MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 220, 10 November 1888, Page 2

MELBOURNE TOWN TALK.

[fbom oub own correspondent.] The untimely death of Sir Anthony Musgrove, the Queensland Govenor, has set all the Melbourne wise-acres and prophets vaticinating as to his successor. I don’t know why Melbourne should consider itself headcentre for all colonial news, but it is so, and any important dicta coming from Downingstreet regarding the colonies generally, we are vain enough to think filters out first to us. What with the pending Vice-Regal appointment for Queensland, and the expiration of the terms of office of the Governors of Scuth Australia, New Zealand, and New South Wales, our Government House circles are very much moved as to know who is coming to take these appointments. Some say already that Sir Gerald Graham, who refused to accept the Governorship of Bermuda recently, is to be appointed to Queensland ; others that Sir W. F. Robinson, at present Governor of South Australia, has been promised the post. Then again there is an old Governor, the Marquis of Normanby, a rival faction declare he is going for it. As to South Australia, it is rumored that the Right Hon. Henry Chaplin, M.P., is to fill that vacancy ; whilst to New South Wales, somebody has given out that Lord Brassey is likely to be appointed. All s >rts of rumors are in the wind regarding the new Vice Regal nominees, and a new field of betting—the Governor’s Stakes ” —has lately come into vogue. Sir Henry Loch, as I wrote previously, has a year’s extension, so Victoria is just now quite out of the running, aud some fashionables have their eyes upon the other colonies.

Talking of the city, a return has just been laid before Parliament, showing the number of companies registered duri >g the year ending May Ist, 1888, and it is the most remarkab:e document, I think, I have ever had tho privilege of perusing. No less than 261 companies have been formed within the twelve months, and their aggregate capitals amount to the cheerful little sum of fifty-one millions. Twenty one of them have a nominal capital of a million, two have a capital of two millions, and one of three. Marvellous, is it not? and a wonderful proof of the astonishing speculation going on in our midst. Some of the names too are awfully queer. There is, for instance, a “Quartz Tailing Promoters* Company,” whatever that may mean. Then—name of alarming sound I—a “Climax Evaporating Company,” and oh, Saradox I a company called “ The New hutch of Australia Limitsd ” —the first time I have ever heard of theology taking shelter under the Companies Statute, or of a church started on “ limited liability ” principles. Critics of a doleful sort are preaching lugubrious sermons on the text of the figures of this return. What right, they ask, has a city fifty years old to launch out into liabilities of fifty millions ? It would suffice to equip a decent sized kingdom for a generation, and here we are taking on this immense liability in a helter skelter, devil-may-care sort of way, that is sure to ruin us in the end. Quiensabe !— who knows? as the Spaniards say, and all we can answer in return is : Dios sabe!— God knows ! But there it is, aud it is to be'seen if Melbourne is vigorous enough to bear its huge financial burthen without lethal damage to credit, prosperity, or advancement, which really and truly I think it is.

The real wealth of the place and the people is marvellous. Within the last wees the city has been electrified by a gratuitous offer of £50,000 by a Melbourne man—Mr G. W. Taylor, of “ land boom ” fame. He actually made a voluntary offer of that sum for the purpose of erecting and establishing a college in connection with the Congregational body in Victoria. This Mr Taylor is a man who a few years ago was well nigh penniless. Now he is three times over a millionaire, and every penny of it made out of land. He is going to settle in England with his family, and intends contesting a Welsh constituency. But before leaving he makes this astounding offer. The idea is to establish a Congregational College, in connection with the University, with a grammar school for boys and a high school for girls. The sole stipulation is that the Congregational body finds a similar sum to supplement it, and so contagious was Mr Taylor’s generosity, that another political and land boom notability, little James Mirams, followed suit with an offer of £5,000, and others with sums ranging from £2500 to £5OO. In fact, £lO,OOO was promised within half-an-hour, and when sums like these come floating about so freely for charitable purposes, it is plain enough that things must be wonderfully prosperous here. But a'l honor, say I, to Mr Taylor for his princely gift. I hope it will bear goodly fruit.

But I am afraid other Government functions want judicious flagellation besides the Public Service. The close of the present Parliamentary session is seeing soma disgraceful scenes in the House, and for the sake of the colony’s dignity I am longing for the dissolution to draw its veil over hon. members and their doings. The Electoral Bill is the casus belli, and what an one I am almost afraid to say. The scenes that have taken place are positively disgraceful, and the language hurled to and fro more disgraceful still. The Premier has been charged with coming to the House drunk; the Ministerial bench apostrophized as “ a set of cads” and “a horde of blackguards,” and the Ministry informed that it was ‘ - clinging to office like barnacles to a pier.” The Chief Secrs^ry—generally a moderate man—said on Tuesday evening “ the whole proceedings have lately been of the christy minstrel type and to night they have been carried out with more Zclat than usual.” A disheartening and undignified picture, this, and it is greatly to be hoped the forthcoming elections will show another state of things in the next Parliament.

An old Melbourne identity and favourite disappeared from this sphere in Johnny Hall, the comedian. Poor Johnny! Few pressmen or professionals there are who did not know him and his comical ways, for he was off and on in Melbourne during the last twenty years. He was an excellent low comedian, and I remember distinctly how he made me laugh when I first saw him in the character of Captain Gingah in “ Our Girls.” Latterly I lost sight of him altogether. and only heard of l?ini a short time ago as being very ill. He died at the Melbourne Hospital rather suddenly, to the sorrow of all who knew him, and who have nothing but pleasant and affectionate memories of the poor player. The last prompter has rung his bell, and poor Johnnie stands now.on another stage. Requiescat in pace !

I hope my readers will not feel offended if, through the medium of this my hebdomadal column, I make an appeal to them. It is for charity, <f true charity, a plant divinely nursed, fed by the love from which it rose at first.” Our Melbourne Hospital—which it is not too much to say, confers benefit upon suffering humanity right throughout the colony—is languishing under a load of debt. It owes £lO,OOO and has to pay the bank £6OO interest for the loan. A strong call is being made for voluntary contributions to a fund to liquidate this debt, and already, I am proud to say, in the first week, Melbourne has responded with over £4,200. Everybody can lend a helping hand if they will, and perhaps some of my readers—who, I feel sure, practise all Christian virtues—may wish to respond to the call. Do so if the spirit prompts you, in God’s name, for to give in this case is to blfiss.

I notice from Mr Hayter the Government statist’s report in his Annual Year Book, that the population of Melbourne in December last reached‘49l,ooo, which practically means? half a million now. Victoria contains, according to the same authority, 1,020,000 souls 1 ; so that, actually, Melbourne has almost one half of the whole. I never thought the numbers so disproportionate, and I regret it more than, ever * The country districts will never get justice done them until this craze for centralisation finds its Ibvel* I wonder what it is draws people te

the metropolis so much, for Melbourne is getting a second London in crowding and competition ? No wonder the country cries out “ Neglect!” “ Neglect! ” continually for this overgrown, disproportionate, greedy city of ours seeks to possess everything. As it is, Victoria is liko a tadpole—all head and no body, and there must be a gr- at a nd vital metamorphosis before it attains the dignity of a full-sized frog.