Pars about PEOPLE
Observer, Rōrahi XXI, Putanga 1187, 28 Mahuru 1901, Page 4
Mō tēnei niupepa
Pars about PEOPLE
IT seems that those two Permanent Artillerymen were actually courtmartialled in Wellington for neglecting to salute Captain Napier, but, by all accounts, the courtmartial ended in the discomfiture of the offended Member. The Artillerymen pleaded that the episode happened at ten o'clock at night, when the entrance lobby was thronged with people leaving the House. It was in consequence of the crowd, they said, anil not because of any intention to deprive Captain Napier of a full measure of homage, •that the oversight happened. This was certainly a very reasonable defence.
Rut, in the second place, they urged a much stronger one, viz., that the military regulationsprovided that there should be no sentry salutes after nightfall. This latter defence was upheld, and the men acquitted. From which we may conclude that Captain Napier is not as well read in military regulations as he would have us believe. Now. it would be interesting to learn whether he has apologised to the unfortunate Permanent Artillerymen for the humiliation to which he subjected them in the absurd endeavour to enhance his- dignity. Somehow. Captain Napier's vanity appears to be greater than we suspected.
The appointment of Major-Cencial Pole-Carew to command the forces of the Australian Commonwealth, like that of Colonel Henry to the forces of this colony, was generally understood to be an accomplished fact. It is now stated that he has declined to accept, on the grounds of the insufficiency of the pay and allowances. It has been hinted that the salary Sir Reginald Pole-Carew considers necessary to secure his services is £5000 a year, the same amount as is paid to Lord Roberts ! Militarism is very dear at the price.
One of the best known Hebrew pawnbrokers in Auckland was experimenting the other day in alocalhairdresaing establishment with some tests of the strength of American patriotic feeling. Unfortunately, the time was badly chosen for the experiments. It was the day of the President's funeral. American patriotic feeling was not equel to the strain placed upon it, and, alas and a, lack, the pawn broking gentleman went home with an arm in a sling, and other minor casualties, to say nothing of perverted views on the subject of the American patriot-* ism aforesaid. As it happened, it .was the Jewish New Year, and yet, all things considered, it was not in every respect a liappy New Year.
Major Shepherd, who has just been appointed Sergeant -at -Arms of the House of . Representatives, owes this very comfortable billet more to the fact that he is the brother-in-law of Sir Maurice O'Rorke — the best Parliamentary Speaker these colonies have e.ver seen— rather than to any special qualification he possesses for the position. The Major is below rather than above the average height, and cannot boa,st of the commanding presence of a Colonel Fraser or a Captain Home. Sixteen years ago, he was in charge of the local volunteer otfice-under the late Colonel Lyon, and on the death of that gentleman, succeeded to the Command of the Auckland district. Volunteering, however, did n6t Mtj^je under the Shepherd regime, thougff those were the unsettled days of the Russian scare, and eventually a change was made in favour of Colonel Goring. Maior Shepherd has, however, dropped in for a good thing now, the salary being £200 per annum, and the position of Sergeant-at-Arniß very much of a sinecure.
; The City Council has very considerately resolveH', on the motioti of Councillor Julian,' to leave > the widow of the la;te Mr. R* iU Glover and her son' in charge of the Saltwater Baths, on probation, for a pertyd of thtee, nionths. If the duties during that perid'd are satisfactorily, performed, we feel strongly that it is the duty of the Council to appoint them permanently to tHe position. They have done the work satisfactorily; for ,a long time past— rthey should be allowed to do it in the future. v " : ;
A giddy young clerk jn Me Treasury Office was the means, the other day of putting an end to the use ; of indiarubber franking stamps in the Big Wooden Builtling. He had a penchant for sending lollies, sweetmeats, etc., to his best girls, and had used the franking stamp on the packets. Hence the discontinuance.
Councillor Hannan has been made happy by the adoption of his motion against street expectoration. The bylaw, will, however, be framed to apply to every person, and not only to individuals of dirty habits. All things considered, such a by-law as the one Councillor Hannan suggests is in the interests of public health, to say nothing whatever of cleanliness. Could it not also be made to apply to trains, public vehicles, and ferry boats, where the germs of phthisis are more likely to be disseminated than in the open public streets?
Mr J. R. Stansell, a farmer inland from Wellington, who was last week one of a deputation to the Minister of Lands, gave the Minister, and through him the colony, an inkling as to the price of labour as; applied to the flax industry. He said that he had offered one man 14s &' day ;to attend , to three strippers ; hut' he .did not even ge%^te ; answer. fro n> him. "Efe had p*id^ another man lls a day. " Even the boys,"Tfe skid, *' are paid 5s a day, and then co.me and .puff a cigarette, in your face and ask for more. The highest rate of wages of [ any industry m this colony," concluded Mr Stansell, "is paid lay flaxmillers, in proportion to the number of men employed."
Or the McKiruey CabjiiejL only two mem be.rs pa^se<lthi^tig|i^|a4Sniversity , and ri»t one ialifiirjted 'fye^lth^, The' Secretaty^r the Treasury began life a? a; bafl^Berk,^ ihe. Secretary of jy arv (*erie>arfts , aj; conipositjOT^ '. the- . Secret itary of the ' Navy as a. " chpre boy" on !a farm .; the < Secretary^df Agriculture as a plQUglupan ; the Secretary of the Interior as a salesman. ...,'...
Mr Arthur Short, headmaster rti the school at Flat Bash, read a part* recently at the Teachers' Institute |n .". Discipline, past, present and future." Mr $hoEb favours tue voice and eye as a controlling power in school in preference to spanking, and quotes authorities from the time that Adam was a boy up to the present day in proof of his plan. But there is one part of the paper that doesn't fit in with Mr Short's idea. Ife refers to an eventuality which, by the way the essayist speaks of it, is more' than & possibility. Here it is : " I would like to point out one defect in the present system of paying teachers on the average attendance. It may happen that the attendance in & school is just sufficient to keep the salary up to a certain amount when a child, for some offence, receives a well-deserved punishment, and is kept away from school for a time, thus causing a loss to the teacher for simply doing his duty." Falling across the cane to the extent that the victim is kept away " for a time" is evidently not a relic of bygone days.
Premier Seddon ought to make a good show at the Coronation. He intends, according to ft West Coast paper, to be accompanied by a strong contingent of native Warriors, and has already given orders to select suitable men.
Mr A. C. McLaren, the selector and captain of thfr coming English cricket team, is said to be the greatest batting failure in England this year. Hid failure is ascribed to rheumatism and insomnia. It is expected the warmer Australian climate mil bring to Mr McLaren a change for the better in health, and possibly better success in the field.
Dr W. R. Close-Erson, who has been a prominent and popular figure in Onehunga public affairs for many years past, but who is now practising at Rotorua, was entertained at a very flattering farewell gathering by the Onehunga people on Saturday night, when good wishes were fairly heaped ujion him. He was also presented with an illuminated address and a substantial cheque. The sentiments expressed towards the doctor by the several speakers were of a most cordial and appreciative character, and showed the high regard in which he is held by the people in the town. In .his reply, Dr Erson referred to the fact that he had been Mayor for nine years, and Chairman of the School .Committee for seven years. In this case, Onghunga's loss is certainly Rotorua's decided gain.
Messrs Angus and Robertson announce a new volume of stories by Henry Lawson, author of "While the Billy Boils," ♦« On the Track and Over the Sliprails," etc. . to be ready before Christmas. The volume, of which the title will probably be "Joe Wilson and His Mates," is being published in England by Messrs William Blackwopd and Sons (to whose: magazine Mr Lawson has recently been a frequent contributor), at tlje usual price ,of 8s ; but Messrs Angus and Robertson have secured the sole rights fox Australia and New Zealand, and will publish .similtaneougly with the English edition, in cloth and paper covers, at 3s 6d and 2s 6d, Messrs Blackwood have already published a 6s volume. of stories selected from "While the Billy Boils," and "On the Track and Over ,the Sliprails," under the title of " The Country I Come From," but it is not on sale in Australia.
The friends of a certain hustling contractor in a large way of business are laughing at his expense because of a little episode one day last week that ended in his discomfiture. Approaching his contract, he observed a' workman leisurely filling his pipe, and kept his eye on him. The man showed no disposition to resume work, and, in reply to a remonstrance from the contractor, coolly replied, "All right, boss, don't worry yourself." Again, the contractor gave him a broad hint to turn to, and yet once more, but the indolent:loolcing fellow simply grinned broadly, and good-humouredly answered, "All right,' boss ; don t worry yourself." But it wasn't all right with the boss, and, eventually losing all patience, he told the man to make up his time and he would pay him off? Just then, one of the foremen touched the contractor's elbow and whispered : " That chap doesn't work for us, sir. He's one of the Gas Company's men. 1 '
, The record that a Chow in Dunedin put up by assuming a Scotch name to secure a contract has been beaten. At a meeting of the Otago Gaelic Society it was stated that numbers of Chinese were learning Gaelic, and had started a Gaelic choir !
An Auckland medico is telling of a rather striking case that is just off his books/ It was that of a woman who had not been out of bed for months, but who didn't seem to have anything wrong with her. He says that every day she would send for him, and that he would go and make a slight change in the bread pills that he kept for her. At last he got tired, and determined to try heroic treatment. She gave him the chance by asking what really ' was the matter with her. "Why," he said, " thec^ljL; nothing in' the world the matter 'titijjp yrou but laziness.," He reckoned on. a tonguing, but not on exactly what he got. She reached far her shoe and threw it at him, and ordered him out of the house. He only laughed. Then she- jumped up, and, seizing- the broom, drove him put of doors. She acknowledged she was well from that moment. It would not be a bad idea for hubbies who have wives similarly afflicted to take this doctor on.
Mr A. Selby, of the Paknranga Hunt Club, writes in reference to a "They Say" th«t appeareq week before last. The paragraph read : '• That the hares seemed to say, by the way they fooled the Hunt Club, that the Club couldn't hunt a little bit." Mr -Selby, in defending the hounds, says the poor result of the meet referred to was not the fault of the hounds, but was due to the bad scent and the fact of the hares getting away on prohibited ground. Mr Selby concludes : "The hares did not fool the -hounds. The present pack of the Pakuranga Hunt Clubho.unds are, in my opinion, the best^ J have., had since, I have hutfted tjrese hounds, aiict just'-because they cannot hunt and go fast every day, some think they are no good. One might just as well say that Fry, the great cricketer, has lost all form if he gets out first ball in matches, now and then."
The Coningham case is again on the carpet — this time per medium of a Parliamentary inquiry at Sydney into the Avorking of the postal department. Allegations have been made of the leakage of telegrams in connection with the case from the telegraph office. Mr Crick, ex - Postmaster- General, denied on oath that he had shown certain telegrams to the Cardinal, or even mentioned them to him.
The Yorkshire Society of Auckland, which held its first annual dinner on Wednesday, owes its origin to Dr Walker. A little over a year ago the doctor, in wending his way down Queen-street, met one after the other a host of fellow-countrymen, and he considered that with .so many " Yorkies " about it would be a good idea to start a club. The notion grew until he got quite enthusiastic, and he imparted it to Mr West, the well-known musician. A meeting was called, and . the result was a full-fledged club, with the doctor as president. From small beginnings the club has now a membership of a hundred, and is still going strong. A feature about the club is the way it conducts its business. It dispenses with all forms and ceremonies. The meetings are monthly, and the time is put in with cards, chess, draughts, vocal and instrumental music, and other sociabilities, and while these are on the president, without stopping the play, announces a bit of business and gets it through as part of the entertainment. The Society, although composed of men, is not selfish, for it gives an " open night " every quarter, when ladies are invited, and a programme to suit is arranged.
The annual dinner (President Thornes in the chair) was attended by nearly every member, and the proposers of toasts and repliers thereto made excellent speeches. All. the speakers came from different parts of the county, and the description by each of the lovely parks, magnificent valleys, big oak trees, Druidic altars, .. ancient cathedrals, and resting places of old-time warriors (including Robin Hood), was bo graphic that anyone present who was not a "Yorkie" could assume the dialect and convince the latest man, out from that county that he knew more about it than he did himself. It was astonishing; too, to find the way in which impressions of Yorkshire had left themselves imprinted on the minds of members. Men who were well past the prime, and who had
not seen Yorkshire since the days, of boyhood, gave correct pictures of the county as it was in those days. Solos, duets, and recitations were given during the evening, the song accompaniments being played on a piano lent by the secretary, Mr West.
William Purvis is rather contradictory in a recent : letter to one of .the dailies. He frequents the readingroom of the Public Library, and his complaint is that' the doors and windows are left open, and William is apparently in fear lest his fellow patrons will catch cold and join in the hallelujahs above in large numbers. In the same letter, William also complains that certain people with hands black with dirt, and whose odour is ''not reminiscent of violets and lavender, are allowed to handle papers and tyalk about. And yet, in the face of this confession, William would like .all doors and windows shut down. Verily, some people are hard to please. ■ ■
••• ••• .«. ; 3^hen P.-JA: Ph.Ujij)» W;rofce to Sydney TfoefhfakgSfcg he Bad had thirty y<p6rs* experience as a magistrate in Auckland, he was careful not to say that his magistracy, was in; the capacity of a J.P. Why, we've got thousands of them.
The woman Drake, who was arrested by the local police last week on the charge of running away with property belonging to her husband in Wellington, is a plain -featured lady apparently on the shady side of forty, and, from her appearance, not the kind of a woman one would suspect of secret love passages. It is said that David Drake, the husband, made over a fair amount of property to her before her sudden departure from his bed and board, and colour is lent to this statement by the fact that the goods .she is charged with stealing are valued at £300. Her companion, Montgomery, who was a wharf labourer in Wellington, is a well-set young fellow, with more good looks than the lady. The matter is an awkward one for him, seeing that he is also charged with the theft, and that his trip has been cut short owing to the inexorable requirement of the law that he should return to Wellington and stand his trial.
Professor «Egerton has been somewhat condemned in town for pressing the charges of forgery and embezzlement against his servant girl, Bridget Cronin, to the extent of getting her sentenced to twelve months^ imprisonment. But the girl's behaviour seems to liave left him very little alternative, ilj^is jsflid-^hat; Sot QnOgyrad thSdgdt> Siilty cfrTmmerous forgeries and^pecn- - tions — thirty-nine in number -4 but when the', butcher, contemplating a lengthy unpaid biil, wrote threatening to sue for the recovery of the debt, the girl replied, signing the name of her mistress, saying that her husband had given her the money with which to pay, but having debts of her own unknown to him, she had used the money, and now begged for time.
This was very cool in the face of the fact that the girl had from month to month received the money with which to pay the bill and had converted it to her own use. In the case of the washerwoman, a similar letter was sent, probably with the effect of setting the tongue of scandal very vigorously to work. The defence was made that the money was used for a sick sister, but, as a matter of fact, when the latter girl, who was also in the Professor's employ, was taken ill he paid the fees of his own doctor for attending to her, and also showed her other consideration. The free use' that Bridget had made of Mrs Eger« , ton'<« name made the prosecution an unavoidable necessity.
