MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2492, 30 June 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

JROJI OUR OWN COIIUKsrO.VDEMT. |

Despite my vaticinations of last week as to Mr. Service receiving the appoint- | ment of President of the Exhibition, Sir James MeKain lias got it. It is pretty well understood, however, that Mr. Service refused the first offer on the plea, of requiring rest. In Sir James the Exhibhas got about the best man they could for the post. A hard-working shrewd Scotchman, he has been twenty years before the public, and is thoroughly known and respectcd. The very look of the man inspires confidence. There is something sturdy and honest-lookinf in his wellmarked face. Not tall y. t he appears dignified,, and his reddis!: beard and whiskers tinged with grey, lend him an air of solidity. He lives in a fine house in Toorak, and although ho does not entertain often, his receptions are among the best in Melboune. As a speaker he is plain and to the point. He never sacrifices sense to sound, and his clear voice and methodical manner carry conviction ■where more ornate orators would fail. Taking him as tho sailors say,'' by and large," he is a thorough canny Scot with a wide knowledge of men and manners, rind the Exhibition could not have a better man at the helm.

The attention of the Government has been so constantly occupied during the last few weeks in considering the varying phases of the Chinese difficulty, that in reality the two forthcoming bills that are creating such a stir (the Tariff Bill and the Electoral Bill) have been quite shelved of late. Parliament opens on the 16th June, and everything is in a state of great backwardness. If- is the intention of the government to bring the Tariff up first; but this is absolutely wrong, for if electorates are going to be changed, they should do this first before asking the country to decide on such an important and vital question as alterations in the Tariff.

Of all conscienceless scoundrels commend me to the Melbourne larrikins. For pure "cussedness" he is unapproachable, as witness an incident that took place last week at Oakleigh. Some, of these delectable youths procured the stuffed figure of a man, placed it at the back of a clergyman's residence, and started firing off revolvers. One of them then called cut, " O God 11 am murdered! Help ! Help I" and the whole lot fled. Of course the people in the house and neighbours were much alai;med, and it was thought for some time that a man had been murdered, as the stuffed figure was seen lying on the grouud. Of course to the larrikin mind the whole affair was a great "lark," but as a diabolical method of frightening people I do not remember anything more unmanly and ruffianly. Being done in the dark, i t was all tho more alarming, and the clergyman's poor wife, who is in very delicate health, has received such a shock to her nervous system, that it will take her some time to get over it. I sincerely hope the unmanly brutes will receive the punishment they justly merit for the outrage-

Apropros of this, the latest bon mot, comes from the humorous representative of East Melbourne, Mr. Zox. Why, he asks, is the Ministry so opposed to Chinese immigration ? and the answer is " Because they are such good Cabinet makers. ' The supposition being of course that the Government are desirous of keeping that in their own hands. In referemce to the present Coalition Ministry, however, it does not seem to be altogether flourishing, and has earned for itself the cognomen of the "Sick Ministry." There is always somebody ill. Now it is the Chief Secretary, who is suffering from carbuncles, and the Minister for Lands, who has an injured hip. Five of the Ministers are enjoying themselves in the country, and so practically speaking tho affairs of the colony are at a stand-still.

A real Australian opera is somewhat of a Ittsus mturcß without doubt, but I am informed we arc to have one presented on the Melbourne boards shortly. The name of tho opera, which has already been given in the Camperdown district is " Muutchaaka, or The Last of His Tribe," and has for its constituents squtters, aboriginals, station.hands, shearers, drovers, bushmen, et hoc genus omnc. The writer and composr is Mr. L. Bayer, a well-known composer and musician here. It was successful in the country, and so we are to have it in town ; most likely Mr. Simonson will give it when he returns. It will be rather a novel thing to hear " Scotty the "VVrinkler,' " Concertina Joe," " Kangaroo Bill," and such like exponets of the the muse giving vent to their feelings in song. An advertisement has been appearing in the dailies during the week, which has caused a great scandal and a good deal of just indignation. It was the prospectus of'' The Great Centennial Land Distribution C 0.," and had on the directorate the names of half a dozen of the best known men in Melbourne. The idea was to subdivide a large property at Mooroolbark and distribute it among the shareholders in the way of prizes. These were to be drawn for, so that one shareholder might get a prize worth thousands and another one next to nothing. In a word, it was a kind of Miller's sweep, with allotments instead of horses. The prospectus roused a general feeling of indignatiou, and I am glad to say that it has been withdrawn. The project was simply a gambling lottery, and in its way not better than the Chinaman's fan-tan. Tho strangest part about it is that men ot undoubted position and integritry should have lent their names to it. It will be a lesson to them —and a lesson for the public as well, for it shows to what excess the laud " boom "is leading us to. We are arriving rapidly at that fatuous stage when the prospectus-monger and syn dicate-floater can do simply what he likes with the Melbourne public and its hard earned money.