MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2543, 27 October 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

(['ROM Ol'lt OWN- COIIIIHSI'ONDENT.) | Wf, all love mysteries, without doubt ; it is part of our human nature. But when the mystery concerns our pockct, it is a horse of another colour. A deep and dreadful one, however, has been the subject of enquiry by a Parliamentary Board, but unfortunately without elucidating it. This is the history of it, as short as I enn make it. At the recent opening of the 11 (Juecn s Mall in tho lat - liatnentary Buildi-.ig, the Premier invited honorable'members to celebrate the event by drinking a glass of wine. That glass of wine became historical, not only liecause tho temperance party thought it sinful, but bccause it cost the country £1:27 3s. Now this is rather a high fifure fur a glass of wine and a pieco of cake ; so when the item " exp uses incidental to the opening of the the Queen's Hall " appeared on the Estimates there was a great outcry. Finally, to explain matters, the messengers of tho House were charged with having stolen £100 worth of champagne. Heucc the Board of enquiry. But they have just acquitted the messengers, and so the mystery remains unsolved. The wine and cake may have cost the odd seven pounds, and the question is. "Who appropriated the hundred and twenty ?" I suppose it will never be found out, and the affair will be let drop. But is it not disgraceful that ministers should lend themselves to such a thing? How they do bleed the public ! From first to last it is the same thing—grab, grab, crab. Make hay for themselves, and let the country go to the —well yes ; to the devil.

Mouday was a red-letter day in the history of the Railway Department, for no less than 125 miles of new lines were opened for traffic. I learn from Mr Speight, the Commissioner, that there are furthermore 450 miles of lines in construction, whilst tenders arc being called for 132 more. He tells me (and if any body ought to know it is he) that we havein Victoria 2000 milesof lines already in use ; so that when all these further ones are opened we shall have done exceedingly well. On tny asking for further information, our railway magnate pushed over a bulky pamphlet, and said, good-huniouredly, " Look here, I'm busy. Don't bother mc. That'll give you more information than I can. Look over it if you want to know anything about our railways." It was the yearly report, I found, and I took him at his word and glanced over it. In it I found some surprising reading. One line—the infamous Fitzroy "cockspur"—cost on an average nearly £75,000 per mile; the Kew line, I figured out, cost the country about £52,000 per mile. Fancy that ! I believe £0,000 to £10,000 is about the proper average per mile for an ordinary railway. What an absolute necessity these lines must have been (which they were not) to have gone to such terrible expense over. Then I came acros: the " butcher's bill," as it is humouroualy known in the department—the number of deaths and accidents. During the year forty-five unfortunates owe their death to the iron horse ; and 169 received injuries—about one death and threa injuries per week. A terrible average, without doubt, and a black year for casualties. It gave me rather a fit of the blues, so I didn't dip any deeper, but said good-bye to my busy friend, and went further afield for other and more cheerful items of news.

Sir Henry Loch's prolongation of office will quite separate Victoria's term of appointment from the other colonies. I see from Truth that next year Lord Knntsford will have a fine run of patronage, no fewer than seven Colonial Governorships falling vacant—New South Wales, New Zealand, South Australia, Queensland, Jamaica, Ceylon and the Cape. Our Governor, as I said last week, has an extra year, with a probability of a further extension still. And talking of appointments, I am given to understand that Sir Graham Berry has been offered an extension of three, years as Agent General. It was understood that the Premier, the Honourable Duncan Gillies, was " going for" tho appointment. But that. I think, was when lie was feeling insecure about his being returned for Parliament. Now he has had a specific offer to stand for a constituency, and so will not leave Australia. These political gentlemen of ours like to feel their future assured before making a move.

I have had sent me last week the prospectus of a new venture called the •'Victorian Mutual Fish Supply Association." which is a venture on the part of some of the leading men to supply Melbourne and the country with a cheaper and more plentiful supply of that article of diet than we enjoy at present. And truly something of the kind is wanted in Melbourne. Only this morning the Chinese fish hawker who does me the honor of calling at my house diurnally had the assurance to ask my wife cighteen-pence each for flounders—and small ones at that. Fish decidedly is a luxury in Melbourne, and one almost unattainable by the poor. According to more than one authority too, the undue indulgence in meat that goes on generally is the cause of half the crime extant. A meat diet undoubtedly rouses the animal passions more than a lighter diet, so there may be some truth in this : and if so the new company appeals to one not only from an economical and dietetic point of view, but also from a humanitarian standpoint. This latter is rather a novel claim for a public company and I fc.'l humourously proud in introducing it to the notice of the public. Seriously, however, I think the enterprise a deserving one. The idea is to form a metropolitan depot in a central position, with branches in the suburbs and up-country. Then by making proper arrangements for supplies, and by means of refrigerators, the company hopes in time to be able to supply all the principal centres in Victoria with cheap and good fish. I myself—being abnormally fond of that kind of food—hope a new fish era will be ushered in.

The "Centenaries" is in statu quo, nothing of moment having transpired to disturb the monotony of its usual routine. There is, unfortunately, a good deal of pilfering and stealing going on among the exhibits, and our police seem to be anything but keen, and the .unfortunate exhibitors who lent their goods have to stand by and see them diminish. It is rather hard on them, I must confess, seeing that tlicy put their trust in the Commissioners to have their interests protected, but it is only another case of Exhibition mismanagement. A good deal of talk has arisen too about the Commissioners having given Mr Cowen a a week's holiday to visit Sydney, lie is paid £5000 for his six months engagement, that is £200 a week and over, and the question people are asking, is why they should be done out of value representing £200 for no adequate reason. The Commissioners wisely remain silent as to motive, and so the public as usual gets no satisfaction. We have, however, one thing to boast of, we are paying a conductor a higher salary than was ever paid before in any part of the world— which is something to be proud of, though it filleth not the pocket.

I was much amused at seeing a notice in one of the papers last wee!; relative to the suicide of a certain chemist in town here. It went thus :—"On Saturday afternoon he was at the Exhibition with a friend, and spent several horns promenading about and inspecting the exhibits. On his return home he committed the fatal act. "The Exhibition is dreary enough, Lord knows ; but I didn't think it was quite so bad as to drivu one to suicide. The Commissioners, too, have been trying to liven things up by instituting bands and side-shows. But all the same, it is rather dreary, and though crowds are attracted there, it is mainly to see and be seen by friends. It has proved fatal in other ways to some, as the following pitiful tale will prove. A young man named Jeffreys came out in connection with a large firm of manu-

factum's in England, and opened tip an important exhibit. I met him often poor young fellow, for he was always knocking about the building, and hail a laugh and joke for everybody. But his evenings, 1 am afraid, were not spent quite innocently, for he fell into the hands of some of the numerous cardsharpers attracted to the metropolis. I don't know exactly what he lost, but I know he left Melbourne penniless, and a few days ago the news came from Sydney that his dead body had been found in the domain, with a bullet-hole in the head. This is sad enough but as a set off 1 might relate to you a charming little Exhibition romance, which is being told about town A few days ago, as a gentleman happened to pass, one of the officials picked up a ladv's purse, and as was natural, the passers-by stopped, and assisted the official in looking 'or a clue to its ownership. "Oh ! here's the fair owner's photo, at any rate," said the official, opening the purse. "But 110, it isn't. It's a gentleman's, and excuse me sir, but it looks uncommonly like you." The mail tool; the carte, and coloured deeply as he said to the other, " You are right ; it is my photograph, and I think I can find the lady to whom it belongs." And he did find her, and the romantic part of the story is that the discovery revealed to the lucky man the yoi.ng lady's secrct. She loved him, and I may add in conclusion, the happy pair arc to be married ere long. Now is not that a pretty Exhibition romance to conclude my letter with ?