JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4753, 21 June 1894, Page 3

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

''' M}¥<tf<m<Mmw uthMt.-Racink V ;■ Vonfemce'-A Sta'e BM Possible.-! George) mJm«ifa%uX~hiJwsiniab\c hosts. I ■£'.. r^;mmd .ofahe " mage"\s ! %*<fw ttWo/afcfeiiM. -" Junqk " 'When has \$ ,*• 9<W • <o 1-Forhk ! tdling.-Tk m,¥mM Patlwml.~'ik mo \p,tymer,±Cnmbsfrom the yfe 0 f :;> Ik tiovsts r MMm tkalrkal-fitu -Wellington; has long laboured : undergo reproach of being a bathless city., It is proposed very shortly to romovo that reproach in part by applying ] to tho, Government for peim'ssion to construct swimming baths on tho foreshore- anywhoro between Pipitea point and Kaiwarra, The, Corporation will possibly uudevtake this most necessary public convenience, but in the event of its not making n commencement very shortly, a small company will very floated to construct ',;' Thomsjjrflliiiig, I suppose more urgently, required in WellingW~ " ton, aud how a town of ovir 30,000 f inhabitants can have been allowed I to exist so long with only one m iscr- | _ ably inadequate swimming bath is !,-,. most incomprehensible, The place ; < ■' proposed for the baths is most suit- ■}.;' ablo as .tlio northern end of the liar■i hour is, comparatively sppakiug, free from the discharge of the numerous ir. sowers which empty their loathsome ,f:. : contents into the waters of Port ,v . Nicholson, I

'£.;■,/■ ■ His Excellency tlie Governor and %r-- family havingrehvned to Wellington, J;V . society people five now beginning fo ;?• . look forwnrd to the pleasurable on-

|;f; ; tertainments -which it is the delight sg ;,', . of tlio hospitable occupants of Gov-|,:;,;,',-,-.-eminent House to give during the ;&'■■'' • winter season. Although tlio Conn- !.■ _' tcss of Glasgow will not return to v the Colony till September, her place as hostess will bo filled by her Lady, ship's sister, Mrs Stcwa'it, wife 'of Captain Stewart, the Governor's newly-appointed Private Secretary. Mrs Stewaijijprs a striking'resembianco to IhoUomitcss, and is said to possess to the full the charm of mannei'which has made Lady Glasgow so universally liked in New Zealand. The tradespeople in town are glad too, of the return of the Government House people, for it, .:.._.; ..of-couvso, makes a considerable difference to their weekly sales when the vice-regal residence is not in oc- .;• cupation. It lias been said that Lord Glasgow.like most of the other . ; Australian Govomors, is anxious to ho relieved from his full term, of offico, but I have it on good authority that tlio oxact contrary is the case, as His Excellency intends at present to remain to the end of the period —another three years yet.

An important Racing Conference is to bo held in Wellington some timo in July, The Conference will be held •in the Parliamentßuildings in order ' to meet the convenience of those racing delegates who are 'also members J !■■.- .of the House, I believe some very ;..' important business is to bo brought forward, and amongs tother matters . the jlonferenco will deal with the much TCMdjmestion of regulating heretofore tho holding of so called 1- hack' or hunters' race meetings at ,;•;.' which" recently, in various parts of f;' the Colony, so much "hanky-panky" » has played a prominent part. If this is '/[ be so, public opinion will, I am sure, S;. support tlio Conference to the full, for the conduct of some of those ■fi "gontlemcn jocks" and amateur -j horse-owners and trainers has at f/ times scarcely been, "like Cow's h 7 "wife, above suspicion."

Of course Mr Ward was sent to Oamaru to I prepare the country for the Government's cheap money and State Bank if issue scheme.- These two matters will, lam told, form tho piece de rwsl&m of tho 'Government's policy during the coming session, The State Bank of Issue scheme, which, by the way, is hardly likely considering what the Colony owes to the Banks now doing business of course, completely prevent any note issue by any other except tho State Bank. Under these; circumstances, I think we regard -vested interests at present as being too strong to allow of the creation of a State Bani of Issue. Still the Banks are in a'wrisidemble state of trepidation at the vague hints and rumours which are floating about.

It has been rumoured about town, for the past few days, that overtures had been made to.the Directors of the New Zealand Times Company for the purchase of the paper, Proposals, it was said, had been made to purchase by Mr George Jones, of Oamaru, I am, however, authoritntivly informed that Mi' Jones simply offered to lease the paper,uot to purchase, and further his proposals were so' utterly inadequate that tho Directors would not entertain them for a moment, As a matter of fact tho Directors have no idea of either selling or leasing their paper, and it would require somothing better than 1 Mi' Jones can offer them to part with what iB now a very valuable property.

It was father'rumoured tlmt Mr Jones had been specially sent for to] enter into Mrotiutions on behalf of tho GoveriiHit, owing to the fact' that relations between' them audi those having control of the Times have been OTOwJiatskamed of late. Indeed, - not require-much 6CG ' s the is evidenced by the pai-t'of the candid friend the Times has been playing in its leading columns occasionally of, late. Since the "Junius" episode, matters havo! been getting worse, and I would notl bo a bit surprised- to leam ■ shortly' that the leading strings have been somewhat rudely cast off. Ministerial interference may go too far, and; even the faithful morning journal, the erstwhile champion and hench- ' man of the Government may, like the worm, bo goaded into turning.

;•;.!- The.Government arofully aware :;;-, of Ihis siate of affairs, and hence Mr & '■' George Jones was selected as one '§■;.', being iuioro likely to bo amenable to l: M; 'discipline, and who would more fflj 'energetically play the part of c/ajuer Ife than the present management seems £;:)-'-to do. Mi'GWge Jniics/it will be f'w-. reniembeieoxfcthe, Oamaru pressp-:'; man wjio Bomcfears ago was called §SJ?; of pwyilcge.is Eeturning to Oamani of the. House new; Kl-l-npop hj&);he was looked upon as a j : a. general election, p'lace'.shDrtly; afterwards hej ok'Parliament; ami was reW&io&<\ ; f ith'flyjng; colours; -'af ; the

Jonos "proved liirasolf an amiable nonciitity/uttorlyiiunablo 'to •'grasp the opportunity which'chance, in the. shapo of, a fortunato, newspaper "par" had placed in his way, .Consequently ho soon sank into insignifioccasionally through' tho columns of his newspaper,"or asnconductorof the celebrated Oamaru band, for to do him justice, if ho is 'nothing blse, Mr Jones is at anyrato an accomplished musician, aud a, very excellent violljnist. Now Mr Jones "'bobs up" iy a new character as tho would-bo lassor, on behalf of the Government, ofltho New Zealand Times.' As I luiVo pointed out this littlo 801101110' haa not come off,' nor is it likely

Itwccms to mo that recent events [in connection with licensing.matters, if thoy b jve dono nothing else, have brought homo forcibly to some publicans? minds the fact that thoy lay themselves open to severo penalties f orrcf using to supply accoiumodation to tnv Two recent prosecutions i n the Wellington suburbs have | shown pretty conclusively that some publijians fail altogether to comprehend the condition pertaining to their licenses, There arc many more to ml)- own knowledge not only out of, lJut actually within tlio'top [boundaries, who seem to fancy that hotels arc niaiutaiued entirely for thciij own convenience,, and not,for' tho jiublic. These Bonifaces would almost regard it as a posilivo insult if sijeh things as beds or meals wcro demlimlcd, and the chances are that tlieyjcould not, if they would, supply eithdr. Because forsooth from year's endtj) year's end the customers never go beyond the liar parlour, they have comji to regard it as a most unheard of iijid insulting demand if a bed or' a nical is occasionally requested. Thji ill-conditioned host of the hotel injjolinsonvillc, and his equally unnuiinblo spouse have so long lnul their domestic arrangements uumterfcj'ed with that, no doubt, tlio request for a" shakedown" on one occasion, and a meal on another, quite upset their mental equilibrium. It is this chiss of hotclkcepcrs that tho polico and the Licensing Committees want to watch carefully. If decent and adequate accommodation is more strictly insisted upon, the chances arc that tho hotel will he more soberly and carefully conducted.

That extremely erudite body, tlio Wellington Philosophical Society, : comprising, as it does, our chief local scientists, lias been discussing on the motion of their President, General Schaw G. 8., U.E., the possibility of the earth's second rotation, and the probability of this, the terrestrial planet, passing through another ice age. General Schaw was of opinion that the ico periods iii the northern and southern hemispheres were synchronous, lmt Sir James Hector, like the" scientific gent" hi Bret Harte's " Society upon the Stanislaus" begged to differ. Sir James, as far as I could make out, with my poor understanding of things scientific, seemed to think that tlio southern hemisphere and New Zealand in pavticularliad not reached thc"ice period" stage of its existence yet, Personally I am inclined to agree with Sir James Hector, if my humble support is of any service to him. I base my presumptions upon the fact that the" southerly buster" which lms been blowing with its icy blasts, fresh up from the Antarctic regions, during the last few days is enough to convince anyone that the " ice age" has not already been but that it is coming. If this "soft southern breeze" keeps up much longer we shall befrozen corpses and I for one have no desire to make the acquaintance of the " ice age " of the southern hemisphere's existence ; just yet. Jesting apart the bitterly coldwiiulandrainof tlio last few days after the soft balmy weather. of last week is decidedly unpleasant and it is little wonder tliatthe demon 1 influenza is on the "rampage" once more.

The strange part of it, too, is that, this is our typhoid as well-as our influenza season, One would have fancied that the typhoid microbes would havo been scared away to warmer rcgiontfbul that .is not so, fortius fell disease seems to flourish exceedingly just now. The typhoid wards in the Hospital are quite full, and there are many houses in which the disease is a most unwelcome visitor. Women as well as men take the disease freely now, hitherto, 1 from some peculiarity in their systems, women were not very often attacked. I suppose until the drainage scheme is completed, like the unemployed, we shall always have typhoid with us. It is not a pleasant idea to think that like an assassin, typhoid may be always dogging our footsteps, ready to strike at any moment.

The discovery of the illicit still at the place known as "The Jungle," in Gollan's Valley, not far from Hay's Bay, on the eastern shores of the harbour, has caused considerable excitement, in town, firstly from the fact that the alleged illicit distillers aro well-known sheep-farmers, and secondly that the finding of such an extensive plant is proof positive that illicit distillation must havo been carried on, on a large scalo for months, if not for years past. The question which everyone naturally asks is," where has it all gono to ? By the size of the still and the elaborate apparatus discovered,large quantities of whisky must havo been manufactured, and the marvel is how spirits illicitly distilled in such bulk could have found a market without detection. The whole discovery points'to the cxistenco of a very wide-spread plot to defraud tho customs and we may reasonably expect to hear, as tho case develops, some very sensational and startling disclosures. A wholo host of people must have been in the plot, that is clear, or if they were not actually behind tho scones they must have known a good deal which it was convenient and highly profitable not to enquire too closely into. It is rumoured that the Customs Department will shortly mako some fresh arrests, and of course everyone is on the tip-toe of expectation, The Messrs Cameron Bros, havo held the property on which the still was discovered for many years, and wero generallyregardedassimpleyeomen, with a sou] hardly above anything but sheep and cattle. The property, though of considerable extent and most of it fairly good sheep country, has been known to have been very lightly stocked,, and peoplo often wondered why.

It is quite' a catch saying about t<nvn now to ask a; man if he !will have soino "Junglewhiskey," and jokes innumerable aio cracked at the cjtpense ofwino moKSlmnti, and the hosts of the chief hotels by asking them if they havo any of tho "Gollan's Valley Blend" on hand. Strangely enough it is onjy, a few

weoks .ago 1 -tliafcVsamples, of spirit wcro;takeh:fran > ov%lib'tfli intown and submitted; to examination, and the'testsand.awilysisHvetit.to show that' tlie. liquors \\\en\ in, all good, 'Sdmowered little'tdo'inuoh watered,'. but {the majority .y/ere. of tho -'correct strength. Now, such stuff as the \ Gol lan'ij Vrilloy Blend' j Wild havo nccossavily boon greatly' overprodf, and raw and fiery, but the teste went to sho)v ; thafc the Bpivits wore, if anything,'tdp -weak, not too strong;; Apparently tlicii tlid li Juril glo" Avliiskoy is not to bo found in Wellington. : Qiiory—Did it all (?o up to tho Wairarapa ?,• ■ I am told, witluvliat truth' I know not,' that two tons of sugar, to bo supplied in a dOO gallon tank, were reconfcly ordered from a Wellington firm for the Messrs Cameron, and that, this 'gave rise to suspicions which, on examination proved only to be too well founded,

Young women and others who assist at Church and Charity Bazaars will have to bo enroful in future not to coax the nimblo shilling out of mon's pockets by tho very favourite device of so-called fortune telling. Anybody indulging in those little games, if only infun.ruiis'tliorisk of i appearing beforo tho Stipendiary Magistrate, ami either being lined or' imprisoned as a malefactor. It is true the recent clmvgcs against the fortune-tellers broke down, biit the Chief Justice plainly stated that although it was absurd to bring such cases before a higher court, yet there was no doubt they could bo,summarily dealt with in the lower. Personally I fail to see tho.havm of allowing peoplo to indulge in the innocent pursuit of fortune-telling. Why not lay an embargo against phrenology, or the very common practice of reading character and fortune from hand-writing. Who has not, if lie or she has lived in the Old Country, crossed the hand of the dark-eyed gipsy with a piece of silver, in order to obtain a peep into futurity? No one• cvon thinks of regarding this' fortune-telling as criminal there; so why should wo set ourselves as such dragons of virtue here. The fact is, a wave of misapplied virtuousfcelingispassing over this colony, which, if carrion! , much further, will put an end to all our innocent little recreations. Why not sweep away the totulisator and its attendant evils, if we are going to be so extremely good ?

Parliament opens on Thursday, by commission; as yon have already been informed, and after the usual' swear-ing-in' of members has taken place, the House will at once proceed to the election of ut Speaker. Sir G. M. O'Boi'kc apparently is a hot favorite for (lie chair, but Major Steward is on the spot, and making the runiiiuc pretty hard. From what I can lean" I believe Sir Maurice will ho elected, although it will be a closo thing. It is, of course, rather an embarrasment for the Government to have two candidates for the Speakership oli hand, and move especially as Major Steward has considerable claims on his party. The late Speaker has just played a trump card by, tlio production of his amended Standing Orders, and I should not be surprised to sec him consoled by the offer of the Chairmanship of Committees, if the Government decide to press Sir Maurice' O'ltorke on the House- as Speaker. Mr Guinness, however, with his hundred guineas in his pocket (no pun intended), is posting up in hot haste to watch his own case.

The usual Sessional Committees will very probably be set up on Friday, in order to prevent delay, mid the real work of the session will bo commenced on. Tuesday next when the committees will meet for the des--1 patch of business. As a rule it takes ,some days to set up the committees, and it is a week or a fortnight after the opening of tho session before they commence business. The new arrangement therefore of setting up the committees on the first day of the session will greatly expedite matters. The mover of the' addras-in-reply, Mr Montgomery, is said to be a very capable and ilucnt speaker, ami his oratorical reputation, so far as the House is concerned,will therefore be made or marred according to tho manner in which he acquits himself in moving the addrcss-in-rcply. Mr P, J, O'ltegan, the seconder of the address, is well-known to be a fluent speukov,but lie willhavctocurtail his tendency towards verbosity if he wishes to make a favorable impression.

The advent of.tho ThorntonArnold Comedy Company with '' Charley's Aunt" and other novelties is being looked forward to with pleasurable anticipation, The fame of that excruciatingly funny old dame" Charley's Aunt; from Brazil where the nuts come from," has long reached our shores and although we do not expect that Mr Thorntonwill eclipse the famous Pcnley in this character, yet his reputation as a comedian is so high, that a more than creditable impersonation of this j extremely original old lady may be safely depended upon. After the dearth of really good theatrical amusements we have been suffering from lately, the Thornton-Arnold Company with their reputation for completeness, will bo like a shower of rain on a parched land. Besides we maybe sure that prince of Australian theatrical managers, Mr L. J.Lohr, would not bo with'anything indifferent.' His name nlonoastho want courier is quite sufficient to ensuro the show being first-rate in every respect,; I oxpect to see a host of Wairarapa people visit town during tho Company's season. The season opens on Friday and seats may be booked for any night of the season, by telegram to Helliday's.

Amongstofclicramusoinontsintown nt present is Professor Montague, at the Criterion Theatre, with his " Galatea" mystery'and clever conjuring 'trick "Galatea" is really well worth seeing. Tho iuidioiico arc first shown a marble bustof a woman which at a word from the Professor gradually wakes into life and warm flesh and blood, and then almost k perceptibly fades, away again linto a grinning skull. The illusion .is extremely clever, and it is performed in full view of theawlienco, 'The unfortunate Donald Dhuiio has not tlono very well in Wellington, and ho is now-'trying to rako in this shekels in tho suburbs, .Sitrarigbirony of fate' tliat a hum'so colebrated. as an athlelo as JJinnie was once, with iv, name ; so famous for .feats of; skill and iength wherever tho English tongue' was spoken, should ovenfjially, in his old age, fmd_ himself stranded in a comparatively obscure colonial town The name of Donald Dimiic, in Scotland, evon to this day, would always ensuio aeiowd, and the marvel is to me why the veteran'champion does not mata an otfoi-t to get back, to %

tyhfciOt.M his greatest'iriumphs. The popular (Sotfcertl) ■' are [sfi iter? rily: Both'*are'really' oxcelforit'in their, way, and I hope the::proiribters" are doing - well 1 ' -out ! of : them. >MIW Adair-arid' her. • a " frost.".' Bnroly' enough was : taken on Wednesday last to pity expenses, andSatiu'day.Vsfartqo'b'okjterbus'aday even to attempt .an.' ascent. ■'. It Wrald be money, dearly : coined, I should imagine/ if thousands we taken, to placo oiib's neck in imminent danger every timo an ascent Was made,'but when there is not oyen living expenses to bo made oiit of the risk, tho gamois decidedly not Worth tho candle.

! The raid made upon the gambling den in Upper Willis Street recently has removed what, has for somo time past been a blot upon the community.' "The.'existoheo! of this don lias been well-known by most of "tho men about "town," ■ but .'apparently the police did not possess similar information, or if they. ..did they were hot iii'ipossession of .sufficiently incriminating proofs to make a raid successful. It has been notorious that some very respectably connected young follows, have been in the kbit ■of frequenting this place for gambling purposes, while mauy have been visitors from motives of curiosity more tlinn anything. The habitues p'ropei; of the placo consisted of card ! sharpers, spicks, bookmakers in a small way of business and profes- ! sional loafers generally, Ostensibly .therooms wero used as a billiard saloon, and.no doubt they were so used during the day,'but at night the board of the green- cloth'played a pretty prominent part, L am informed that several very well-known young men nearly paid tho penalty of their folly in frequenting such a place by being captured by tho police, on Saturday night, as they only escaped unseen by a lucky chance. As these "young'fellows were thore.probnbly only as spectators, they have good reason for congratulating themselves on their escape, and it is to be hoped it will proyea lesson to them in futuro. In addition to the disrepnlablocompany to be met with at this precious establishment, I understand that such things as loaded dice and marked cards were used, so that the young man who visited tho den, not being one of the elect band of spielers, ran a very good risk of being " taken down," without even the poor satisfaction of a run for his money. 11 Hawks dinim peck out hawks, 'eon," so probably the habitues proper played fairlj amongst themselves and plucked only the "pigeons" who ventured in from time to time; The greatest credit is due to the police for having unearthed such a I den of iniquity,