JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4922, 10 January 1895, Page 3

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON

(By Our Own Correspondent), Tuesday, Pot Shots at Poliiics.-The State of the Parlies.—Mr Ward's Trip Home—Our New Bishop. The Consecration Ceremony.—Alas Poor Yorick!—Hard Times and Holidays. A Comparison.—The Return from Coolgardie.—Memo from the Theatres. — Up to Bale Wellington. A New Sensation—A Probable Story.

Speaking the other day with a prominent member of the Opposition I was triumphantly informed that the party was steadily gaining strength all over the colony, and that although their numbers were not being increased just at present, it was quite likely that nest session would see an amalgamation of the whole party with Sir Robert Stout and his followers. This would mean a solid phalanx of Opposition which the present occupants of the Government Benches would find it difficult to broak through, My informant further drew my attention to the fact that all the independent members were in high favour with their constituents, Messrs " Riccarton" Russell and Earnshaw having received votes of confidence for thoir actions in connection with the Government policy, while Mr Pirani was a pcrsonti grata in his district, It is evident that Mr Pirani is not in the Government good books, as it has been nnuounced they have no intention of re-appointing him as a member of the Wellington Land Board. This, no doubt, as a mark of their resentment for his somewhat candid criticism of last session,

Sir Robert Stout will very shortly, it is said, address his Wellington constituents, and Messrs Bell and JJuthie will also possibly appear on the public platform to render an account of their stewardship at an early date. In Wellington particularly there is a strong feeling against the recent Labour measures of the Government, which at present have done little to alleviate, and much to hamper the conditions of labour. Indeed, as I heard a working man very forcibly put it, we do not want " Bills "but"Billets," Thepressuro of theso latest Acts upon employers of labour in Wellington has been felt already, and there is a strong feeling of resentment against the drastic provisions of the measures.

Regarding Mr Ward's contemplated trip home, there is here in Wellington much comment of avory adverse nature. Even supposing the Treasurer were to start at once ho would baroly bo back in time for the session. He could not possibly take part in the formulation of the policy measures for next session, while tho financial proposals would Imvo to be prepared entirely by the permanent Treasury and other officials. There is no oue in the Government who possesses even the rudiments of finance and although it may be urged that Mr Ward has hut a perfunctory knowledge of tho intricacies of the colonial accounts, yet he undoubtedly is the only man in the Ministry who has any kind of a grasp of the subject at all. It practically means that the whole of the financial arrangements of tho colony are to be left in the hands of the permanent officials for six months. This may, no doubt, prove satisfactory to the colony in the long run, but it can hardly be regarded as statesmanship,

As to the reasons which are taking Mr Ward home, thore is, as the Grand Inquisitor says in" The Gondoliers," " no possible shadow of doubt whatever," The J. G, Ward Co., Limited, is beyond doubt the main factor, and perhaps we may hear something more lator on, about that colossal company which the erstwhile Government Agricultural expert—Mr Valentine—" boomed " for some time, and which shot up on tlio horizon of the London market like the proverbial rocket and as suddenly disappeared from ken as the proverbial stick. Mr Ward, it is whispered, is to give the necessary Sllip to sot Mr Valentine's great idea going again aud this he will probably under the flip's of his Colonial Treasurership, succeed in doing. The J. G, Ward Company may, it is hinted, form the n ucleue of the New Zealand business, and everyono will be happyagain,including the Colonial Treasurer, who will return to the land of his birth again, more debonmir and dapper than ever, with a splendid stock of the latest London clothes, and possibly with somo extended notions regarding finance, and enlarged ideas of things generally. The man in the street says that Mr Ward will he entrusted with the task of sounding tho financiers of the City as to the prospects of an out and out big New Zealand loan. But that, of course, is mere conjecture,and may betaken for what it is worth, It is further rumoured that some of the members of tho Government yiew with disfavor Mr Ward's absonce from the Colony for such a lengthened period. This, however, is a Cabinet secret, and as we know Cabinet secrets are never divulged,

There is a considerable demand for tickets for the consecration service of Bishop Wallis at St. Paul's proCathedral on the 20th inst. As the seatingaccommodationintheGhurch iffbufc limited there is Bnre to be a good deal of disappointment, for the clergy in the diocese will have but comparatively few tiokets to give away to their parishioners. TheconBccration service will be a most impressive ceromony, for all the bishops in tho Colony and the Bishops of Salisbury and Melanesia are to take part in it. The Bishop of Salisbury, who is reputed to be a very eloquent preacher, will preach the consecration sermon., and generally the whole ceremony will be themost notablo ever held in the Colony. The new Bishop-elect and Mrs Wallis are to arrive here on Thursday next, and will take up theirresidence at Government House until suoh time as the Episcopal" palace" can be set in order. In fact the accommodation at Government House will be stretched to the utmost, for His Excellency the Governor and Lady Glaßgrabave hospitably invited all tho Now Zea-

land Bishops, who will, no doubt, be accompanied by their spouses, to Btay there. The real live English prelate, whom we have been fortunate enough to capture for the occasion, will also stay at Government House. In the meantime, the painters and paperhangers are busy furbishing up the Bishop's house to make it presentable, but the pity of it is that we won't be able to introduce our now Bishop, who is being announced with such fuss and ceremony, to a more sightly looking edifice than the dingy and ramBhackle old barn which at present does duty as a Cathedral. Meanwhile the anticipation of the great event is causing quite a flutter amongst the dovecotes of the good Church people of Wellington. Should I be fortunate enough to secure a ticket, I will endeavour to give your readers Borne slight description of the ceremony.

" Alas, poor Torick!" For Yoriok read Fisher." How have the mighty fallen," when the great George, the "peoplo's George" of old,who pathetically informs the chess congress, when assembled round the festive board, that he who had so often "cookedthe fish" of his detractors, should now in his turn find that his "fish" has been "cooked "by them. Thore was once a timo when George Fisher was the idol of the populace, tho people's darling, tho" Fisher of men," and now how fallen from his former higheslatoheis. Truly as Mr Fisher remarked" his fish has been cooked," but the whiligig of time brings round its revenges, and who knows what fate haß in store for one. So take heart of graco.George, and face the buffets of fortune with a boldfront.nndbeyonddoubtthat indomitable will and those undoubted talents of thine will cook many a man's fish yet,

The harder the times, the more holidays people will take to drown, as it were, the unpleasant tnoughtß which have oppressed them during their daily toil through the year, Tlidso last Christmas and New Year holidays, however, have givon a ! decided fillip to trade in Wellington, and the old year, which promised to end in gloom, turned out not so badly after all for the shopkeepers. This was mainly duo to the large Mux of visitors to town for the holidays, and who were naturally Hush of cash, and free with it too, after their year's sojourn in isolated parts of the country, or in the fastnesses of the back bush districts, The wholesalers, who had to close their warehouses on six days, grunibleda good deal at the inconvenience, but the retailers, who only closed on three days, reaped a very fair harvest. But still, there is a decided tendency to overdo the holiday business iu these Colonies, when Banks, warehouses, and Insurance oices close their doors from 1 o'clock on Saturday afternoon to 9 o'clock ou the following Thursday. It disorganises business, and takes some time to get trade into the properchannels again, We do not so much mind the lawyers and the law courts shutting up for a fortnight, that,. no doubt, saves money. The average dweller in Colonial towns, has, indeed, a right good time of it when yon consider the long list of public ami private holidays he enjoys from year's end to year's end, as compared with his compatriots in the old country.

The return from Coolgnrdio and the other "Westralian" goldlields has commonced. Already I know several men who have returned from this much vaunted El Dorado, poorer in pocket and iu health, but much richer in bitter experience. They are one and all unanimous in expressing the opinion that it is sheer idiocy foramantoleavo this colony with the illusory hope of making a big pile on the other side, and personally they lament the day they were ever tempted to take the step

Tho Wellington people prido themselves on being a music-loving community, but when a concert company which is out of the ordinary, comes this way, they show their appreciation of the divine art by carefully absenting themselves from the concerts. Give them a free show or an invitation conceit such as the Liedertafel or Harmonic concerts, which aro supported by tbo &üb'scribers and they will turn up in hundreds, This has been the unprofitable experience of the Cyril Tyler Concert Company, | who Lave for the past eight nights been playing and singing to a " beggarly array of empty benches," The concerts are well worth attending too, even if it was only to hear the really wonderful voice of Cyril Tyler," the marvollous boy soprano" as the bills term hirri) and the masterly playing of tho 'celloist, Herr Vollmar, whoso like has not been heard in these parts before. It is but little encouragement for good artists to visit here. lam 6orry to hear that Mr Poole, tho gonial impressario, will be a heavy loser by his Wellington season, If tho Company como9 up your way I hope it will meet with a better fate.

ThePantomimoof "The Forty Thieves" at the Opera House has on the contrary been drawing splendid houses. Tho pantomime is certainly most beautifully dressed and mouuted, although the acting and singing of Mr Pollard's "juveniles," with one or two brilliant exceptions, is indifferent. Mr Pollard has gone to endless trouble and considerable expense to produce what may be truely termed a really beautiful spectacular display, and I am glad his enterprise has mot with its duo reward.

The gilded youth of Wellington are holding themselves in reserve for the Williamson andMnsgrovo Comic Opera Season, which opens here on the 28th inßt, Indeed, we are all looking forward to renewing our acquaintance with the charming f Nellifl:'Stewart,.and to hearingthe latest operas,which wahave all heard so much about, and which but comparatively few of us have so»n, No matter how hard the times a really good Comic Opera Company always does well here. 'Tis true that our "butchers and bakers and candlestick makers" have to wait for their money in consequence, but they we have always with us, while but once in a way do Messrs Williamson and Musgroye send their fine companies round here. 'We aro getting quite "up to date" in Wellington. Tho latost freak is for ladies and gentlemen to bathe a la Francaise, that is to say for both sexes to don bathing dresses, and disport themselves together in tho waters of the various bays adjacent to Wellington in pleasant and 1 sociable companionship. Such for instance, aB may be seon any day at the fashionable watering places in England, on the Continent, or in

America. Here it was a now idea and it 1 was a little shock to our j nerves at first. We are all becoming accustomed to it now, and quite enjoy the novelty of a tete a Ufa swim with a fair lady of our acquaintance, or a roll in the surf en famille with the mater and pater-familias and all their olive branches. If any of your readers are sceptical as to my statement, let them, the next time they are on a visit to town, take a trip out to Plimmerton or Lowry Bay on a fine day whore they may see for themselyes,

Ad amusing story is current in town regarding HiS Excellency the Govornor, who, by-the-way, is now on a visit to the Messrs Beetliams' in your district, which I suppose has about as much truth in it us theso yarns usually have, and that is scarcely any at all. Still, the story being rather droll is worth repeating, although I repudiate all responsibility for the telling of it, The story runs as follows: One fino summer's morning, about half-past four o'clock, hb tho sun began to gild tho hill-tops of Port Nicholson, His Excellency was aroused from the fitful slumbers of a warm summer's night by a terrific noiso of hammering, which came from tho direction of the Union Steamship Company's repairing yards on the re-claimed land, Apparently some boiler rivetting or repairing work was being done, and a large staff of men had been put on in order to expeditiously get through it, Now half-a-dozen men, a boy, six rivetting hammers, and a fino sonorous boiler can make a noise sufficient to wake the soven sleepers of Christendom, to say nothing of an ordinary mortal liko the Queen's representative, The Governor, the gossips say, felt annoyed that his or anyone elso's slumber should bo so unduly destroyed at such an unearthly hour. Therefore hastily summoning his auk de camp ho requested that startled individual to instruct the orderly on duty to at once proceed to the scene of action and stop the infernal clatter at all hazards, The Governor's instructions were obeyed with military promptness and exactness. The Orderly rushed down to the Reclaimed landasfastas his legs would carry him. Alas, however, on reaching thore, tho noise had suddenly ceased from some reasou or other, possibly for breathing time, and nothing was to be heard but the cheerful sound of [the engineer at the Freezing Works stoking up his morning firo and shovelling on with much bustle and clatter the coals into the furnace, Hearing no other sound, the sapient Orderly rushed into the works and requested the astonished engineer to put out his fire and stop work as the Governor couldn't sleep for the noise ho was making ? History does not relate whether freezing operations were postponed or not until His Excellency had finished his morning nap, but everyone has been laughing at tlie idea of that fireman's consternation on receiving tho peremptory demand from the breathless Orderly to "cease firing,"