TOLD ON LAMBTON QUAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5107, 31 October 1895, Page 2

TOLD ON LAMBTON QUAY.

[By The Ancient Mariner.] 11 And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed »ia™er."-Coleridge' Wellington, Tuesday. A CHINESE JAR. Thore has been not a little agita- » tation, for which the professional® , i agitators are mainly responsible, t|p J have established in tho City amarket. The Chinese have been yanked in by their pig-tails to supply the reason for tlio volubility of the agitators, who allege that by the erection of the market and tho exclusion of the > Chows from the stalls, the fruit and | vegotable business will cease to be a - ' > Chinese monopoly, The Celestials ' are credited with all kinds of atrocities, and are generally reckoned as being unfit to be associated with cabbagesand cauliflowers. An erroneous impression prevails that tho Chinamen grow all their own vegetables ; they do to a certain extent, and are dependent upon outside , sources for muoh of their supplies. < ' . From Nelson, Marlborough, Canteri bury and Auckland plentiful sup- [ plies of the seasons' vegetables are j received, and the auction rooms 3 present an animated appearance , when a sale of fruit and vegetables j is boing hold. 1 strolled the other [• day into the Mart on the Reclaimed 3 Land, while a sale was being held i and was highly amused with tljjk . ;, succession of scenes. t was composed principally of Chinar men, with a sprinkling of white men who were, for the most part, oxpressnien under engagement to the Chinese, All the almond-eyed cusses of tho City were in attendance, y and their jabber was as annoying as \ it was unintelligible. Several sacks ? of cauliflowers were amongst the lots offered, nnd the Chinese bid up, giv--1 ing full prices and keenly competing r _ for tho sacks. The cauliflowors were splendid specimens and tho prices ' paid averaged about 9s 6d per sack, but this for a limited number only. One shadowy Chink who risked all lie posßossed on half a dozen sacks of cauliflowers, quietly set to work to examino his lot. Ho beamed with celestial pleasure when he 1 opened the first sack and saw the 1 size of the vegetables; tenderly he hauled them out one at a time, cast- f ing an admiring gaze at each as ho laid them aside. Suddenly the reign of big cauliflowers came to an end, and tlio Chow's long bony clams hooked up ono of those berbacerJji lilliputians, which by common comT » Bont is invariably passed over to the o fowls or the pigs. When his eye 0 rested upon this withered, mingy- < s looking apology for a cauliflower, tlio Cliow broke forth into a squeal and in shrillest notes cried" Meetoo balleo muchee had." It was enough. " Chi 100, cheo chow, ching long " came from tho throats of many Celestials who crowded round their badlyused countryman. The auctioneer r was obliged to grant a recess, until ' the Celestial Johnnies had regained '• their composure. The discovery of 0 that tiny cauliflower was a terrible y jar to the Chinamen, greatly aggrarj vatod by tlio fact that tlio vegetables d formed part of a consignment of a . :V Southern Chinaman. ' e e A LOCAL FIRE. [. Asarulo Wellington is remarkably l- free from fires, and even when thore e is a blazo, an excellent water supply and an efficient brigade soon put tho n flames out, Within the last fjflt.. s days wo have had rather more our avorago of fires, and timid people ' havo naturally takon extra precaue tions, A tradesman in tho City who g has a pious horror of fires, had a d singular experience the other day, s Ho was about closing his shop when [1 a customer came in and loft a trinket for ropairs. This trinket my friend •. pickod up and examined, and just as a lie was about turning off tho gas and ' i. retiring from the shop, his nose asn sured him that there was a firo on g the premises. The smell of someh thing burning was too strong to bo mistakon, Frantio with fear, he d rushed from one room to the other, g but wherever ho went there was no reduction in tho strength of the ut odour. Ho began to get frightfully o hot about tho head; fear, excitement o and eieriion woro enough to account ,f for the sultry feeling, but upon tak- •. ing off his tilo to cool his head, great was his surprise to find that tho seat gr of tho fire was vory local. His bellu topper had come into contact with a e gas jot while he was examining the , trinket, and was slowly burning, , s throwing off a pungent odour. ThfL 0 bole in tho hat was nothingcompafflf d with tho relief to his feelings. l - WOOL GATHERING, Tho wreck at tho Auckland Islands, reported by Captain Fairchild, is still enshrouded in mystery, , t but thero is no mystery about the kind of cargo tho wrecked vessel had 0 on board. Colonial produce, wool, hides and tallow, formed the bulk of her freight, nnd these are now strewn about tho island. The vessel is supposed to have had a large cargo of wool, and there iB no doubt much of this can be recovered, Here, then, is an opportunity for wool-gathering * adventurers, and with tho price of wool ruling high, the venturo should prove profitable. If such a vonture s should be taken in hand, and there r is some chance of Wellington specu--0 lators moving in the matter, it will p not be tho first time that treasure 1 troye has been sought at the Aucks land Island. Many years ago, a vessel named tho General Grant, •< • ran on to a reef in the vicinity of the island, and was wrecked. She had a ' valuable cargo, which included £36,000 in gold. It was to recow the gold, that efforts were madeW a small syndicate of shell-backs, but f their efforts proved abortive, for r aftor succeeding in getting close t in to the wreck and making every - preparation for despatching the ' 5 diver, a "southerly buster" sprung b up and the salvago boat had to cut f tho painter and steam away. The j little lyndicato lost tJieiittle pile of 1 £36,000 and £IOOO in addition, J There should, however, be no such 1 risk in wool-gathering at the present t time, as most of the bales have boon washed ashore and could be easily ■ picked up. Tho trouble and expense ; of washing, drying and bagging the i wool, should not be very great, ' ■ The wreck may turn out a profitable ' thing for someon^. ; COMPARING THE SHOWS. In conversation with a gontloman who delights in Agricultural Shows, I learned that the Palmeraton North Show was a great success. As a small-farmers' Show, it could not ft surpassed in the Colony, the distil beiug favourably adapted for the purposes. Tho exhibits, however,, ; ™ a few classes, were not of | the best quality, being limited to practically two or three districts. ' It is in the quality of the exhibits that tho Wellington Show promises to be a great success. The date is io arranged that exhibitors at other Shows have an opportunity of meeting for one final test at Wellington. Most of the prize-winners at the

Palmorston Show, will bo exhibitor) at the Wellington Show, and tin same may be said of exhibitors al the Hawke's Bay, Egmont am Canterbury Shows. Wellington ii tho convincing ground, and thi quality of the exhibits is on thai account bettor than tho other Shows From the South Island, we an teg promised largo entries of cattle anr V sheep, and as a matter of fact 2C head of cattle liavo already arrived for the exhibition. Tho Wellington Show will eclipse tho big event ol Palnieraton North, in the numbei and quality of the exhibits, and in tho attendance of tho public. A wood-chopping competition has been added to the programmo of the Wellington Show and will attract a great number of entries. THE DIVIDED SHUT. Ever since the women of the Colony emorged into tho daylight of politics, the ladies have shown themselves in a new character. Women's political societies have grown up everywhere like so many mushrooms, affording plenty of scope for the übiquitous, but emptyheaded male agitators, In this City there are two political organisations whose energies are devoted to educating women to a knowledge of politics, and their duties as electors. The two societies work on different planes, and as is usual amongst the flk fair sox there is no small amount of ® jealousy and political and social hair-pulling. The older society is known as the Women's Social and Political League, and its members aro mainly supporters of tho party now in power. Prohibition is not a plank in its platform, but small farming, Chinese-baiting and other senseless items, afford it plenty of amusomout. Tho other society is known as the Southorn Cross Society, with Lady Stout as President, and its chief planks are prohibition and social and political purity. The gulf between the two societies is broad and deep; the Southern Cross once essayed to cross it, but tho urban fomales in tho League would not hoar of it. An effort at amalgamation with a viow of forming a Ladies' Club was attempted by the Southern Cross Society, but there was no response from the League; r since then the two societies have drifted very much apart, and the competion between them for political proselytes is very keen. A newspaper par about 0110 society is certain #. to be followed in tho course of a day or two with the report of a meeting of the otlior society, and thus in estentatious rivalry they keep themselves alivo. ■H PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS. The general election is a long way off, but nothstanding that we are already aware that we shall have a plethora of candidates wooing the Wellington electors. Tho threo sitting members will for a certainty offer themselves forre-election, Mr Jeliicoe has promised to stand, Mr George Fisher and Mr C. M. Luke, who are now fighting for tho Mayoralty, will also put up. Mr A, S, Henteath, a former member, is a likely candidate, and then there are the dark horses to be run by the Liberal Party, and the Trades' Hall agitators. Tho itinerant Mercior may possibly bo put up, together with blatherskites Collins and Ward, There was a rumour that the Hon. R. J. Soddon would contest a WeiJM& lington seat, but there is not much ™ chance of this. Seddon admits that 90 per cent, of the people of Wellington are against him and his Government,and nnless he is satisfied that the submerged tenth can put ( him into Parliament ho is not likely ' to trouble Wellington. Mr E. A. : Haggen and The People may be heard of at the election, and if the ; people tako to the politics of The People, Haggen may submit bimsolf j to tho public gaze. Wo can only elect threo members, and I think it would be safe to say that Sir Robert . Stoat and Mr Duthie will be elected. Mr Bell is doubtful, but his chances are as good as any of tho others. i KEW TEIR JU'XT, The session is barely over, yet ' Ministers have already arrauged for ! their usual jaunting, and with increased allowances tlicy will bo able to do a good deal of travelling. It . is eipected that Ministerial speeches will be plentiful during the recess, to pave the way for a hugo borrowing ' . policy next session, Not much, however, is to be oipected from : Ag Ministers this side of Christmas, but 1 ""r with the new year the fun will begin, , A trip that is already arranged and j will take place in January next, will be a, visit of inspection to tho blocks of land recently acquired by the . Crown and situated up the Wanganui River, This jaunt the Minister ! of Lands and Mr Carroll will make. . It was to somewhere in this neigh- ( bourhood that Sir George Grey retired Then ho drew up tho con- [ stitution for this colony. Sir George • desired to be alone with tho tuis and his thoughts, and polished up New Zealand's constitution in solitudo, The Uon. John McKenzie may bo going on a somewhat similar business, and it is not improbable that when away from the turmoil of politics and thehecklingof politicians be will take the opportunity of polishing his high code of honour. Carrol is just tho sort of kind-hearted fellow to help him with the job, and Now Zealand needs a standard codo of honour. MINISTER AND KNIGHT. By a concatenation of violent circumstances, Sir Walter Buller, K.C.M.G., has been jerked into a ■ " prominent position, and to-day his 1 nam® is in eyorybody's mouth. His : defence in the Houso against the 1 attack of the Hon. John McKenzie, ' . was handled with consummate skill and everyone feols that the Knight ; has triumphed over tho Minister. But the most astounding thing, so J far as the gossips on Lambton Quay are concerned, is the fact that tho 1 Chairman of the Ward Reception : Committee should be so violently assailed by a member of the Cabinet, 1 Sir Walter Buller worked hard and much of what littlosuccess there was ' in the reception given to the Colonial 1 Treasurer, was due to his untiring energy, It was generally believed that Sir Walter's reward would be : the Agent-Generalship, but the McKenzie incident upsets all theories and speculations. There is, however, ' still a chance of Sir Walter Buller being sent Home as the representative of the Colony, if only as a salve .. for the Wound inflicted by Mr Me* 1 Kcnrie,