JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4728, 23 May 1894, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

' (By Our Own Correspondent). . • \ Tuesday. ' Free Public Library,—A suggestion, -Horticulture by railway servants,— h Earthquake as experienced in Vellington.—"Any stick good enough >kutadogwith"—oM,(shu,tth lick—Saturday r distinguishes himself again.—A tw method ior" raising the wind," - hidesiraMe characters from Sydney,-- [»• unostentatious- institution,—The overly stricken Anglican church.— ! enerous T/iemdon ! I find I was wrong in stating in ly last week's jottings that tho sub- - 1 2i'iptiou to the lending branch of tho 'ublic Library was high. As a latter, of fact it is low, very low, Spcr annum. Still this docs way with tho fact that tho neuts in connection with ho lending; branch, and insomo of ho other departments of the library re bad. The publicity which has • eon given to these matters lately rill 1 am sure, eventuato ipeLng remedied. There iii. Great Jontinent Libmrj^BdffiP^^^M rhich have mado the profession of a ibrarian a study and have drawn up . ery complete regulations and issued ™ nost valuable information in conlection with the management of ibraries generally. It would bo roll if the authorities of the Welington Free Public Library were to ilaco themselves in communication vith the Hon. Secretary of the . jibrary Association of tho United Sftgdom, 20 Hanover Square, Lonlon, with a view to obtaining deailed information as to the conduct i Public Libraries. Tho same uggestion may also apply to those laving charge of ypur Masterton 'ublic Library. I have heard it suggested, and I liink it is a very good idea, indeed, -hat the Eailway Commissioners night offer some encouragement to , itation masters in the country to ilant trees and flowers, and othervise beautify and adofn the vacant dots of ground attached to their itations. There is frequent plenty >f spare ground aijsftiTcoiuitry •: ■ •ailway stations whiclimightbe made ;o look very attractive instead of leing a depot, as very often is the ase at present, for all the rubbish n the neighbourhood. In England md on the Continent the vacant )lot_s of ground Adjacent to the ' itations are often gay with flowers >r neatly turfed and planted with graceful trees. Considerable emuation I know exists amongst station nasters in England to make their )lots attractive and some of tho nost enthusiastic horticulturists are :o be found in the ranks of railway servants stationed in small country :o\vns. The Railway Companies jncourago these horticultural pursuits to the utmost by supply ing gratis seeds, plants, and tools. The same thing might easily be done liere, and is Arbour Day is approaching I :ommend the suggestion to the attention of tho authorities. The earthquake was of course the main topic of conversation on Mon- m lay, and naturally so too, for the spoil people of Wellington very severe scare this time. the earthquake workmen were on the high tower of tho New Goveriimont Insurance Buildings, engaged in slating tho roof. The top of the tower is about !)0 feet from tho pavement, and the workmen must have felt decidedly uncomfortable,for they quickly mado' their way down from their elevated position and hurried helter skelter ' into the street, all of thorn with very N whito and scared faces. Itwassome time before they folt equal to going up aloft again. One man in describing his sensations, said he felt every moment as if the tower would topple aver, as it oscillated so violently. In fact he had to lie down on liis face to ivoid being thrown over the side. ' Some plaster came down in this building, which was hardly to be ivondered at, as it has scarcely had time to thoroughly dry yet, An I jxamination by the architect did not iiscover any other damage worth speaking of. The trouble of course about these tall brick buildings oil tho reclaimed land is that tho foundations may iottle, Tho foundations of tho Go' comment Insurance Buildings, the Post Office and ihe erections in brick do not seem, however, to have ?iven, which speaks volumes fo.' the :aro shown in laying them, It has ilways been known that the foundations of the Public Library were not good, and considerable anxiety was felt as to what further damago the quake might cause. With the exception, however, of one or two 3racks aud some plaster turnblingdown from the ceilings nothing serious happened, a fact upon which Mr Crichton, the architect, is to bo congratulated, A gentlemen passing lown the wharf says it was most ■■■* jurions to watch the (all chinmies of the N.Z, Electrical Syndicate's Works, and the Destructor swaying to and fro for a few seconds like reeds in the wind. It has always been a mystery to me, however, how people can preserve such a calmly jbservant state of mind during an jarthquake as to watch these things. Most.people's minds aro in a state of jhaos while the shock lasts. Die clerks in tho Government Buildings, wooden though it is, received a great frigid espec. ally those on the top floor, while luite a panic existed for a few Moments amongst the employes of the Government Printing Office, ivhich is of brick, "The Post Office md Telegraph officials took some time to settlo down to work again, ' whilst quite a stampedo took place in the Government Insurance build* J ings. Sharp though tho shock was. ■ very little damage is reported, though I have heard many ladies ' , 'i lamenting the . destruction of pot j ornaments and household crockery, IS Any stick apparently is goojl '' enough to beat a dog with, at least, tliat is the attitude taken up, I am sorry to say, by some of the leading Opposition papers. It apparently lias not, occurred to the papers in question that the stick may suffer ~ ' nore damage than the dog during the castigating process. For instance f the papers are anxious to help a • , sertain class of men who are desir- , ■ 3 )us of obtaining temporary employ, iiont in the Public. Service, do they ibink they will (tfjsoby taunting tlig Premier with t!»rfact (which may >r may not be true) that lie is incap- i ible of seeing merit in any but those j )f the "right co}or." It is pi'fictically' | !uggestingtotliePremierandperhass ■ foading him into what he never conl _'i emplated before. Anyhow it caa • J 16 no good, and possibly does mucs ■■■>': I larm. It certainly appears to hi & ase of" save me froji my irienp/j ?l ml :i

Tho principle which animates these attaoks seems to be, no mat-tor how h many of our protons we crush, so I j<">g as we can " get at" the PremF ier. • Tho proteges, needless to say, ' are not thankful, „ Mr R. P. Johnson, tho'organiser of the Saturday night popular concerts, is certainly tp be congratulated Upon entertain-lnenUl.cgi-.tfnis patrons. Mr Johnson spares no pains to obtain good performers and lie lms a per-fect-genius for discovering new talent, lam glad to notice these concerts are well attended as, indeed, they deserve to be, and I trust that Mr Johnson's enterprise in providing good music ■ and good recitations by capable reciters will meet with ft substantial reward. Mr Johnson has given much of his time and services to the Wellington public ere now and ho certainly deserves recognition for what lie has done in the past. Country visitors in Welling, ton could not do better than drop into the Theatre Royal on a Saturday evening, tliey will receive a very entertainment at n low cost. distinguished * he (the bore the gentleman who was really wanted! Policeman X stayed not to reason why, he sallied forth into the street armed with all the powers of the law, in the shape of a warrant. Almost the first person he met happened to be Mr Cronin, the well-known contractor, who, poor man, was sauntering down the sunny side nf the street, and enjoying the tine day, quite unconscious of his coming fate. Suddenly the myrmidon of the law swoops doun on him and hauls him off to the Police Station, despite Mr Cronin's vigorous protests, Upon arrival, Policeman X triumphantly produces his prisoner before t-lio officer in charge, when, to bis honor, he is told he has got the wrong man, the wrong Cronin. The one required hailed fwni Palmerston North, and this fact our zealous guardian of the peace might easily have ascertained, but ho had gpli.it into his helmet that a Cronin had ilfßc arrested, and arrest one be did—the first, that ■ came along. That policeman ought to get promotion: lie is really smart. But what does the law allow to assuage the wounded feelings of the man who is ignominious!)- marched off to the Police Station down the principal street of the town before the oyes of his fellow citizens who are mournfully shaking their heads and muttering to one another," Dear me, fancy Cronin in trouble. I wonder what he's doneP' The policeman, it appears to me, had all the best of the affair—but then, the law, when typified in the intelligent " peeler," like the king, can do no wrong. It was an ingenious notion that " fish cement" dodge for" raising the wind." The modus oiicmtuli, like all great ideas, is simple in the extreme, A couple of gentlemen are ■ hard up, They have got a certain , preparation for sale which they term " fish cement," than done, Handing over iiis stock to his mate he boldly enters a shop and enquires for " fish cement." The shopkeeper is so sorry be hasn't got it; won't anything else do ?" "No, nothing but ' fish cement,' there is " nothing to equal it," and so on. The shopkeeper bec»mes interested, the stuff must bo good if it is spoken of so highly. Exit Hawker No 1, and enter Hawker No 2. He displays his wares, and amongst other things the " fish cement." The shopkeeper, of course, seeing a chance to trade, adds tho precious" cement" to his stock. And 60 this littlo game wont on until one tradesman more suspicious than the others scents something wrong and this doubt becomes ; a certainty when ho discovers these i: two precious rascals conferring together up the street. He promptly invokes the assistance of the nearest policeman and the two scheming • companions are speedily in durance vile. Upon making their bow to His Worship the Stipendiary Beak, in the morning,they are promptly committed for trial at the next sittings of the - Supreme Court for" conspiring to defraud." Needless .to say the " fish cement" was utter fybbish, and the tradesmen who bought freely are consequently " sold," which is what they-will never be able to say about I their newly acquired stock of " cement," } Judging by the burglaries oiie hearsof and the attempted buglarions entiies,there is evidently in Wellingi ton, at the present moment a gang I of most undesirable characters, I Doubtless these gentry have lately I floated over here from the other side, I for a good many Australians of very shady looking appearance have re- >£ cently arrived with the exodus of unemployed, which is setting in throughSydneyforNewZealaud,aud mostly finding a resting place in ;>■ Wellington. There is a good deal of complaint too of sneak thieving—meat safes are being robbed, clothes i;' hanging out to dry are appropriated f. > and wood and coals vanish in a mysterious manner. I have even k. : heard of a lady losing a baby's I . perambulator which had been left r" . . out on the " therefore that there are a good many f: objectionable characters about, and the police should keep their weather eyes opened accordingly, I would suggest that a cotfyle of detectives be sent down the wharf upon the ; arrival of a Sydney steamerand take ; a note of any suspicions-looking l : - customers, and if necessury, 'shadow' them in order to'find out their whereabouts, so that their comings r" and goings may be, watched, There is an unostentatious little institution in Wellington which goe.H | by the name of the Sailors' Rest. The objects of the Institution, as its name implies, are to afford rest and j recreation to sailors. There is a reading room well supplied with books and papers where the men can readinquietandcomfort. Theroomis comfortably furnished, and is well lit and warmed, Then there is a smok. ing room, and several other comforts. Tea, coffee, and cocoa can bo obtained at n very small charge, k! There is no charge for admission, noi 1 is there any membership fee, as the 1 1 Best is supported, eiwiely by volH I untary contributions, TheHarboui B Board yery thoughtfully and kindly, ■i;; _ when building their new warehouses B's;,: on Jervois Quay, setasii]e a portion I of one pf tHem for the purposes ol ft ' the Rest, The public of Wellington "who have occasion to go down tc HELg (ho sea in ships" take agreat inter. est in the Rest and are liberal ir their donations of 'momjjr,' books

le papers or fumituro. Somo ladiei iv too are very interested and as ai o evidence of their thoughtfulness foi i* tho hardy marinor an abundan U supply of fresh flowers is generally to bo seen tastefully arranged ir vases in the rooms. The sailors ir firemen and others engaging in asea i- faring life very much appreciate tin d comforts of the Rest! and it is al i- times largely used. This institutior l' has done much towards keeping sea n faring men out of the public houses a tomptntion hard to resist when in 1- a strange town. Tho fact of being i- able to obtain warmth, light, conv I, fort, and recreation when ashore it without having to spend money in n g publichouso to got them, is an ins duccment to many a man to save h his pay and keep' him steady. Tin n Rest is therefore well worthy ol :• general support on humanitariai: ■o grounds and should any of the good ;- people in your district feel inclmeii e to contribute towards its maintenf- ance, either in money or in kind, I p am sure the Secretary will be pleased to hear from them. As is usually the state amoiigsl Anglican congregations, somo clnirol; d or another is invariably in financial a straits. The latest instance is tin 11 parish of Thornton. Tho incum- :- bent, the Rev. Mr Sprott, has jusl made an appeal for funds. The e Cathedral-Church of St. Paul's leaks o like a sieve, the roof is sadly out ol { repair, The Church has not been d painted for a generation, and is now II externally, dingy in tho extreme, e The schoolrooms are tumbling tc pieces, all for want of repaid, but r the vestry have no sin pi us funds tc •, spend in this direction. Then the <r parsonage, which is 30 years old, is :, becoming dilapidated, and is barely - habitable, Some hundreds of pounds ,- are wanted at once to begin urgent v repairs, and the congregation are n asked to part accordingly. Now the r parish of Thoriulon is notoriously one n of the most wealthy and populous y parishes in the Colony. The Church eof St. Paul'sis weekly tilled with over :, flowing congregations comprising i, the (lite of Wellington, Nine-tenths d of the parishioners are, in fact, very il comfortably off, indeed, well to e do people, while not a few are I, actually extremely wealthy, Yet t the incumbent has, tn formu d pauperis, to plead for funds to keep ,t the church buildings in repair. t Comment is needless, the facts speak t. for themselves. Would it be possi--0 ble for such a state of affairs to exist b in any other denomination? But 1 the experience of the parish of e Thorndon is, more or less, that of b every other parish in the Colony, d There seems to be a want of organis sation or cohesion. Everyone tries r to see how little they can give, not I how much they can'afford, There e is something wrong in the system of 1 contributing towards the support of b the Church, and until this is renict died the Church of England in New ) Zealand will always find itself in a poverty stricken condition,