how few people put their a sons to learn a trade nowadays, i They prefer to make their Tom's, d Dick's and Harry's so-called gentle., i men by putting them to study for the t law, or as clerks in offices, where 1 they fanoy that their occupations will 1 'give them the yeneer of gentility. I The consequence is that these " gen- t teel" occupations (save the mark I) c ?re ruehed, and their sons starve on a s miserable pittance,striving to keep up t false appearances all the days of their f liW whereas'they odd havo been 1 far and more ! contented as decout and industrious < mechanics. This is no doubt one of i the evil results of our educational system, and a good workman, indeed, any kind of workman, is becoming a rara avis now-a-days. Anothercause of bad workmanship is the almost practical abolition of tho apprentice Byfltetn. Boys are kept a year or two at a trade, and aro then allowed to , go out aB journeymen, botching up j everything they put tboir hands to for want of extended experience. By the " Hauroto" this morning ' arrived a fresh contingent of "Sydney Siders," No doubt many of them aro decent bonest workmen in search of employment, but it is quite likely that there was also a fair sprinkling of" epielers" and cJwmliers de I'lndustrie amongst them. I know the ..Sydney "push" by sight well enough, and tbere were some unmistakable soecimens wwongst this shipment, The police 10 k eo P their weather eyes pe'elOT this "dumping down " of Sydney and Melbourne refuse on our'shores is not promptly chocked, Wtfhave a few choice specimens of the larrikin type of our own, and wo most decidedly can dispense with the importation of any varieties of tho Australian species, A Convalescent Home is the latest charitable ciaze in Wellington in certain quarters. Opinions are, howover, very much divided as to the utility or the benefit that would arise from the establishment of such an institution. The idea has been taken up briskly in high circles, and we| will, therefore. Wore long no doubt Bee the Homeaufajjaccompli. Committes of ladies alpHty engaged in manufacturing articles of clothing and preparing fanoy work for sale at the gift auction, which takes place in July, 'Young and old men are being pressed into service, right and left, as willing or unwilling assistants it matters not which, so that the end is achieved. A vast variety of goods of S ll sorts and conditions, new and old, from a cradle to a coffin, are being stored up for sale in aid of the object. { Amateur theatricals andGhriatyMinstrel performances are in the process of organisation, armies of ladies are out canvassing the Bhop-keepetß for contributiops either in cash or in kind for the great cause. Onelady toldme '; triumphantly that she had canvassed 1 the whole of Cuba street,, and had Obtained a german sauipge and a

dress shirt bb the nett result of her pilgrimage, with promises of a pinafore, a bottle of whisky and a tin of sardines, if she liked to call for them just belore the auotion came off. Beyond doubt all tbesu Homes, Institutes, Refuges and Lodges, reflect oredit on tbepbilanthrophy of tbosecoucerned in their establishment but I cannot but keep agreeing with Mr Coleman Phillips, iliat tho present promiscuous distribution of Charitable Aid is tending to destroy the sell-reliance and to panporiso the pecpleof this fair young country. "Wonderful" Wellington is still advancing in the van of progress, The projoct for an Electrio Tramway to Kaioii has been mooted, and it is quite likely a Company will be formed lo curry out tho idea, Karori is one of our prettiest and most healthy suburbs, and at present is is quite rural in its appearance although there are a good many settlers in the district. The township is situated at an elevation of some. 600 (cot above sealevol, and as Wellington will in a few years bo less and less desirable as a place of residence, Karori as a suburban retreat, has a great future before it. Owing to its macessibility and tho hilly nature of its situation the popu- • lation has not increased very materially for many years past. Tho no* cemetery is situated at Karori, and as it means a walk of from three to four miles over a billy road to attend a futsei'iil in Iho suburb, on foot, it is quite an expedition, mnro 'especially so in cold wet weather. Therefore, the proposed tramway will not only benefit the i livinir, but the duad also. Whether tho tramway would pay, is quite another maitcr; there is no doubt it would not rnlurn anything to its Bhurnl.olders f»r some yearn to come, but i lie holders of property in tho district would reap a reward for their enterprise, by the enhanced values of their properties, caused by aniiillux ! of population. The district of Karori lias a present population of somo COO ' peoplo; it is a full-blown borough, with Mayor, Councillors, and Town Clerk complete, and what is more wonderful to relate, for it is an unique instance in the Colony, there is not a single licensed bouse in its confines, The Bnllanco Memorial Fund would seem to be hanging lire a little, Tho total amount acknowledged io dat'.' iii subscriptions does not exceed £7O, not more than enough, I should think, to pay expenses. It is extremely unfortunate that local jealousy should have been allowed to prevail in this instance, for as it Btands now it does not seem likely that the funds collected throughout the colony will be applied to one national scheme, but will be frittered away in petty local memorials. It is to he hoped that tho Ballanee Memorial Monument will not share the ignoble Fate, of the Atkinson Memorial Fund. New Zealand will shortly be earning just as unenviablo a reputation for tho issue of cheap medical diplomas as somo of the States in the American Union have acquired, by their issue of bogus certificates upon a nominal examination, and payment of certain fees. The proceedings of the N.Z, University with reference to tho students at the Dunedin School of M edicine, will meet with universal disapprobation, This is " licensing to kill" with a vongeance, We have quite enough callow young sawbones let loose on us alreadyfrom the Scotch universities, without manufacturing an even more inferior article out here, This is on instance where local indua try should not he encouraged, Even supposing the theory of surgery and medicine is obtainable in the Colony, yet it is beyoud doubt that the necessary years of a varied hospilal experience cannotpossibly bo obtainedinNew Zealand, Itis amusingas it is, to notice the newly hatched yonng medicos from the Old Country, after a few years training, scarcely enough in which to ( learn a trade decently, let alone the complex and many-sided phases of surgery and medicine, yanking their crammed diplomas out here, sticking £ a brass plate up on their doors, grow- < ing a beard, and writing themselves f down" Doctors" at once. Some are i no doubt fully qualified, but the ] majority cannot evon enrvo a joint of ( beef properly, not to mention the | human body, At Home they would ( be plain Mr Blank, surgeon, out here they blossom into Dr, Blank, pbysi- | cian. Wo colonial encourage this < sort of things by making no distino- | tion between the College of Surgeons ; aud the College ofPhysicians. It is to | be hoped that this Otngo Medical , School esclandre will have tho effect of preventing the issue of colonial medical diplomas.