JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5003, 18 April 1895, Page 2

JOTTINGS from WELLINGTON.

[BY"THE CTKIC."] Tuesday. TOE EASTER RECORD, 9 Nice weather we havo had for the Easter Holidays. Three solid days , . and nights of a howling " southerly buster " with a driving rain which came down in torrents without a moment's intermission. Indeed, as a punning friend of mine remarked "the weather was extremely unseasonable inasmuch ns it was far more southerly than easterly." \ My friend having come down from the country to enjoy tho holidays, he may perhaps, under the circumstances, be pardoned this ghastly attempt at humour. Good Friday was fine, certainly—just line enough to tempt people out for camping excursions and walking tours, and to enable the bowlers to get through the first heats of their tournaments without mishap. At midnight on Friday the rain came down and the wind began to blow, and by daybreak* a living gale was raging,and bitterly® cold it was too. All the excursions ' , arranged to Picton aud elsewhere V v had perforce to be abandoned, as nothing could face the mouitainous sea which was running at the heads. Tho bowlers, who had gathered here from all parts of the Colony, looked extremely glum, for piny on the greens was entirely out of the question, and here they were stranded in a rain-soaked and wind-swept town with nothing on earth to do. Mr Thomas Bollinger, the well-known plumber and even more celebrated bowler, with a fertility of resource which did him infinite credit, hit 1 upon a happy idea. This was to 1 hire the Drill Hall, which has a , 1 spacious floor, lay down roofing felt, mark out the rinks and continue the tournament inside since the elements ' were so unkind outside. No soonfijfc said than done. Yards upon yarfjf of roofing felt were procured, laid' 1 down, and carefully rolled, : and very shortly the bowling ■ tournament was in full swing again, under perhaps the most unique con- ' ditions which have ever been known in the history of the ancient game. And 1 " the ancient game of bowls" has ' been played under some peculiar J conditions too. (Does not history J tell us how a certain famous game 1 was played on Plymouth Hoe by ono Sir Francis Drake while the Spanish ■ Armada was slowly heaving in sight in the oiling.) I looked in on Saturt day afternoon, and the bowlers, young and old, with a temporarily e improvised bullet at one end of tho i building, were enjoying themselves ! hugely, although, of course, owing 1 to the roughness of thefelt, scientific 0 play was out of the question. But k still it was a splendid idea, and tho • tournament was got through which otherwise must have been a rank ' failure, While giving Mr Ballinger • every credit for his brilliant idea ij > »> has occurred to many that cocoanjjb c matting might havo been usedW better advantage than roofing felt, - Cricketers find cocoanut matting an e admirable substitute for a grass pitch, and it is used much in Weia lington for that purpose. Laid over r concrete or asphalt pitches the matting forms an extremely true and 't reliable, though fast, wicket, and I - should have thought that laid on boards it would have formed an equally excellent bowling " green." However, tho Wellington bowlers e havo much to congratulate thems selves upon in the successful manner i, by which tliey circumvented the ' elements and turned what looked o like a fearful Jiaxo into a fortunate a tiuiile,

"TUB IIAIX, IT lUINETII EVERT DAY." Easter Sunday broke still blowing and raining with a dogged perseverance which looked as if a second deluge was on the tapis, Most of good people of Wellington turrjß sleepily over in their warm beds, excusing themselves from. Church going on the pica that no one could be expected to stir out in such vile weather, I was more sorry for the parsons than anyone else on Easter Sunday, for this is the one day in the year when the offertories go into tho incumbent's pocket, instead of into the maw of the general church fund. An it was, poor souls, tlioy must have reaped but a scanty harvest from the " Easter offerings." A bitter disappointment it must have boon to many a poor parson, who rightly or wrongly rcckonß upon this little addition to his annual dole. Easter Monday came and still the rain camo down, and tho wind howled as if it had only just commenced. Peoplo had by this time given the Easter holidays up as a bad job, and so the bitterness of disappointtitaf, was passed. Everything was abandoned. Football matches (there were two or three visiting teams here) the Druid's gala, and the old English games at Pahautanui, wero postponed sine ilie, and cricket and tennis were ridiculous impossibilities. Even tho Artillery, who wore in camp at Island Bay, had marched into town with their guns, soaked to the skin and utterly dispirited, and worn out with their endeavours to keep their frail canvas shelters over their heads during the stormy night. Fancy being in a tent at Island Bay in the teeth of the southerly blast! Not an experience one would hanker after. Tho Naval Artillery at Shelly Bay had a better experience, for there they had shelter from the wind, and if necessary, tho fortification buildings to houso in. Practically, holidaymaking in Wellington was an utter failure, the bowlers alono excepted. The disappointment,to thousands,was of course great, but the loss to those who had prepared for the hotidJlkt makers, must ness was entirely suspended on Saturday, and although shopß were open, they might just as well have closed, for all the trade they did. During the holidays the streets hare been almost deserted, and a more desolate scene than LarnbtonQuay 011 Monday afternoon, could not well have been imagined. Fortunately very little damage was done in town, although as you will haye heard by telegraph, considerable damage has been occasioned at Petone and the Hutt, through Hoods. Everyone was glad to have this farcical holiday-making over, and to again resume work on Tuesday morning, heartily tired of their enforced leisure under the most depressing Easter weather on record. A roST-SESSIOm fILGRIMAOK.' Dr. Newman, the genial and energetic member for Wellington suburbs, is pottering pleasantly around his constituency, delivering in his cheerful and chatty style, an account of his stewardship intk* last session of Parliament. Ttm Newman may not have the graces or' an orator, but he'has what is even moro a desideratum in a politician K'ft oi sound common sense', to his auditors in a speech delivered with a t'liit and earnestness many«,

professional mob-orator might envy. Tho member for Wellington Suburbs, has beon ondowed by nature with a cheerful and disposition, Ho is, in Wfact, an optimist of the most pronounced type, and although his optimism does not allow him to shut his eyes to tho prevailing depression, it enables him to tako a hopofnl view of the future, which perhaps is better after all, than the wail of lamentation, which is so much in voguo amongst politicians on the Doctor's side of the House, for tho people nre inspired to tako heart again. Dr. Newman, also, is always gentlemanly. He never descends to vulgar abuse of the other side, nor does he indulge in thoso personalities which neither strengthen tho speaker's case, nor harm the person about whom they are spoken. Dr. Newman is, however, not afraid to speak his mind when occasion requires it, and although he is a little bit of a faddist-, and therefore inclined somewhat to narrowness in his views, lie may generally Wreckoned upon to be pretty near , ™ie mark. Altogether, the electors of Wollington suburbs aro to be congratulated upon possessing such nn excellent representative, for they could .not find their interests in better hands, People aro wondering when MrH. D. Bell intends to favor thorn with a review of last session's doings. Both Sir Robert Stout and Mr Duthie have now addressed the electors, and we are waiting to hear what Mr Bell has to say upon tho political situation. An address from Mr Bell was promised, if I mistake j not, some time ago, and if he desires to keep in touch with his electorate, it would be well, without delay, to be up and doing. As it is still persistently rumoured that the Government are going to make a strenuous endeavor to capture the Wellington from the Opposition «fces, Mr Bell even for his party's i saw, if not for his own, should show his strength. On the Midland Railway question, for instance, Mr Bell could give the public some instructiveandinteresting information. MUNICIPAL MUDDLES. _ Theilunicipal authorities in Wellington are like Rip Van Winkletwenty years behind the times. For a wealthy city like Wellington the | tho street maintenance is execrable and the side-walks—as the Americans call them—literally side-walks in many of the Wellington thoroughfares, are a perfect disgrace. Most of the Wellington streets, including the main thoroughfare—Lambton Quay—are kept in such a rough state of repair that to drive through them is sheer agony. No greater amount of jolting could be experienced on the roughest of country roads. In wet weather the roads are either pools of liquid mud or sheets of water. In dry weather the streets are deserts of drifting dust. The ijLements are very littlo better. where concrete blocks have been laid in the place of asphalt the pavements aro uneven and full of holes which hold pools of water in rainy weather through which the passers-by have to splash—naturally at some discomfort to themselves In most of the by-streets pavements have been laid on only half the width of tie footpaths. As nearly everybody strives to walk on the pavement somebody must be jostled on to the wet and dirty footpath or on to tho still muddier road. The maximum amount of money is spent annually on keeping the Wellington streets and footpaths in repair and ; apparently a minimum result is obtained, Whoever is responsible for the management and maintenance of the Wellington streets has little to pride himself upon, During most of the fearful weather we have been experiencing lately the streets at iijX\ were plunged in almost Cimdarkness. The Corporation authorities apparently havo no power to force the electrical syndicate to keep the lamps burning—no matter how dark the night may beif the almanac only shows that a moon should be due and which, owing to the thick clouds, fails to put in an appearance. One more growl as to corporation misdeeds and I am done with this topic, How is it that after every downfall of rain the Corporation vater supply is as thick as pea-soup, and as muddy as a duck-pond ? The filth that comes through the water taps would surprise a stranger who had been told previously that wb had one of the finest and purest water supplies in Australasia. In most large towns care is taken that the water is filtered either by passing through sand beds or by other moans, but horo in Wellington we have tiMUd on for our domestic use a thick repulsive looking fluid that even a hog would turn its nose up at, , No amount of filtering will cleanse the water we are using now, and to bathe in it creates a feeling of the most violent disgust. It seems strange that in this the Empire City of tho colony—the hub of New Zealand as it were--the municipal mismanagement should be so glaringly apparent, lIOW WOMEN RULE THEMSELVES. There is a Society in Wellington known as "The Woman's Social and Political League," which has an absolutely unique method of conducting its business, Recently the annual meeting was called for a certain day and at a certain hour. .The members turned up in forcethere are only about thirty of them —and waited some time for tho Secretary, who no doubt was delayed by important domestic duties, The Secretary appeared but no annual report, statement of affairs, or even brace sheet, was deemed necessary. Affroast the Secretary didn't think such details were worth bothering about, and no one present had the spirit to demand their production. The electionof officers was proceeded with at once—the retiring president, it may be as well to state, occupying the chair, The ballot was first taken for the office of President. There were three nominations for the position, and numbers one and two received an equal number of votes, number three was fairly out of it, as she only received one vote. One of the ladies nominated as Presidtnt for the ensuing year, was the Chairwoman of the meeting, Now if it had been a meeting of men, tho Chairman, under these peculiar conditions, would at once have retired from the Chair, and left to a disinterested person, the onus of giving the casting vote, Not so our Chairwoman. She promptly gave the deciding vote in favor of herself, and declared herself duly elected accordingly. To do the majority of thjUidies present, justice, they had imkmt to see that a grave improhad been committed, and therefore refrained from taking any part in the other elections, as a protest. It seems fairly likely now, that the "Woman's Social and Political Leaguo," whatever its peculiar functions nay be,—l

know not, nor doss anyone else, unless thoy nro to run that poor littlo fledgling, "Daybreak,"—will shortly be like the famous Kentucky Militia Bogiment, all officers and no rank and file, for tliore are open signs of secession amongst the rest of the members. Hitherto wo had rather piided oui'Bolves on the fact that the womon of Now Zealand wero as fully capable of governing as the men were. One is rather inclined to doubt, however, if the proceedings of " The Woman's Social and Political Loague " are a criterion, whether they havo mastered even the elements of self-government. THE MINISTER AND THE MORNISO JOURNAL. There are strange rumours afloat regarding your contemporary. The New Zealand Times. It iB said that the members of the Government have practically acquired the votes of a majority of tbo shareholders, and that in futuro they intend to run tho paper strictly under their own auspices, and according to their own lights a 6 an official organ. The Government, it is said, are dissatisfied with the present management, and with tho luke-warm support which is accorded to their actions. What more is required, everybody fails to see, for the Time s is regarded by most people as a most consistent partisan, in whose leading columns hardly a line appears which is not eloquent in support of tho present party in power. It is further rumoured that a certain Director of the iYmcs'Company is to berewarded by a seat in the Upper House for his whole-souled services on the Hoard, 1 also hear that an exM.H,R. is to be brought up from the South and appointed editor. I will not vouch for the accuracy of these reports, but give them to yon for what tliey are worth, It is quite certain, however, that if the new scheme of management does eventuate, somebody will liayo to pay tho piper. To make a morning paper a commercial success in Wellington, it is an utter impossibility to take up extreme party lines. The result must be that a new and powerful morning paper will be started, there is ample room for it, aud tho Ministerially managed journal will inevitably die a painful I and lingering death, The Government had much better let well alone. LIBERAL VALUATIONS. There are several stories floating round anent the liberal manner in which the valuations under "The Advances toSettlers Act" nro made. I heard of one case in which the margin of security offered toa private lender was not deemed anything like sufficient for the amount required on the property, and the negotiations were at once broken off. Tho same property was offered to the Advances to Settlers Office, and the valuer reported so favorably that a much larger sum than the amount refused by the private lender was authorised to be lent on the security. Now, as securities, especially good ones, are, at the present moment, anything but easily obtained, it is not likely that had there been even a reasonably fair margin of security the money would not have been forthcoming from a private sourco. MOSEV TO LEND. It is notorious in town, in financial circles, that securities which have been hawked about in vain for months past, have all gone to tho Advances to Settlers Office. I would not like to say that the Department, or rather the Board, has accepted all of them, or even a large percentage of them, but there is no doubt that money has been advanced upon some of these properties which private individuals or financial institutions would not look at, By the way, one hears of sums of money being lent upon properties, but I have not yet heard of a case in which the money has actually been paid over, Possibly the Government have been saving up all they can till the end of the financial year, (31st March), in order to swell that fine surplus which wo hear so much about, but see so littlo of. lam told that there is plenty of money waiting investment, in Wellington, in the hands of Banks, Insurance and Finance Companies, aud private individuals, but it is an extremely difficult matter to find securities, offering oven the ordinary margin of one third. " THE HEATHEN CHIME " AND THE TRICKS or THE TRADE. You may trust the wily " heathen Chinee " for finding out all the tricks of tho trade. The latest deyolopment I have heard of regarding Mongolian cuteness, is that when dry cocoanuts are purchased they carefully bore a small hole in one of the" eyes" pour in a little water, stop the hole up cleverly again and there you have to all intents a fresh ripe cocoanut filled with delicious milk. Everyone buying a cocoanut shakes it first to find out if there is any milk in it and if not, as a rule, the nuts are not bought. The Chinaman, being a keen observer has noticed this liking for cocoanuts containing milk, and tries to make up for the deficiency accordingly, It would be a hard job now to find the hairiest of old cocoanuts which does not contain the luscious juice thanks to tho cheerful Chinkies inventive genius, Thero is also another trick of tho trade which porhaps is worth exposing. Most people have a fancy for loose skinned large oranges, They are not alwayß procurable naturally, but our almond-eyed friend has a very simple method of producing them uunaturally. He simply plunges an ordinary sized orange in boiling water, and taking it out in a minute or so, the golden fruit quickly swells to about twice its natural size. When displayed in the window there is a rush for these fine oranges, and the buyer congratulates himsolf or hersolf upon having obtained such beauties. " Where ignoranco is bliss it is folly to bo wise," but the Mongol mu6t" wink his other eye," occasionally at the credulity of these " foreign devils," his much imposed upon customers.