OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5835, 22 November 1880, Page 3

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

(from our own correspondent.)

Wellington, November 18,

Quite a sensation has been caused in Wellington during the last few days by the revelations made by the Hon. Dr Grace, one of the honorary medical staff of the hospital, touching the extraordinary extravagance with which the affairs of that institution seem to be conducted. It appear* that the accounts for the hospital ' during the month of October amounted to upwards of £355. This was by no means the total amount, and did not include salaries. As a matter of fact the expenditure, as one of the Councillors observed, if continued on the same scale would pretty well absorb the whole of the rates of the city. Dv Grace has been examining the accounts and the results are simply astounding. During the month no fewer than 2145 quarts, or nearly ten hogsheads, of miJk were supplied to the institution, which contains an average of G8 persons, of whom 28 are simply paupers, not under medical treatment. No fewer than 123^ dozen of eg<»s, at 2s per dozen, were consumed in the same brief period. The list of tho luxuries which figures in the amount positively makes one's mouth water, and I am seriously considering whether I can't develop an interesting case of " congenital cachexion" or something of the sort, and get admitted as a patient, so as to be able to share in those good things. The only consideration which deters me is that I cannot mako up my mind whether it would not be better, on tho whole, to be an official rather than a patient. On the butcher's bill we find mentioned fowls, shoulders of lamb, pork, lambs' fry, and other luscious dainties too numerous to recapitulate. Then among the groceries figure tinned lobters, Worcester sauce, prunes, currie, peaches, jama, chutney, calves's - foot jelly, and green poas. Although we are hardly in the hot weather as yet, £1 10s 43 was spent for ice, and from October 4th to October 29th, no fewer than 22 dozen bottles ' of lemonade were consumed. Port, sherry, stout, brandy aud claret for the month cost £28 4s 6d. The only thing that appears to be dove at all economically is the burying of the unfortunate patients, when all this amount of good living fails to reconcile them to remain in this sinful world. Then they are decently " put underground" for the moderate sum I of £2 19a.

It ia curious to note among the drugs ordered one bottle of "Allan's anti-Eafc" at 8a 6d, Baid •to have been procured at the request of one of the medical staff

"as an experiment." There must, however, be some mistake here. Surely aftt-r all, the quantity of miik and egg=s and other nourishments consumed, not one bottlo but many cases of bulk-reducing fluid would be required. Dr Grace in his letter asks— " What will my friends, thU ladies, say to dO pillow-cases, £5 9s for striped shirts £8 2s, for flannel, £8 2s for men's drawers, in addition to numerous other articles of haberdashery, ifcc, for the month ?" And then this outrageous doctor wants to know " what the ratepayers think oE 12 pairs of trousers, one dress, one dozen chemises, ono dozen night-gowns, 40 toweling and 50 toweling, whatever that means f Really I begin to doubt the privilege of being a ratepayer when T have tht'so inconvenient questions puH to mo. I positively blush as I. transcribe then'!, many of the articles mimed being sitch as havo never enteiv.d into my wildest imagination. T think the heavily-taxed burgesses of this good oity, however, will want to know what is being done with their money.

It is astonishing how little commotion appears to have been excited here by the murder of Moffritt by the natives at T'uhua. Generally tho murder of rt White 1 man in any part of the Bi'itish dominions by aboriginals causes at once an indignant shriek for vengence. Here, however, tho affair seems to be treated in a very matter-of-fact sort of way. The Times languid lj' remarks, in elt'cct, that perhaps Ministers would tnko somo steps, and perhaps they wouldn't, and perhaps the stops if taken would resultin something, and perhaps they wouldn't. The Evening Post thereupon got up a little indignation and urged that Maoris really mustn't be allowed to kill white men just as they pleased, and therewith called on the Government to strike terror in the hearts of the Tuhua murderers. However, it is pretty clear that nothing will be done in the matter. The Government are quite satisfied with their present native difficulty without indulging in tho expensive luxury of another one. Warrants, we are told, have been issued, but it is easy to predict that they will never be served. When no attempt is made to bring Hiroki to justice, it is not likely that the Government will attempt to enforce the authority of the law in a far more inaccessible part of the country, among even more intractable natives.

Some of those nervous people who aro always iusisting that we are on the brink o£ war, and that the apparent lull in the movements of tho natives at Parihaka is only the prelude to the storm, have made much ado about the somewhat sudden departure of tho Premier and Native Minister to Opunako. Simultaneously thoro came a rumor that the Parihaka survey had been stopped. I learn that Mr Hall only touched at tho camp on his way overland to Auckland, and his visit had no particular significance. Mr Bryce has gone up to watch the progress of affairs which, there is no doubt, have reached a somewhat crucial point. Mr Brycc thinks it just as well he should be on the spot to supervise the preliminary steps in connection with tho important new operation which has now been begun by the Government, namely, tho survey of Parihaka. With regard to the alleged interference with the survey, some pegs have been removed, but it is not believed to be part of any organised plan to stop the work, which, indeed, seems to be accepted with wonderful equanimity by the Maoris.

Some little scare has been caused here by a report that the new Governor purposed taking up his residence at Auckland for the greater part of the year. It is almost unnecessary, however, to point out that as long as the seat of Government remains at Wellington, here the Governor must also have his " local habitation." {Still I happen to know that His Excellency has a great liking for Auckland, and it is probable that he will pay frequent visits to that charming port. Lady Gordon, who, as I mentioned in my last, is at present in Eugland, ia likely to arrive here early in the new year. She is not altogether a stranger to New Zealand, having been, I believe, for somo time a guest of Sir George Grey at Kawau, a year or two ago.

Public interest in tho election for the Mayoralty is just beginning to arouse. There are three candidates— Mr Hutchison (the present Mayor), Mr A. Younir and Dr. Diver, both of whom are members of the City Council. There was a fourth candidate (Mr Dwan), but it was known to most people from the first that he never meant to stand. Ho is an American (by long residence and acuteness if not by birth) and an auctioneer, and he knows the value of a cheap advertisement. And when he won the people into his confidence at the Arcade the other night and told them how he came of an '"'old Irish baronetage," had been offered a commission by Gortschakoff, had served under General Walker in 15 engagements, and so forth — he got an advertisement of the very first order. I shall probably have something more to say about the contest on a further occasion, but in the mean tine I may state that I believe if the three candidates named all go to tho poll, Ml* Hutchison, although he has not nearly so many friends as he had last year, will be returned at the head of the voting.