JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4999, 11 April 1895, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

(By Our Own Correspondent), A FIERCE COMPETITION. The Huddart-Parker, Company, with their two steamers, the "Anglian" and the "Tasmania," are not only holding their own against the Union Company, but, if the report is to be believed, they are worrying that powerful organisation veiy sensibly. Passenger fares and freight charges are now down to extremely low rates, so low indeed, that it is questioned whether it pays the formidable New Zealand Company to take passengers and cargo at snch prices, and maintain the high state of efficiency which lias always characterised its fleet. The Hiiddart-Parkor Company, on the . other hand, with but two boats inttl the trade, and with small expenses, are better able to \ maintain the struggle, from the veiy fact that their great rival is forced to meet their keen competition by reducing the' charges on nearly all ■ their boats. It will' thus bo seen that, although the Huddart-Parker Company may perhaps be losing on two steamers only, the Union Company may be losing on twenty, which is a .much moro serious matter. SAIiIIATH OIISEIIVAXCE IN WICKED WEI,MNOTOX. A branch of "The World-wide Sabbath Observance Society" has started a crusade in Wellington. Tliey object to concerts, lectures, band performances, and other entertainments in /olO) on Sunday, and. they are going to do all in tliejn power to prevent them. How, I «?$ not understand, uuless it is by slowly influencing public opinion in that direction. This would be an up-hill undertaking, for the mass of the people dearly love a little harmless amusement on Sunday. Then again, nothing has been done in Wellington, in the shape of Sunday amusement, which is against the' law, although beyond doubt, a few of the entertainments recently given at the Opera House, lmve sailed pretty close to the wind. Opinions differ widely as to Sunday observance, and it is a question whether the ordinary individual is not better employed listening to good music," tlmn lounging at home, devouring sensational literature of the latterday type. The Society might juat as well object to young men, who , are confined in offices and workshops all the weok, going out boating, fishing, shooting, and walking on Sunday. Wellington has not yet • becomo so Parisian in its ideas rei garding Sabbath observance, as (a warrant the Society feeling i alarm on its account. If the Societj* ■ wants to take on hand some really ! good and useful work, it should turn ; its attention to the suppression of , Sunday liquor, trading There is • undoubtedly room for reform in this direction, despite the vigilance of : the police and the prohibitionists, as ■ is evidenced by the number of men > the worse for liquor, one sees in tho . streets on Sunday evening.

HOW " THE BEST UID I'LANS OF MICE ! AND MEN GANG AKT AGLEY," That" the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agloy " was nover more truly exemplified than in the case of a certain Wellington damsel | who the other day sought to flee from friends, home and country, by , the " Tainui.". ' The young lady, rei port says, had a lover beyond the . seas, for some time past resident in England, whom her parents wom ' strongly averse to her marrying. young lady for many a weary iwf | " let concealment, like a worm i'the bud, feed on hor damask cheek," and one tine morning last week, without a word to her lawful guardians, nho took passage by the Tainui to Lon- . and managed to get safely on board and well out to sea before anyone suspected her flight. The shades of , night fell, but no daughter returned ( to cheer her parents' home. The , parents suspected her whereabouts, , but they made sure, only to have ; their suspicions confirmed. Thej ' r gave the wilful daughter up,despair- • ' n o ever see her again. Mean- ■ while the good ship Tainui was [ steaming steadily towards Capo Horn, homeward bound, when lo! in ) the first watch of the night the main ; steam pipe blew out. There , was. nothing for it but to return to port and have the damage repaired. Forthwith they headed for Welljlg.-, ; ton again. During all this flji , majority of tho passengers were in their berths either down with mal de mer or safe in the arms of morphous, and the majority of them knew nothing of what had happened, the erring maiden among the latter. . Early in the morning Wellington was reached again and tho port officials were much surprised to see the big steamer return. Quickly the news spread that tho Tainui had put back disabled. The paternal parent of the wilful damsel, early on his way to work, was amongst tho first , to hear the news. He smolo a grim smile and speedily mado his way on board tho steamer as she lay in the stream and the first sight that met our ardent adventurer's eyes as she opened them sleepily was her fond father gazing affectionately at her. It is needless to picture her surprise when she'learnt "she. was still in Wellington harbour and that her father had come to bring her home and to restore her onco more: to the bosom of her disconsolate famft* instead of finding herself some thfl? hundred miles out on the stormy Southern Pacific, How true-it is that" the course of true love never does ran smooth," when'even steam pipes on ocean steamers'combine to keep ardent lovers apart! MAKING A lIUSIKESS OP IT. , To be able to combine business with pleasure is a fine thing, but it is a rare gift for people, to be so peculiarly constituted as to.qombino • business and religion as equally paying. speculations, Such remarkable ' people,however, were lately to beseen • in Wellington. I refor to the alleged . Maori musical entertainers, Rawei and his comely, spouse Hine Taimoaj who- have been attracting large tlie past week. .. First of all Ido riot believe, the talented Rawei is a pure-bred Maori at all. He may be a South Island Maori lialf-casto, and the fascinating Hine is certainly as much European as Bho is Maori. So much for the nationality l of these • alleged Maori marvels. I should not have, mentioned, their" appears.iA hero except to:'sayi'thathothfift^f' and Hine.Taimoa provided a very passable entertainment' bf its<ldri : d which, would undoubtedly, go down' > I m a country \yhioh knew not the real

Maori, as a most creditable performMice, I do,however, think it rather "thin" for this talented couple to conduct an ovangelical sorvice on Sunday, admission to which was charged for as a matter of business. «is thio that it was announced a llection to cover "exponses"only [would bo made, but wlion a Thoatre is almost filled, and everyone pays for admission, it looks very mucli M if something more than more ''exponses" was the object, What a howl, for instance, thore would have been had a couple of Europeans who had been singing and lecturing all the week, taken it into their heads to hold a religious service on an off night, and levied a " collection" for" expenses," Nasty things would have been said at once and sordid motivesopenlyimpugned, which, of course, Rawei and Hine being Maoris are utterly incapable of. XEIOUIIOURLY NEIGHBOURS. CALLOUSNESS OR COWARDICE. I do not suppose it would have been possible to find in any quarter of the civilized globe a more disflMng exhibition of brutal inKfnanity than that which has jFecently culminated in the Coroner's *ury, iimling the man Nicholson guilty of the wilful murdor of his miserable paramour, Annie Friend. As Nicholson has been committed by tho Magistrate to take his trial at the next Supremo Court sittings for a capital offence it would bo manifestly improper for me, while the case is still sub jmlice, to offer any opinions regardingthis frightful affair. I cannot, however, restrain the intense disgust and indignation I feel, which is shared in by every meinberofthis community,regarding the conduct of the wretched woman's neighbour's, who callously watched her being slowly battered to death without attempting any interference either personally or by communicating with the police. It seems aMfost incredible that people should lpw monstrously inhuman astoallow the ridiculous fallacy of "every Englishman's house being his castle" to be sufficient excuse for their standing by and suffering a woman to be so brutnally illtreated. Is this all that our boasted civilization and enlightenment has brought us to, when such horrible scenes as this are calmly permitted in our midst without let or hindrance ? I'AIRY INSPECTION. It is the universal feeling here that a great mistake has been made in not appointing a medical man to the position of Dairy Inspector, How can :v layman, no matter how expert his knowledge may be regarding stock, be qualified to judge whether milking cattle are diseased or not. Nor would any man, without proper scientific training, be able to detect the presence of diseaso germs in the milk which is supplied for consumption. All that Mr Collier can do will be to see that the dairies and milk utensils are kept sweet and An, and that the provisions of the Snry Act are complied with. Failing the appointment of a medical man, a duly qualified veterinary surgeon, with the latest scientific knowledge, could easily have been obtained for the position.

HOW Tin; SHOP AND shop assistants 1 ACT WORKS. r The Shop and Shop Assistants " Act is working exceedingly smoothly in Wellington from the fact that the ; authorities were fortunately wise enough in time to select the only (lay suitable for a half-holiday in a busy town—namely Wednesday. There aro, no doubt, a good many discontented shop-assistants who would naturally have preferred Saturday, but the experience { of ■ Auckland shows how fortunate it was that the Munici- j. pal authorities did not allow j, themselves to be swayed by their •' representations. Absolutely no in- j is caused here by the ■ Wednesday half-holiday, while closing oil Saturday would simply have meant ruin to half (he small shopkeepers. THE EASTER EXCURSIONS. At the time of writing it promises not at all well for the Easter holi- j days, for the weather is just about < as wintry as it possibly could lie, A k cold southerly gale, with interludes j of heavy rain squalls, is blowing . more like the depth of , winter than the end of autumn. Should the weather prove j at all propitious it is expected that a great many people will run over to j Picton to see the Champion Regatta. Personally, I would rather do any- 1 thing else than run across the straits 1 on a crowded excursion steamer, but iiial (fewer, with the usual accompaniments of cold, wet, and carding incidental to these outings, j lffrapositive fascination to many peoplo, who though they suffer the agonies of the doomed en roule, cheerfully offer themselves forvolun- t tary immolation on the next possible i occasion. The Wellington volun- , leers will muster pretty strongly ] at Feeding for the Easter Encamp- j ment although, as is customary with ( our citizen soldiers, they would have j much preferred that the camp had ; been held in the neighbourhood of , one of tbe larger towns. THE PREMIER ON SIR JULIUS VOGEI.'s : CLAIMS. ThePremierepoke pretty plainly,at the Government Insurance Officer's " Social" on Saturday night, regarding the claims that Sir Julius Vogol has against the Colony. It will be remembered that Sir Julius, through his son, Mr H. B. Vogel, presented a petition to the House last session, praying for consideration for past services. For some occult reason, that petition ivas never considered, aMough I believe it was duly Sirred to the Public Accounts Committee, for the purpose of being dealt with. Mr H.B, Vogel is now in England, and it was understood that his trip was taken partly with the idea of consulting his father as to his claims. Possibly the Promier has heard from Mr Vogel on the matter, and his speech on Saturday night, might have been made with the view of preparing the House for some definite action in regard to a whole or partial recognition of Sir Julius' just claims. Despite the fact that the Premier has been reported as being inimical to Sir Julius Vogel, it will bo remembered that Mr H. B. Vogel stood as a Government candidate for Wellington, at the last general election, receiving every support and assist, ance from the Ministry. Whatever motive actuated Mr Seddon on Saturday night, his remarks were not only singularly aprops, but kind and generous. SOME SIGNS OF MB SEASON. , It is easy to toll the genial ieign life Summer is over from the fact Qkt the Wellington cricket fields are now practically deserted on Saturday afternoons. What was,afew weeks ago, a gay, and animated scene,"with the cricketers in their white flannels

and colours, the applauding and deeply interested crowds, the click of the bat and cricket ball, and the glamour of the bright sun.over everything, is now a thing of the past, for the present soison at anyrate. That winter is upon us on the other hand is plainly apparent from the 'fact that the "soft southern breeze" (save the mark!) blbws with a keenness which makes a good warm overcoat a comforting thing, and a bleak cricket field a place to be shunned. There are other signs too which show wo have begun our winter in haste, The irrepressible footballer is abroad, crowding into brakes, trams and trains, half - clothed, yelling, Binging, roystoring, full of life, health, and spirits, and reeking with profanity. Why is it that football, that king of manly winter gamos, as cricket is of summer, is so conducive to rowdiness and larrikinism ? Why do footballers persist in making themselves a nuisance and a roproach ? Does tho game bring out only the bruto instincts, to the subversion of the manly attributes of skill, fortitude, and good humour, which should characterise it ? I should be sorry to think so, and yet the behaviour of a certain section of footballers, both on and off the ground, would almost give credence to tho supposition. 1 trust that this season, the local Union will not only sternly repress the larrikinism which is somotimes only too apparent on the ground, but oven more obnoxious off it,

THE I'IULATELIST'S GRIEVANCE. Stamp-collectors are complaining, and with much show of reason from their point of view, at the striking un-originality of the designs on the postage stamps, which are issued from time to time. For example, from a philatelist's point of view, the new half-penny staiup is exceedingly commonplace in design, although the colour—black—renders it rather a peculiarity. All our other postage stamps are extremely commonplace, not to say ugly. Even the new letter card, the usefulness of which by the way is spoilt by imperfect perforation, in which there was a splendid opportunity for an originality of design, is but a poor production with its weak representations of uncharacteristic New Zealand scenery. It is to be hoped that the competition which is now being invited for the new series of stamps will result in something less hackneyed being chosen than the eternal fern tree, mountain and moa. I have heard it suggested that some historical incident such as the signing of the treaty of Waitangi, would form an appropriate and interesting subject, A CERTAIN MAN GAVE A FEAST. A certain young man who shall be nameless conceived the happy idea (to him) of celebrating his entry upon business pursuits in Wellington by giving a grand supper at a well-known restaurant in town and inyiting there the ollicers of the two men-of-war, which were in port last week. Our young friend, whoso pockets by the way must have contained more than his brain-pan did, duly invited his guests including in the invitation some well-known Wellington gontlemei:. The hour arrived but not tho guests, at least but a portion of them, the local clement only. Tho naval ollicers were conspicuous by their absence. Our young Scattercash had forgotten, first of ail to make the acquaintance of his would-be naval guests—a mere oversight, of course. The local element felt rather silly when they saw how things were, but tlioy eventually brightened up and fell to with a will, determined not to let-so many good things go begging. They, however, felt sillier next day when they heard that the restaurant-proprietor, with his bill in hand, was frantically tearing round after the donor of the feast, with the absurd idea of receiving a settlement.