FIFTY YEARS AGO

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 1, 2 January 1932, Page 9

FIFTY YEARS AGO

■ '■■; : ■■•- • . ~ ■ ■.■ ■' ■ ■ ITEMS FKOM'' THE POST "

ENTER AD. 1882

"As the clocks struck . twelve on Saturday night, the loud report of the ■■■time-gun':on Mount "Victoria and the immediate pealing forth of St. Peter's bells announced that the year 1881 had .passed away for ever, and that A.D. ;ISS2 reigned in its stead. The. event was emphasised by a few bands of vocalists and instrumentalists striking up cheerful strains in different parts of the city, but, to the credit of those concerned, we are glad to record that the dangerous tomfoolery of former years, in the shape of discharging fire- . works in the city and harbour, was ■wholly dispensed with. The harbour authorities very properly gave notice to all shipmasters in port that they would be held responsible for any damage that might result from the discharge of fireworks from their vessels. Shis was no idle caution, as is proved - by the ■ fact that some years ago a locket from one of the ships descended upon the roof of a warehouse in Custom House quay, and penetrated it, a disastrous conflagration being ' but .. narrowly averted. The streets on New .Year's Eve were not nearly so densely thronged as on Christmas Eye, although .the weather was equally fine. . . . The steamers Manawatu and Moa transport- , ed immense crowds to Lowry Bay, where various festivities took place. The perilous overcrowding of the Manawatu excited general remark, and calls for some steps to prevent its recurrence. / "Whoever may be the authority responsible for permitting the steamer to start while thus* - overloaded was certainly very negligent. The captain and owner of the steamer: assert that they v s were ■ simply: rushedi by the crowd of intending paissengers, and -were unable either to prevent them coining on board or to compel them to leave. In that case some 'official authority ought to have been available. Fortunately; however, no accident occurred. The vessel's officers .took all practicable precautions -."by getting the boats hung over the sido in readiness for launching at a ■ moment',i notice." " "GREAT MYSTERY MAN." .. <f All ;. these things are very mysterious. What is Sir Arthur Gordon really going to do? What does engaging .a Christohurch residence really mean?. ■ We shouldvery much like to know, not for the , gratification of >an idle curiosity; but because His Excellency : is a publ:.c man, a public servant indeed, and the representative of Her Majesty the Queen in; this colony; and we strongly suspect that his responsible : advisers are as much in the dark as we are. It is rumoured that they ;did not • even -know from His Excellency of his ; intention to leave for Christchurch until he was on the, point of .starting, although this had been a matter of social gossip for some days previously. . It ,is freely stated that very definito '1 statements havo emanated from Government House or thereabouts as to Sir 'Arthur Gordon's impending departure '.from New Zealand, and that'these too - have long been current in particular favoured circles, but Ministers, if we mistake not, are still in a state of the .< blankest ignorance on the subject. It ; may not-be so—wemay be misinformed —but'if it is so, then, it cartainly seems strange, to say the least of it, that 3uch • information should be the property of ■ 'afternoon tea, tables'" generally, ' yet should, be withheld from those who one '. would have, thought should be its earliest depositaries.' One.thing is quite clear.' His Excellency could not of his own' motion, reside .permanently at ■ Christchurch,, away from the seat of '•- Government, and yet remain Governor Mif the Colony.; It is therefore suspect; ■-e'dthat ifrmay be Sir-Arthur's intention to retire^-as expected, in the early part of the year, and to remove, 1-is family -to his newly secured Christchurch residence, thus leaving Government House immediately available for the use of his successor, whoever he Imay, be. All ■ this, however, is pure conjecture, and ■we must patiently await enlightenment until-our 'Great Myatery Man' may choose, to bestow it." GOOD TOR BAILWAYS. ' The New Year's Day holiday, .1882, "was the best day the,' Wellington Bail■way has ever had since its first opening. In addition to the number of excursionists —over ._■ 2000—who took tickets at the "Wellington terminus, the • passengers who embarked at other . stations brought up the total of travellers on that' day to ;fully 3000. The1' • train arriving 'in Wellington at 7.30 p.m.' was a veritable monster, consisting of no fewer than 33 carriages, nearly • all being the long doublo ones, drawn by ■ two engines; When the last carriago ' cleared -Pipitea Station, the engines ■ were entering the Wellington .Station yard. 'No accident of any kind occur; red during the day, and the general arrangements- seem to have j-been- excellent." ■■■ ■■ ■ V HE WANTED A LOT! "A curious specimen of the kind Of claims sometimes sent into the City Council was presented to that august body last night. It appears that some ..works have been carried out'in Queen .-street; by-the1 corporation, and a resi- ■ dent in that locality asserts that his property has been damaged thereby. The City Council appear. to have admitted that his house was rendered damp, and offered him £.10, with a view, it is presumed, of, providing warming pans and other appropriate apparatus to'". remedy this lamentable condition of affairs. * This offer was rejected with scorn, and a claim was sent in for £121 10s in the form of a prodigious bill of costs,'which the Town Olerk attempted to read to the council last night; Tbo Clerk bore up manfully as he recounted the doleful story of the irreparable injury sustained by the gentleman's Latin Grammar, his spelling book, and his pet copy of ■', Byron's poems. When it came, however, to recounting the damage accruing to a copy of Moody and Sankey's " hymns, the Town Clerk fairly exploded with laughter, in which the whole council joined, and it was, found im- ' possible to proceed further' with tho i reading of the document. It transpir- , ed,'however, thaj the concluding item ■.*;. was one for £25 for-discomfort to wife ; and family. The council; declined to recognise the. claim." ' ' ENGLISH CRICKETERS.: . ■ The: pending visit of English cricket--'••ers brought' about the following letter to the Editor:—"l was never more surprised .than to hear that, the trustees ( of the Basin Beserve hud decided not • to alloiv the team of English cricketers 'to play on the-ground. Now, Sir, I ■ would like to know where are they to : play?" I think that you will agree with me when I say that our cricketers will have to put their hands in their-pockets " to make tip a certain sum for the team in question.- If, in my mind, the throe - days' match is played at Newtown, all ■ 1 1 can say is that there will not be by 1 three-fcurths of the money collected'at the gai;es as there would be if the match was played on the Basin Beserve. I would like to know who is going to ..Newtown to see a cricket match. In .- the first place the match ought to be played where the public have not to , travel too far to see it; and secondly, '.-.. by playing on the-Basin Beserve, there , will be very few who can take advant- : age of getting on to the grounds for nothing, which- at Newtown would not y .be the case. If the Wellington cricketers decide upon playing at Newtown they will find themselves stumping up for their indiscretion."