ACROSS THE STRAIT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 143, 15 June 1909, Page 3

ACROSS THE STRAIT.

GOSSIP FROM THE EMPIRE CITY. [FROM OTTR CORRESPONDENT.] WELLINGTON, Saturday. It seems strange to see Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P.. figuring as a contributor to The New Zealand Times, the principal owner of which, is connected with the brewing interest. But the fact is there, and it does credit alike to the commonsense of the politician that he should contribute a series of articles on his recenttrip to the Commonwealth to The Times, and to the editor of that journal that he should have enlisted T.E.T. as a contributor. Mr Taylor's first article is merely introductory, but it has some real good stuff in it, and proves that he is as clever with his pen as he is with his tongue. You may like Mr Taylor's views on certain questions or you may dislike them, but it would be churlish and foolish to deny the Member for Christchurch the possession of undoubted ability. I shall be curious to see what Mr Taylor will have to say, if he does say anything, on the licensing problem as he saw it on the "other side." A case in which an actor sued the manager of a travelling theatrical company for £100 damages for Avrongful dismissal came before a Wellingi ton Court yesterday, plaintiff being nonsuited, it being proved that he was the worse for drink at one of the performances. Two witnesses gave evidence that it was a strict rule with all managers to dismiss any employee who turned up to do his work in a state of intoxication. No doubt such a rule does exist, but it is more honoured in the breach than the observance. From Edmund Kean's day down to the present time it has only too frequently occurred that an actor

has muddled and "fumbled" his part through Having imbibed not too wisely but too well, and some of the greatest stars that have ever appeared on the Australasian stage hove been guilty of occasional imprudences of this kind. I remember seeing Florence .Colville and dear old Hoskins on one occasion in Christ-church, when both were so palpably "tiddly" that they took the wrong "cues" and so muddled up the second act of "The Lady of Lyons" that- the audience were completely at sea as to what the action of the piece was. Nowadays, however, such occurrences are very rare, and in Mr Williamson's companies an offender is not given a second chance, that is, if the "tired feeling" is in any way noticeable from the audience.

This is a great country for testimonials. Hardly a week passes in Wellington that the hat is not handed round for subscriptions for this, that, or the other person who has occupied some public or semi-pubnc position. Ex-Mayor Hislop^ is the latest- case. A meeting was held yesterday, when close upon £70 was subscribed in the room. No doubt Mr Hislop was a good Mayor. Indeed I will go further and say that he was the best Mayor Wellington has ever known, Mr H. I). Bell alone excepted. But after all he only did his duty, and he got £400 a year honorarium for doing it. Why then should there be any need for a testimonial? The worst of it is that the "giving" generally falls upon a comparatively small section of the community, citizens who are easily accessible. This testimonial business is being badly and sadly overdone. The great John Norton, of hydney, is at present in Wellington and is to give a lecture at the Town Hall next Thursday, the title being "Parliament, Parsons and Press versus the Patient, Long-suffering People. Whatever opinion one may have about the peculiar class of journals owned by Mr Norton, it must be admitted that he is a very fine platform speaker. He has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for some years, and has a big personal following. It is expected that Mr Norton will deal very caustically with certain gentlemen who, so it is said, he holds specially responsible for recent prosecutions of hife journal, and his lecture is likely to be rather "hot stuff.'" There is. sure to be a big house. ' I am glad to see that some one has at last had the courage to come forward and talk straight about the loaferdom which is the curse of our colonial youths, especially that hangdog larrikin class which loaf round the street corners smoking, spitting, and swearing, and which indulges in sneers and jeers when a company of well setup, smartly drilled decent young Volunteers passes by. Speaking at a meeting of the D Battery last night Captain Petherick emphasized the value of military training in the production of useful citizens. He said:— "Football was good, cricket was good, but defence was better. He had seen a photograph in The New Zealand Times of a match held at the Newtown Park. Thirty men played— thousands watched it. It was time that compulsory training was general, because the material in the crowd was as good as the material that played football. He would, if in a position of power, 'make it pretty warm for the man who stood at the corner and jeered at the uniform. The man who loafed was going to be compelled to wear a uniform soon—and he thanked God for the promise that he saw m the future. (Vociferous cheers.)"