THE CHANGING SCENE

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 652, 1 November 1909, Page 8

THE CHANGING SCENE

A BIRD'S 1 EYE VIEW.

(By M.C.K.)

"Good day; nico weather, hey?" said the visitor to ,the String and Brown Paper Depart; ment. ."I asked," he went "on, after:'a pause, "if you don't think'.-it'is nice weather? Do you think'it will keep..up?" ' :--"Very "sorry," said tho clerk,.' "but' I simply cannot give you. any information ou the subject. The Meteorological Department has'strict orders not to disclose tho facts about . tho weather fa anybody, , and no official of any De: ■paftment can go outside the rules." -

"Queer notion," said the caller. "Ho'Aover, is-tho head of your.Department-in?"-.'Really, sir," said tho.clerk, /'you:are putting me in a most embarrassing position. I simply must .not divulge official information."'

:"Thunder!" said, the visitor. "But you're ■only trying, to - put me. o£?,.'l' see.Y'Now, there's your chief's hat; He must be in. '-'is that not his hat?" ■ -V > .

' ."Rule said,'.the -cleric," "constrains' me to,say that I cannot tell you.' But as-yon are anxious to see him, I shall make inquiries. -Take-ft-chair, .as it will be some'time before I--can answer you."

"Why over? What inquiries will you make?" "First, I must report : to the chief clerk, who will transmit, a report to 'the".head-of the Department. He-will then refer the matter to the Minister. • Subsequently a meeting of Cabinet will.be held,-and a decision will be arrived at. Should: the. decision be favourable to* supP'yrag you with the information you seek, tho Minister will in due course inform the .chief, who wi,ll instruct the chief clerk'to give ina to answer your' question. You Will then be required to fill in form' 200GB, stating your name,-, aire, address, . condition,, family,, niimfks of children, 1 date of., vaccination, and so i~rthj.havinK ■ filled in this form, and sworn an' affidavit that you -are not a reporter, and that you will not : impart- the information to the,press, you. will be told'whether, the chiof is mor not." ■ ' 3 you, take. mo —-began" the visitor, nfnng to go. •

In- the. course- of- a. discussion : m ;.the llbuse thts other-day. it became apparent, that the not after'all as harfy as those bacilli which ;are. cheerfully , .indifferent'"'"to fire, smoke, acid,, freezing,, ind. poison-,,; Some •of them ,are so sensitive that. they■ suffer keenly frpm draughts; and still more' keehly from ihe vitiation of the air when the .windows , are closed. One of .the; speakers declared that some .responsible' person should prepare a report on the ventilation of the chamber." The nature of such a report' would'depend, of thespirit in which.' the .re'spon- . sible person .would approach his task. An irresponsible parson niight say. something like this: The bad state of the atmosphere is largely due to - the quality of the' eloquence that is daily ;posred'..into ;it. . Tests,.were carv ried out ..in the open and in Various enclosed llr, Eli.spo&e in a field surrounded by trees, ; and - within five.' minutes ' the' Birds had all ceased . singing! and, had flown away, while the trees.' aged w rapidly that tho leaves, dropped off in a shower of gold and russet. The experiment ,'upon. the' Eev. ,E. . S. Taylor was carried- put.;in!'.a crowded hall.'. elo-; qiience haCan. immediately,' bad -effebt'on the; atmosphere,; for the;au.dience .rushed, madly, to. the oiits. It was' concluded that" the /vitiated state of the atmosphere' was responsible for the ■ departure of the ' audience, but some other caui?a may be • rosponslhlis.' Various, other, .speakers - tested, and-i.t;;was' found that they invariably made the! air] so tired, that'it fell down on the floor, totally unable to circulate.. The heat.'of the Chamber is un-. •doubfcedly due- to the ligh-itemperattw'e of? Sir' Joseph Ward's:refeWnces- to' the;critic3'of tho ■foyenment'9:; finances, .aud'-'alao :i to ;.the fric-! tion caused by the'ispe^'/.wiiih^which.. his ,in,. volyedVWteiices. are ' emitted/' But ,a; .reallyresponsible person—one-. who . would do'-his best' to satisfy his own cpnsoienfce'and who would make the -public' interest'"his;.Ark-.'concern—' .would;probably,report' that the ventilation-is ;Very .bad, inasmuch' as- it < allows a certain amount of fresh air to'enter the Chamber.. He would recommend that'all-chinks and crevices be,.etoppd,-.^tt'' j putty,.- i tliit\.tlie doors and windows be hermetically- 6^ed,' ; .'thit -the gas be turned on,, and that, members should, sit uninterruptedly—probably three; weeks-; would be sufficient—Until the public interest was .fully served.

.'. One of, the motions discussed by the Trades and Labour Conference this week asked for legislation : to.. prohibit, ; employees , 0r... employees : from using abusive language, towards each other. -That' a new spirit "is creeping into the. Labour " movement was' further 1 illustrated , when ' a' Dunedin delegate 'said:' "The worker won't fight uniess you' kick. Mm; . He's not, yet been kicked sufficiently, to make him fight as' he should.' Wlien s his belly's' full hV forgets." This' led Mr. Rusbridge, of '.Christchutoh, to s&y ."Jie did; not think that''a dogate should, speak about the -workers, in such terms." ' The .views 'of: the 'older hands -will probably finu expression- somewhat 'as follows:—' .- - , " ' '

WMch 1 1, ups and-.asts yor, Busbridge, wot- 'as come/to yer of-late •' That yer think the noble .wucker is a' blossom ' delicate? .' ,1. Is the toilin' of tlio 'crocs an' tho rare good fights they made ' •" '2 ' '• '" 1 To result in us a-wearin' inytty gloves o' lila-c ' suede? 'Ave we so degenerated , ; That to-day .w^'.'avoat,stated.' As -we. mustn't any longer caU n bloomin' spade a spado? ' . i '. Wag it lavender as -'elped us in them days as you' : forget? ■. Was the- ..-trucker's Sunday readin' -V tints on Social lletiquettc"? . . ' . Woujd,our cause 'r.ve lived:an' flourished if our Jeroes' oiled then - 'ail' An' used the,chat o' drorin'-rooma with Quito a i ■ dainty hair? Pause, an' think o' wot-yer'doin': T/m are rcely preachin'- ruin • With) yer doctrine as a wucker should bo labelled "glass 1 with care." . Is" that -the way fer wuckers to display their ' noble pride— '■ , ■ V 'l By bottlin' down the langwioh wot is boilln' 'ard" inside'?I "ate tjbese modern notions, an' these oiled an' ; 'scented i ways:-,. Not them was wot,we throve by in the old 'eroio days: Where'd yer bin to-day, I wonder "" If our 'eroes made ,th.e blunder Of avoidin' gore an' brimstone w'en they stepped upon the dais? - Ter've bin' readin' fancy - novels, Brother Eusbridge, I opine. Of the wiokod 'andsome. Marlds on' the Lady . Heglantine. ■ ■■■* • ■ . They are wiles of 'ateful .Mammon, meant to lure us an' degrade: Think of- Babylon, an ponder 'ow the might o' ■ Borne 1 decayed. Shall the. .wucker smirk an' grovel ' Like the fellers in the novel? ' - 1 No I We'll still" say "blanky , shelve!"' w'en; re-ferring-to a spade. *' ~ ■ .

After -reading Sir Joseph Ward's long speech in /advocacy, of borrowing up to tho lrilt, • and the speeches in which nearly everybody "supported him,, I had a vision of a Parliament in which the. chief figure was a Primo. Minister frightfully anxious to pay off. debt. (As a matter; of factj'thiit Parliament will have to cotno some day.) : The chief, measure of the session was a LpimvEedomption Bill. . This' measure, said tho Prime liinisteiy whosef name did riot begin with- (of that'only am. L certain), was intended to consolidate tho various Bills " under which money .'was: paid;': off/ \ 'There' wore,, he. went , on, those who complained ; that, .• tho country * paid ' off fat more- than was advisable, and a few unscrupulous croakors did not hostfata to : misstafco.tho figures./with tho'object of exaggerating tho amount that was being saved up.: This tended to injure the erodit of the country by

giving it the-reputation of bein£\ thrifty and parsimonious.' Yet- we all we could not do ( without paying off loans.; • Tho ■ very people who complained, that, the.; public stocking was becoming full to, bursting were constantly coming to hini to. ask that certain money should-.-not. be expended-in -their* districts, And thoy called that consistency!.. What if the public debt, had been - reduced by' sixty millions in .five, years,?. It-was./money well spent. (Hear, hear.) As to'tho complaint that it'was; tho'third time in.ope session that they hnd brought in a Repayment Bill, they had to remember {that; the circumstances were unusual. (The Leader of the Opposition: You will have to reduce tho taxes!) Why cot ? Tho Government was/not. afraid te.take the burdens from , the iright- shoulders, i It was intended to reduce taxation.by 90 per cent. all. round, and ihe Government would stand or fall by that decision. Several morobers.. approvedthe. Bill, which was .read-a second time on: tho voices. The Bill for. the Abolition of Miniswas put through all its stages, and the House adjourned for- the. customary fifty years' recess.

"What are ye lookin' so haughty . about Jawn?! asked Mr. Dooley, for Mr. Hennessy! who Jiad- been reading the report'of the anti. gambling deputation' to the Prinio Minister. -was looking extremely serious';and,dignified. ' Me friad Joe," paid Mr. Hennessy, , "is goin..f: ask me settle th' gamblin' question. 'It luks tf me,' he says, 'as if til- voice iv th' people ought t* be taken', ho says." Javrn, I invy yo that' unspoiled • an' innocent mind, iv yours. So ye think that yo're tii feller that settles things. Now, I'm wan iv th' people, an' a good demmycrat. Let th' people rule, pop'lar liberty, th' freedom iv th ballot, box, an' our sacred institutions. But I njver- feel so scared as wiin I hear th' Primeor say: 'Let.'th' people decide.' Whin a p'ollytician that ye hayo .f'r years, seen settlin' everything f'r us without . askin' > f'r. . anny directions except th' way : t' th' cash-box, whin, .this politician suddenly says,. 'Thrust people,' thin I begin to wondher 'whether its not time tfc&t I stopped thrustin' him, •Whin ye're vote ,is in 'th" balance, as Hogaii says,. th' pollyticiuji feels nothin': more, keenly, thin his: unworthiness an' jruro • intJienable right, tf give'-anny' orders" ye":"choose. ; Hie anxiety ¥fe ruled be th' . voice,i'v.- th';' people 'S natural, ; t,-ieD—l can/ ondhersian' it. . But 'tis-so-.6nnaturali-whin ho wants t'. thrust ye in- between '-.elections/ that' I always feel a'arrmed. Ye think, no doubt, 'What a fine demmycrat. we havo in me .frind Joe, or. Bill; or whoever it;may..be,' an' :ye-.write ■ t' .th' ,pa-,apfers 'Admirer.' 'Iv coorse. 3™. do- Ye'ro pleased tf have it recognised that ye've a, voice. Yodon't notice, J awn, that-th' thirrst t' Hear yure voico only comes tf th' pollytician whin'he wants t* dodge an' there's nothin' tf, dodge through. No, ,th'' voice iv th' • people myer has anny charrm .tf th' poliytician excep', whin he's-m a tight place. Think iv th' things ye'd like tf have .a voice in; Think iv th' times whin ■ ye'd give annythin' f be allowed.-tf,, talk. An' .think - hojf . yure voice, noble- and- wise ,as it.' is, waii: not' '.only •'not wanted be th' Primeer, but wud have been threated as , a breaoh ,iv, th' peace. So' don't be too proud, Jawn."'