ACROSS THE STRAIT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 58, 9 March 1911, Page 3

ACROSS THE STRAIT.

«OSSIP FROM THE EMPIRE CfTT.

(By "Marlburian.")

WELMNGTON, Wednesday

THE WIRELESS. FIGHT. Some small sensation has been caused in commercial circles by the news that the Marconi people are .commencing legal proceedings against the Union Company for a breach ot their patent rights. The matter, ot course., is sub judlce, which prevents me from making what would, I think, prove some very interesting remarks on the negotiations of the rival companies with the Government. I am, however; quite within my rights in <!rawing attention to the fact that the Telefunken system which the Government has adopted has now . been adopted for widespread, operation by the Argentine Republic. THE LATE MR ASHBOLT. A very painful impression was created i>i town by the sudden death of. Mr Alfred Ashbolt, who for over thirty years' had been the foreman Srinter on the New Zealand Times. , more loyal servant to his employees, a more good-natured man, a better all-round citizen, we had not in all He had seen many changes of proprietorship and managers in the Times; but "men might come and men might go," but dear: old "Daddy" remained at his post, as alert and spry and unfailingly competent as he was twenty years ago, for all his sixty and three years. Wherever printers and journalists are met together Mr Ashbolt's name will be mentioned with respect. For his years he was most astonishingly juvenile, ever-ready to crack a joke— when it> didn't interfere with work. He was tho last of the old Times staff, the staff in the J9o's, when the pape* had somt>_ particularly smart men in xhe literary, typographical, and commercial sides, The manager, Mr Alister Brown, is now chief advertising expert on the Post; Mr Loughnan. the editor, is now an M.L.C., and has gone cut of the dismal grind of daily journalism;- Mr Wilson, his subeditor is now a Parliamentary officer ; clever reporters such as- MessrsTaperell and Marter(now both on the Sydney Telegraph)-, Reeves, now' on the- Post,- have long ago deserted the ;' old paner, but Mr Ashbolt remained a seemingly permanent figure at hi& post. He was as well-known in the world of cricket as he was in the printing world. Thirty-five years ago, when he was a "comp." on the Christchurch Press, a fellow-worker alongside the late George -Fisher, he was a keen cricketer, and after coming up to Wellington be played for many seasons. Then came many moreyeara of useful work ac an umpire." An interprovincial or intercolonial match without good old Ashbolt as umpire would not have seemed the nght thing, and although he had retired from umpiring and from his seat on the selection committee he was as keenly inteiested in the game as ever, and never missed a match of any importance. He left' a host of friends, and aw for enemies, well, I don't think it possible that he could have had one in the wide world. ."WAIPAWA" SMITH. Another death to which I must refer1 this week is that of the Hon. W. C. Smith, M.L.C., of Waipukurau/ known as "Waipawa" Smith, from the fact that he so long represented Waipawa in the House. Of late years his name was rarely mentioned in the newspapers; but" there was a time when he was a political factor of no small importance. He it was who* was the first to challenge the power of the Hawke's Bay squattocracy, in the days when Mr J. D. Ormond was the political monarch of that province. Great was the surprise when one fine day a humble small storekeeper at Waipukurau actually dared to get on his legs and heckle the great man. Mr Ormond, so the story goes, was so aghast at the temerity of this person called Smith that for once he lost his temper and said: "Well, if you know so much about politics, why don't you stand for. Waipawa ?" And this is ■ exactly what Mr Smith '.did, and haying the small settlers in the Scandinavian settlements in the Seventy Mile Bush at his back was successful, Sir Harry Atkinson, consoling his defeated follower by calling him to the Council: Mr Smith was first Government Whip under Mr Ballance, and afterwards Chairman of Committees. He is credited with having induced Sir John McKenzie to accept the 999 years' lease in his famous Land Bill, that being, so he contended, the only way of securing the passage of the measure. To his dying day Sir John bitterly regr^fcted having given way. Mr Smith was for some years a partner, in various sawmilling and land enterprises, with the late Sir A. J. Cadman. The pair were very warm personal friends. It was, by the way, through his partnership. with Mir Smith that Sir Alfred, then Mr Cadman, had to fight a by-election at Auckland, in response to a challenge by Mr W. L. Rees, who had declared that the purchase from the natives by Smith and, Cadman of the Waikopiro block of native land close to Dannevirke an improper transaction. Both resigned their seats, and Mr Rees ,went to Auckland to fight Mr Cadman, meeting with defeat. Of late years Mr Smith was not much in evidenco in the Legislative Council, to which lie was appointed wTiah, some years ago now. his health be^an t,n fail. In th/? Council he met his old opponent Mr Ormond, and curiously enough the pair berime very friendly. THE PALMERSTON SEAT. Will Mr Robert McNab make up his mind to stand for Palmerston North? He has been asked to do so, but preferred, with Scots caution, to bide a wee before giving a definite reply. A requisition is now in course of signature asking him to stand, and it will depend, 1 should say, upon the number of signatures appended whether "Rob" will come out against Mr Buick or not. Mr W. Wood, the ex-Member, who was a nersonal friend of Mr Seddon, has had enough of politics—at least of the Lower House variety—and is quite willing to stand down in Mr McNab's favor. Mr McNab is a man who certainly ought to be in Parliament; but so Ions; as the party system prevails he and equally as good men are often excluded. To compare Mr Buick with Mr McNab is ridiculous; but then, you see, Mr Buick is a good party man, and in Palmerston the Opposition is very strong. After all, both sides play^he same game: the "party" system is injurious to both sides in turn and to the country most of all. The trouble is to find something better. There's the rub. CIVIC MATTERS. As I predicted months ago, Mr Wilford is almost sure to have a walkover for the Mayoralty. If he has not done anything brilliant during his oc-

cupation of the Mayoral chair, »t least he has done no harm. Nay, it would be unfair not to credit him with having more than merely negative qualifications. He has displayed considerable tact in avoiding a conI flict with the tramway employees, whilst at the same time not in any -way truckling to those ■ somewhat bumptious people. He may not have •reduced the rates, but he has not increased them,' and in his conduct of .civic affairs generally he, has exhibited a tact, ,a patience and an, administrative ability which <Lo him the highest credit. To use a slang expression, "Our Tom" has "made his marble good." He is safe for a second term, and I should never be surprised to see him honored with a third. There is a rumor; by the way, to the effect that this being Coronation year the Mayors of the four New Zealand cities are to be created "Lord Mayors." The Australian capitals have their Lord Mayors; why should not New Zealand b*e similarly honored? "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Personally, I don't care a continental swear-word whether "Our Tom" is Lord Mayor or Archbishop, provided he doesn't increase our outrageously hieh rates. Mr J. P. Luke, M.P., who is retiring from the Council because his firm supplies the Corporation with certain goods, says he intends to stand for the Mayoralty later on, Two or three other Councillors are not standing again, so that the municipal elections this year should be" a trifle more interesting than they have been in recent-years'. ■ ' :■.;■» AN OFFENDED MANAGER. The Times threw a bombshell the other morning into the musical section of the community by coming out* with a strongly-worded adverse criticism of the concert given by the Amy Castles company. The Australian prima donna was bluntly told that she was out of turie-r-in one song; that she had no "temperament"; that she was not of the prima donna class at all—indeed, quite a number of things were said calculated to make the article very unpleasant reading for the young lady—and the management. A few people have considered the article unjust, "cruel" and other adjectives being applied; but the truth is that Miss Castles is not a star, and if her managers choose to run her as a star, at star prices— fancy advertising her as a Jenny

Lihd!—they must not squeak because, for once, a newspaper has been courageous enough to let a competent critic tell the truth. The time' has surely come when the ladling out of fulsome flattery of every singer or .actress who comes along should cease. In this case the management was asinine enough to refuse admission to the Times critic on the second evening. '■- What a childish a^id pettifogging proceeding! The "swelled head" of these travelling showmen has long been notorious, and I for one am glad that one Wellington journal at any rate has had the pluck to do its duty. THE GOVERNMENT GEOLOGIST. Dr Bell, who is retiring from the position of Director of the Geological Survey, is going to New Caledonia and Canada on private business before settling down in London as a mining expert. Several papers are, I notice, weeping tears —of the crocodile Variety, I fancy—over the alleged fact that Dr Bell has been virtually force 3 out of thjb service, and lamenting: that the services of so valuable an officer are to be lost to New Zealand. Which is all just so much nonsense and cant. As a matter of fact, Dr Bell has virtually done nothing more than was done by his predecessors; indeed, it is a very open question whether one jot of practical advantage . has resulted from his very expensive _ expeditions and operations.' He is a very pleasant-mannered. well-educated young, man, but there are dozens of practical surveyors and mining men in the country who would fill the bill iust as well as he has filled it. As to his successor. I hear that several good, men are in for the billet. The two most prominent candidates are Mr Park, of Dunedin, whose many works in geology are well known not only in New Zealand, but outside the Dominion: and Professor Marshall, "a young New Zealander. who is Professor of Geology at the TJiiiversitv of ptago. May,the best man win. At any rate, I venture to predict that the Government!will not this time try the imported article. ' OFF TO LONDON. ' Sir Joseph and "the Doctor" are off to London, and so far as the Wellington "send-off" was concerned it was most enthusiastically friendly. Ministers were working right up to the last moment; .indeed^ they tooktheir work with them on the train, and Cabinet councils were held during many hours of the journey up to the northern city. If any man wants a spell it is the Prime Minister. Just before the train left a friend asked him "Well, at any rate you know what you want to do in London?" To him Sir Joseph: "Well, I know what I would like to do just now, and that is to go to bed for two.or three days and stop there." He will have a wel-

come spell on the steam trip across the Pacific. Give a man a deck-chair and a good cigar and a handy waiter to bring something along occasionally "with a stick in it," as poor Johnny Sheridan used to say when he played "Fun on the Bristol," and life on shipboard is not too bad. If I were a Prime Minister I should never travel on a boat fitted with wireless telegraphy. Fancy poor Sir Joseph half-way across the Pacific being rung up say by "Roddy" : "Mudflat deputation wants a new post office, four bridges and a new lock-up. What shall I say ?" But the trouble is that

; nowadays you can't very well find a } decent ocean steamer upon which the j Marconi or Telefunken apparatus is ! not ringed up. Anyhow. Sir Joseph j needn't fear much from Roderick, j That gentleman has a mind and a will lof his own, and can be trusted to I say "No." in a big voice, to fifty Mudflat deputations, once he is con- ■ vinc^d that the requests are not reaj sonable.