JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4463, 6 July 1893, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

(By Our Own Correspondent,). Wkmngton, Tuesday. J he Manufacture ofMilk. A Plaque of Measles. I)r Lemon still Obdurate. The Teacher of Truth in Wellington. Warranted Burglar Proof I Gas versus Eltctricity. The ConvaU escent Home. The Te Aro Railway. Prohibition to the Fore. Colonel Fox and the Volunteers. Parliamentary Pickings. How do you manufucture-iiilk in Maetertonl InWeUingtonSSSjß appear that the aid of a cow JnlßfP maiter of the production of milk can bo easily dispensed with. One has hitherto bei'n led to suppose, apparently incorrectly, that the.useful though homely cow played a rather important/part in the production .of the lacteal fluid consumed by us innocent mortals, but recent disclosures intheOblorneversusSterling cafia have somewhat opened one's eyes oil tho.subject. We know that. ,it has been a" tbe honoured ousytejilb. vendors of milk to invoke ypHoeg the aid of the cow with the iron tail, when for some reason or other the natural supply was not equal to the demand, in other words it has been usual to water the milk. But the. wholesale manufacture of romething lilte 100 gallons per day by the aid of such questionable ingredients as arnatto, saltpetre etc, is somewhat of an eye opener and may account for. the fact that milk as supplied' here is not always so palatable as it might be, Water we might not like ex-, actly, but arnatto and saltpetre—faugh I ,the thought is somewhat unsettling, •■; From manufactured milk to manufactured eggs is only a step, and perhaps before long we may bo able to produce artificially the whole breakfast table without resorting tothe assistance of the cow yard or fowlhouse at all, The dairyman fa-ques-tion had a daily outputof soma ,800 gallons of milk (so-called) actually only purchased some 2oH gallons the difference of 100 gallons being produced in the private -laboratory attached to the establishment, Science is advancing by leaps and bounds, Further developments on the part of the inspector will be awaited with interest. _ A plague of measles and other infantile complaints exists here now, The State schools have closed a full fortnight earlier than mual in consequence of the prevalence of measles amongst the scholars, In one large school it is reported that there are no less than five hundred. pupils down with this disorder, Fortunately, the bulk of the cases appear to be of a. very mild order, though I have heard of a good many aggravated caßes. Diphtheria is also very prevalent, bat the mortality, except iu eases of very young children, is not large, Modern science has evidently learnt how to cope with this disease, which, not twenty years ago, was reckoned an almost mortal complaint. Colonial diphtheria mußt, however, be very much milder in form than the English disease, for 1 am told that there the mortality is from : 2s to 80 per cent, of the children attacked. One doctor told mo he had treated SOO cases of diphtheria, and there had been only three deaths out of this number. This doctor would earn a great reputation in the Old Country. Dr. Lemon still goes gaily on his career in his opposition to the.w&f of the sewage in Lyells 1 Bay. lists and experts have expressed it as ' their opinion that there can be no damage to the cable (even admitting the theory of corrosion to bo true) for at loaat twenty five years, but yet tho doctor still holds out for his beloved 1 Ortble., As I skied in my last letter, tho theory of the currents setting in lo the Bay was not borne out by expert evidence, and Capt, Holliday, the Barbour Master, has confirmed that statement by his evidence about the trend of the currents being out of the Bay. Colonel Fox has, however, fired the last shot which should demolish utterly.the fabric of Dr, Lemon's opposition to tho proposed outfall by the statement in hiß report (in his famous report, of which moreanon) that the cable should be placed in such a position as to be protected by the guns of tho batteries which bristle on the shores of Port Nicholson. This last argument is a clincher, aod if the Bill is not withdrawn everyone will bo very muoh surprised, Dr. Lemon is, I understand, an expert in telegraphic engineering, but I doubt if his Ecientifio assertions will stand tho broad day. light of expert investigations. The genial doctor was granted an honoragj degree of Doctor of Science, I believw by some American or German University for his inventions in connection with telegraphy, but 1 doubt if he may be considered an export in any other branches of science either natural or applied, Truth, they say, lies hidden in the bottom of a well, and jesting Pilate is reported to have asked, ""What ia truth 1" <• Sister" Magdala, of the Students of Truth fame, has apparently found it a rather hopeless job to extract any truth out of the Wel» lington well, and the Wellington people, like Pilate have asked what is this," truth "you aro offering to us? In plain words, '' Sißter" Magdala's mission here has been aVijtnplete failure, and I do not Bur-gJßrihlike tho good people of GhristSßHi)' that she has obtained a dozen adherents to this new faith, wbicb apparently from a Btudy of its tenets requires a vast deal more" faith " and less "reason" than any other doctrine in existence. The "Sister's "reception in Wellington waa decidedly frigid, while on tho other hand her'Buburban experiences were exceptionally sultry. Truth, according to "Sister" Magdala, will not flourish in Wellington, but Wellington may reasonably ask " what is truth?" Certainly that kind of truth inculcated by Mr Woithington - that gifted apostle—is neither desir* able nor benefical, "V^ The enterprising burglar is still "a burgling "but the polioe "from information received" are keeping a watohful eye on him and no doubt in the fullness of time tho citizens of Wellington may once more rest easily in their beds, I hare heard cases of what looks like attempted burglary lately, but only one or two reportß have appeared in the public press. There can be no manner of doubt that there are a good many very Bhady customers about, and it behoves people to be careful and see that their valuables are safely locked up and tbe window catches and door fastenings secured, I was told of a very ludicrous expedient resorted to the other day by an amiable' though somewhat eccentric old gentleman, to keep off the burglar?. He wrote put a placard in big round characters which he faßtened to bis frontdoor. jibe notice .^BB/to th«»winß ;

eSlaot \ , \\ Burglary aro informed that there is no jewellery, no money, and no plate in this house, bo they noed not bother to apply, if thoy do they will find, however, that there is plenty of lead in the sliapo of revolver bullets." • It is not slated whether the burglar did apply, but at anyrate ono fine morning tho placard was missing from the front door, and tlie old gentleman is convinced that the house-breakers removed that notice, and have taken it homo to ponder over.' 'lhe suggestion thai it might liave been the milkmen, the boicher, (he housemaid or oven a visitor, is with scorn, We are anxiously awaiting the rneoiing of the Hospital T'custeeß when it will be decided finally whcilior gas or electricity is to bo tho illuminant used in the Hospital in future, The do'otors are all infa'vorof electii> ity and so aro many of the Trustees, but the gas element in lha shape of Jiolders of Wellington Gas Company. Shares, is very strong and considerable influence is being brought to can be no hesitation in a Hospital the electric light is incomparaily the best. It is a better light, it ii cooler and above all thero are no foul exhalations nor ■ would tho oiygcn in the wards ho consumed so rapidly as hy gas, In a crowded Hospital liko ours i.«,onn would think that any suggestion fur (ho improvement odheatmoaplioie and the comtort anil convenience of the medical staff and patients would be at once accepted. Apparently it IB not so here, Talking of the Hospital leniinds me that the Gifi Auotion and Bazaar, promoted by the ladies of Wellington, hiaded by the Countesa of Glasgow, in aid of a fund for the erection of a Convalescent Home, is turning out a great success, A sum of £3OO has been taken up to-day (Tuesday) and the fair promoters hope to double that amount before the auction closes on Saturday. A really excellent entertainment is every evening in the shapo JPKTmateur Theatricals and musio to say nothing of the numerous other attractions in the shape of wauy stalls for the sale of useful und ornamental articles presided over by the beauty and fashion of Wellington. The Gift Auctions every evening are a source of huge delight as helpless bachelors aro mulcted in the purchase of all kinds ol ridiculous articles which aro knocked down to them before they know where they are. The Te Aro Railway Extension will one of these days bo the means of causing a sorious accident if lhe trains do not adopt somo other means of heralding their approach than by the usual whistle, Only the otlur day an express was run into, fortunately without; any serious result, either to tho driver or tho horse, simply beciuso the man in charge did not hear the whistle. Indeed, it is extremely difficult to extinguish bet tween the train and the steamoi whistles, especially in the vicinity o the wharf, where steamers are continually coming and going. In America thetrainß go slowly through the streets, constantly clanging a bell; it is unpleasant and decidedly jarring to the nerves, but accidents very seldom happen. The same thing should be adopted here. Peoplo must cross the line in many places, and the train is upon you'beloreyou have time to think. By the way, 1 notice the extension is largely used by country people who do most of their Te Aro, and it is no dopFa great convenience in many ways, in addition to being a cheap ride. The New Zealand Alliance have opened an offioe in Charlotte street for the session, in handy proximity to the Government buildings, and aro making great preparations for tho ■ forthcoming slrugglo over Sir Robert, Stout's Direct Veto Bill by holding open air meetings and generally bringing their cbubo before the public, There is to be a great public meeting on Thursday next at the Wesley Church, Taranaki Street, at which tbe Mayor will preside, and the chief shining lights of the Prohibition movement will Bpeak, including the Beva Isitt and Walker, and possibly Sir Robert Stout. The Prohibitionists have gained a email victory in Wellington lately by the closing of the Branch and Wellington Hotels, over which thoy tire naturally jubilant. One of the many topics of conversation is tho staggering report issued by Col. Fox, the Commandant of the, Forces. True, undoubtedly as it is, n its scathing criticism, the genoral taulrg is nevertheless that Col. Fox JHftot understand or appreciate to tbo full tho difficulties nnder which volunteering has been carried on in this Colony. Starved by successive Governments, badly armed, equipped and clothed, and slender interest taken in tbe movement by tho publio at large, the wonder it) that volunteering has clung to existence with the tenacity it has. Col, Fox has surely ignored the glorious records of past days made by the Volunteers when called upon to defend their fellow colonists from the attacks of a warlike .and relentless foe, In instances Col, < Fox has done many injustices, he has i looked for the fully trained soldier up < to date in the latest European military i discipline, and finding only tbe Colonial \ volunteer imperfectly trainero4has quite overlooked the keen enHiSiasm and the ardent desire to imp/ore which characterises so . many of our volunteers, both officers and men, It seems a pity that this enthusiasm should be crushed out \ altogether by such contemptuous criticism. It is believed, however, i tbat Colonel Fox did not wish his report to be published in full, and certainly nob bis criticism on individuals; but tbat the Government have done so for reasons of their own which are obvious, Legislation has not advanced a pace since I last wrote, and at the present rate of progi ess it isovident Aftj&i session will, after all, last 'considerably longer than wasoxpeoted at first. No steps have been taken yet to fill tbe vacant port-folio, but I hear that Mr T, Thompson, as an Auckland member, still Btands the beat chance for selection. If Mr Thompson is not appointed, the .ohßlßTjjyte tbat the Hon. Mr McCullougb,who was one of the recent appointees to tlio Council, will be seleoted as an Auckland man to assist the Colonial Secretary in the Upper House. The Aucklanders are very determined to be represented in the Ministry. Mr George Fisher is in quite his old form again, and has made matters decidedly lively during the past week, His apeech on the . Address-in-Beply is admitted to have been one of tho most brilliant oratorical efforts made in the House for a long lime past, Its brilliancy was, homer,, marred by its bitterness,

bavo been very cordially received by ihoir fellow peers, and I am told by a well-known 'Legislative Councillor that they have created on the whole a very favourable impression in the Upper Chamber. The Hou. J. Rigg does not seem to he very " sound upon tbe goose" in the matter of Female Franchise, and people aro wondering whether his remarks abnut putting off tho granting of tho Franobiße till n new Parliament has baen elected, have bud their origin from the unexpressed with of tbo Ministry, which somo say tends that way. Shoals of petitions are coming in daily, and if half of them were granted the Colony would be ruined, It iB curious how people wish to petition Parliament upon tho merest trifles or upon sulijpots which they know can receivo no consideration upon their very doubtful merits. The fate of the totalisator is in imminent danger of being sealed, and Mr W, C. Smith is a determined executioner. Counting beads at present the passing of the Totalisator Abolition Bill is a certainty in the Lower House, as usual the only hope (to sporting numbers particularly) will bo in the Lords. But why is Mr W. 0. Smith so dreadfully virtuous? The Civil Service ln»irnncr,liill which has been introduced by the Colonial Treasurer, does not altogether meot with the approval of Civil Servants, who would liko to see some radical amendments imcrled before it goes through, I learn that tbe Civil Service Association has tho Bill under roview, «nd will suggest soma improvements to tin' Government in the measure. It ia, I believe, proposed cven - ua!ly to make this Act, if passed, applicable to the general public as well as to Civil Servants, thus constituting a general scheme of annuities for old age at. cheap rates. The Government Insurance Department ■vill of course do the business under the Bill; practically proving that litis is ut very cuto commercial speculation on the part of tbe Department.