THE TIME O' DAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5015, 2 May 1895, Page 3

THE TIME O' DAY.

[By the Sentinel]. Wkimngton, Tuesday. A HECOHD RECESS. Up to the present the recess forms quite a record in the history of New • Zealand polities, from the peculiar fact > that in both Upper and Lower Houses . there lias not been a single vacancy ! created either by death or resignation. I am informed by an old politician that lie does not remember such a state of ' things before. It may be generally 1 reckoned upon for a certainty that in the Upper House at least, every recess produces ut vacancy.from various causes. AUDACE, TOUJOMSAU.WCE. The Wellington papers recorded the fact with much imprcssivwicss that the Premier hud ulaced the stables at Government house at Mr J. Lane's disposal in consequence of the bitter's livery establishment having been destroyed by fire on Saturday night last. .Now no doubt the Premier meant well and meant kindly but like the Captain of the "Pinafore," ''lie doesn't know," thatis to say Mr Scddou fails to understand what has been aptly termed " the eternal Illness of things." It does not seem to have occurred to Mr Scddon that the stables at Government .House, so long as there is a Governor in New Zealand, are absolutely the urivate property representative. Mr Scddon might just as well have quartered the unemployed in the private apartments at Government House, It is true, His Excellency has since telegraphed his acquiescence in the arrangement, but the ordinary individual would perhaps have thought it only com icons and proper to have obtained the permission before-hand. Apparently, Mr Seddon, in these little matters as in other larger ones, virtually regards himself as the uncrowned Kiug of New Zealand, with all the Colony's goods and chattels, including the Governor's official residence, at his absolute and despotic disposal. From his vciy kiuducss of hcaii and generosity of disposition, the Governor was unlikely to refuse any such request for temporary shelter for a burnt-out liveiy stable-keeper's horses, but the compliment might have beeu passed Mm, by asking him first.

THE EXIT OF ISITT. The lley, L. M. Isitt, the great champion of Prob'bition, was given a tremendous " send oil'" atthe Operallouse last night. Many of us may differ from Mr Isitt regarding his methods, but few can cavil at his motives. Mr Isitt has earned a wclkierilcd rest and holiday, and the cause which he has championed so stoutly wiU be none the worse for a little quiescence also. There is such a thing as riding a hobby to death, and no hai.ii will result from turning the steed out quietly to graze iu the pastures of prohibition for a season or two, Mr Isitt leaves by the "Gothic" on Thursday and wl»Je in England he is to make the acquaintance of Sir Wilfrid Lawson and other shining lights ot the English prohibition party. Mr Isitt will, I understand, enquire into the various devices for the control of the liquor traffic, both at Home and abroad, more especially turning his attention to an examination of the Gothcuberg system in Norway and Sweden, which is a sort of compromise between Prohibition and publicanism, if I may coin the latter expression. Mr Isitt will also visit the Prohibition States in America and learn much that may be useful to him hereafter in his self-imposed crusade. The lessons taught by travel and personal observation will all have, no doubt, their due elfcct upon Mr Isitt, and we may hope to see him return invigorated in mind and body, with perhaps the rough edges of iullej'ble htoleration toned down by broader yiews regarding the much-vexed question of Prohibition HOW TUE M.UOn WAS " DBAWN." An amusing experience which befell the Chairman of the Tariff Commission (Major Steward) at Picton has leaked which I hasten to put on record, Major Steward, as everyone knows, is veiy sore that ho was not made a Knight upon the expiration of his tcim of office as Speaker, and he never loses an opportunity of a ; "ing l"'s grievances in this connection, While at Picton recently, the Tariff Commissioners were asked to inspect the establishment of an old gentleman who has acquired quite a local reputation as a manufacturer of home-made wines. The Commissioners duly turned up at the time appointed and carefully sampled all the yaiious wines, pronouncing high enconiums upon them, Someone proposed a vote of thanks to the wine decoctor, and the proprietor himself not feeling equal to the task of replying, deputed his assistant to do so. The assistant bashfully got upon his legs, and said how pleased his employer and himself were, to have such a distinguished gather'ng gracing their humble home, Warming up to his subject, the goosebei.y whewasno doubt beginning to take elfcct, he continued, turning to Major Steward, " Wo have often heard of you. S ; r, and your doings in Parliament over there in Wcllinaton, and how you sat on litem all when you were in the Chair, but we always thought as how they had made you a Knight." This was too much for the Major, He seized the oppoi .unity, and lor about half-an-hour he explained the whole matter in detail, and with much elaboration, until the whole company present, including the Commissioners themselves, began to feel that a gross injustice had been perpetrated in dcfraud'ug tho gallant Major out of his much coveted distinction, The Chapman has, ever since this little incident, been obsequiously addressed as " Sir Jukes."

IDE UISDOr AND TUB CANTAIJS. Bishop Wallis, as everyone knows, :s a distinguished ex-tutor and proctor of Cambiidge University. There arc a good, many old Cantabs in Wellington, some of whom were contemporaries of the Bishop at the 'Varsity, and so they conceived the happy notion of clubbing! together and inviting the Bishop ton ilener. Tho dinne.-took place last week, and passed off with great eclat. There were a good many recent college men present, and many were the fears expressed that the function would prove a funereal affair, from the fact that the presence of the Bishop would have a sobering elfcct upon their spirits. The ' dinner, however, I am told, was anything 'but a dull affair, and the Bishop, al- ' though not exactly "setting the table in a roar," kept ov&ybody in good spirits by his fund of anecdote and humour until they were fully ot opinion that dining with a divine was not such a dreadful matter after all.

PBOSPECTINO THE MUBEUII. The police seem \o have displayed commendable astuteness in effecting the capture of tho man' lobiuson who stole from the Colonial Museum several specimens: of gold dust and' gold-bearing quattzlThcywDre dpparentlj'justiutime, i lor the mh was on the point iji'lewftg

for the south by means of a ticket granted to him by tho Benevolent When arrested ho had several crucibles in his possession, no doubt, for the purposo of melting down tho gold, and had he once got away, tho Museum specimens would speedily have become marketable commodities, Tito notion of robbing the Museum was no doubt suggested to llobiusoa by the recent robbery at tho Auckland Museum, but the wonder is, how a man who will exercise so much ingenuity and effrontery in effecting a robbciy, should show so little resource afterwards in disposing of his plunder. But this is where your criminal generally fails. He has the cunning to work out a plan of robbery, and this once successfully accomplished, his wit seems lo fail liim—fortunately for Society at large—and tho police sooner or later get upon his clumsy tracks. We may congratulate ourselves, at anyralc, that in Colonial criminal circles, the art of " planting " has not yet developed into a high pitch of perfection.

DKAR AT ANY MICK, A certain man in Wellington, tin other day attended » horse auction sale. Amongst the weeds put up to be knocked down, was an ancient scarecrow, whose owner did not think it worth while paying the pound fees to redeem him. Our fricud took a fancy to the siced, and after some spirited bidding, tho horse was eventually knocked down to him at the naudsome figure of five shillings. The man paid his money and led his purchase away, chuckling with delight at his bargain. With the idea of celebrating his purchase our friend called in at a wayside hostelry, some little distance out of town, placing his fiery steed meanwhile in the stable attached to the establishment. Timo sped, and at hist our horse-owner thought he would wcml his weary way homewards mounted upon his (rusty steed. Alas! On visiting the stable what a sijlit met his eyes There was the poor old horse stretched upon the floor, just upon the point or death, and in a few moments all was over. The landlord was called and at once i-isisted upon the carcase being removed, so our friend, no longer jubilcut, had forthwith to engage a dray and half-a-dozen men tocarryawayr.il that remained of the fiyc shillings' worth, The carcase had to be carried some four miles oat of town to be buried, and the expenses in connection therewith made a couple of pounds look silly. So after all the bargain was not so good us it looked. Our woilhy now declares he has no luck, and seems to think that forty-live shillings for the pleasure of caiimg home a dead horse is rather an expensive luxury. Certainly this was a case in which a horse which was almost a gift might have been looked in the mouth without any impropriety. Our friend thinks so too.

SANDiVICH-BOAKDS FOB THE HUXGIIY. The advent of sandwich-board men in Wellington is a sign of the limes. The hungry apply to flic Benevolent Trustees for bread, and they give them sandwich, boards. Five shillings ?. day is the payment made for eanyingtlieboards about and the man who does not consider himself degraded by applying for charily, but does consider it a degradation to cany a sandwich-board, deserves not to eat at all. Sandwich-board cairying is not a high-toned occupation, but it is at leasthouest, audit' a man were really starving and applies for charity he must indeed have a veiy haughty soul when his pride gets the better of his hunger, l'et there were several men who indignantly refused this chance of earning live shillings a day—and tliey had wiyos and children a f , home wanting bread. The Trustees have hit upon a really excellent method of testing the bona Jhks of applicants. They can now say, "If you really desire work, carry a sandwich board at five shillings a day—if you are too proud to do that, you ought to be too proud to ask for charity," And yet there are many honest and decent men in Wellington just now, who would be only too glad to carry even a sandwich-board for a living. Having got down to thaUherc can be no question as to the distress in the place.

A CHEW WITHOUT A SHIP. _ The Middle District University Council lias now beeu appointed, and a very excellent Council it is. They are, however, in the position of a crew without a ship. There is a lull-blown Couneil.but no University College. Having gone so far, Sir liobcrt Stout, who is pledged to obtain the Co"egc, should lose uo opportunity of urging Wellington's claims upon the Colony h this matter. First of all the sinews of war are required. These can only be obtained by means of endowments, and endowments which will bring in an income within a reasonable time. Parliament will have to be approached at once, both in the matter ot endowments and a grant in aid of the building fund. The passing of The Middle District University Act is not much of a concession to Wellington's claims for University education, but it is a beginning in the right ejection, A NEW ZEALAND POOH BAH. Have any of your readers ever considered in what a multiplicity of capacities the Public Trustee acts? A friend of mine totted them tip the other day and I was appalled at L»s many sided positions. Here are a few of the Public Trustee's functions:—ltc acts as admintrator of all intestate estates, there are some hundreds of them in course of the year. In this capacity the Public Trustee manages fa,. lis, stores, gold mines, public houses, tramways, and all kinds of businesses. He acts as ti ustec in the case of miuors, lunatics, and absentees, and manages their estates for them. He lends money on approved security, both in his capacity of Public Trustee and administrator of the Advances to Settlers Act. He manages the fund which is created by deduction from Civil Servants' salaries, and renays the amount of the deductions, witn interest added, when they leave the service. He receives the deposits of Foreign Insurance Companies, Fire, Marine and Life, examines their annual balance sheets, certifies to their solvency, and is generally responsible for their compliance with the provisions of the Foreign Insurance Companies' Deposit Act. The Public Trustee nas much to do with Native Lands, and in this connection he acts as the West Coast Settlements Itcscrves Trustee. There arc many other auctions which the Public Trustee i.illLHs, but I think I have stated enough to give an idea of the vast amount of business which this Department pciiotins. Few people, except those directly interested, would realise that the Public Trust Office was such an immense concern.