WEEKLY WHISPERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLI, Issue 317, 22 December 1906, Page 1

WEEKLY WHISPERS.

Jf there's a hole in a' yoiif eoah, I rede ye tent it ; A chiets among ye taki/t notes, And, faith, he' lI f rent it. —Burns. From information gathered by "Moff," and more than once from personal experience, there is evidence of the existence of something like a Sydney, larrikin "push," which terrorises portions of the Port road, systematically annoys residents, and of an evening renders the : seats along the avenue, especially in the vicinity of the Salt- ' water Bridge, quite untenable by quiet or respectable, people. Unfortunately, this "push" d'ois not .consist solely of the rough and ignorant, for it includes young felloWi of respectable parentage whose people /would be grieved apd heart-broken If' only the misbehaviour of their boys were known to them. More will be exposed later. Meantime, a warning is given, especially to the • "respectable" 'larrikins, that if they bo ■ wise they will • dissociate themselves . from some of their' comrades. There )is sufficient justification for a " policeman to patrol tte. -Rocks Road regularly on certain evenings of the week, for i a once pleasant vesperna resort along the breastwork is even now partially barred against all who do not desire to come into conflict with blackguards. The annoyance, is already so serious that there is talk of communicating with the Premier and the Minister of Justice to secure better police protection foi the area the "push ' frequents. It. is r a', tspal to look f humour I betwei n thd blue covers of a Govern- ! ment publication, but one happens now ; and again on the find. Here is a little exporience of Canon JephsDn, the vicar of Wa) worth, that was related by him . before tbe committee on Sunday trading. "It may interest the committee to kuo#."he said,. '' that when we were moving the aostors out of the main ro ads I one of thorn said to me he did not see why we parsons should take violent action against tho, coetermongerß, because we were both of the trade. He said: — 'I make my living holjerii g outside and you make your living hollering inside,' " • • • * • 1 While fishing in Scotland late'iy an angler had an .unusual adventure. Casting with a high' bank behind him he f our,d hia line suddenl ? checked. Then his reel ran out to the accompaniment of a violent sqceling. and he found he bad struok his fly into the ear of a pig stray

ing on the bank. After following him up he ultimately landed his. pig ani released hia line, greatly to the amusement of two ladies on the road above. The Auckland Herald caps the glory with one of an Aucklitni niliennan, w ho hooked a dog, Dut he was _ui>aue to land it! and had to break his ln.u. » » • > » Tho Governor, Lord Plunkct, tock advance of the breaking-np ceremoi in connection with the Wellington Boy^College, of the opportunity to say a few words to the boys, on the question of noli eness. His Excellency pr^factd his remarks by saying that he lad to doubt half the audience considered tl e boys tvere about as polite a9 an.vth'; g that could be desired. He was veiy glad to think that ; but he wanted the buys to kei-p up to that standstill anil 10 have tl.e tone of the college pol le in tl e best sense of the word, it was diffict. t ! to tlislii.guish wherf politeness out*' o and where affectation comm-neod. I*' th s st eota ('f vVtllinptin sozuo tine Pgo he noticad a boy with a l;a 'go of a Wellington eJucational institution grett a young lady with " Hello." After coi - versing t'oi 1 a few momenta ' e saiJ, '' long," ond valked off. (Lau = htoi). That was not riiht. Probably no dnre pect wag intended, but it certainly w»3 not politeness. He recognised thU it wa? hard ti get very uice manner t suoh as were taught at Etoni Harrow, and Cambridge, but by the teaching tl j otitene 8 betw<?on one generation ai.d another the desired result wonld be oL tiiced. His Excellency appe.iled to the boys to encourage gentlemanly behaviour and nice manners. He did n. t wirh to be misunderstood. He did not wish it to be Buggestt d that the b<-; i BbO'ild lona thernselves to B-iyUiing aj - proaching the state of thing-, notioeab t in some foreign countries, where everything was politeness on the surface en', anything but that un ?erneath ! Accorr 7 * ingJy. witL the permission of the lie:d master, he proposed to give a pi ire fii politene.s. He would sot the boy" » short esisy, which would be in lermi cl the word politeneta The Chairman oi the Board of Governors, Mr. A. de I?. Brandon, and the principal of the college Mr. Firlh, said ti.ere would be keec compaction for tae prize t!ie Govcnci had iO kindly given. Every peer of tue realm pasaii g thr. ugh Oa' haai has a clui'n marie upui ' him for a horsjshoa There is a rafts.niricent collection of shoes at the Shii( Hall, a.nd they are. in great varie'y— ii silver, steel, iron, and wood— and oi various sizes, tome being 2fi in height, while muiy are beautifully ornamentii Lord Denman has just added the 2yjil shoe :o the collection, an ILorJ liiotiestcr is giving the 303tb. • • • • • A certa n family whoso home is » the suburbs, have in their employ a cocA whose Wdys are invariably so ,n.et i>A ■ cal and her cooking so near peifei:tin> that were she to leave her p.-esent homi one-half of the mistresses in the distriil would bo ea'g.-'r to secure her service? Never by any chance has dinner beei late at M>rtle Vina, or the joint ur.de> or over done ; neither has any policeman crosseiita threshold. But treastm a-3 she is, she camu near to miking a change of reaidc.ice at tbe close uf nil very first month's stay. On the ruon.ing of tho day upon which her wagif became duo her mistress r^uested .'in to step into the study, where bur mastei was waiting to pay her. In a few moments she rushed from the Biudy to the kitchen, where she had left her mistress, and in le s time than it 'take's I to narrate had given theastonished"lrfrj I notice. "But whatever is the matter, I Mary?" enquired ner mistress ""What ' has your master said or done to annoy--1 you?" ''He hasn't saU nutbin'," .e- --< plied Mary, as she flourished a cheque iin her mistress's face; " but he ? 3 on'y ' given me Ihis for a mouth's slavery. Not me; I ain's no orty £ raph collector, I aia't." During the federal election campaign ov<;r the wMer, organise 1 "Boycott," j or tho threat ofi', prove] very etfeci tive. esp.ciully in New South Wales, as a weapon in the hands -f die iabuur- : aocialijts. To the ujb of that in .-ai.H i-f coercion may be traced thu cirfinmstance that in many electorates only £0 per cent of voters went to the poll, io spite of the utal iisw.s involved and the obviously kuoj interest taken iaihe; election", The word " Loycott '{S)"? the."Sydnty Morning Herald") is an ugly term to use in teferenca to elections in A ustralia, Yet it is the only word to apply to treatment which' is complained of liy Sir James Graham's adherents in South Sydoey, Tho writer of the following letter, who signs himb If " Fresdoro," may be allowed to Bpaak for himsolf . lie says ;— " 1 have been struck witH t!>e force o£ the statements made in all the metrop?'.itiiii pres regarding the effective manner id which the labour leagues are bandtirg the liish wapon ot boycott. I have daily evidence ot it in the district if South Sydney. A'l you have to do is to cill on any of tho business people ■who are supporters of Dr Graham and Bug^eit that they sti.juid comj out and help, and you are met with the same reply from ovcryane, 'Ida e. uot.' It is the Bamo with ownu-s of house property, I yes'.eitUy waited on one, and suggested that ho should not si: idle and sea the p:irty re'urned to power that would confiscate all hu ha i spent his life to secure, He shj.jk his hear 4 , and said, ' 1 dare not ; my houses^ ■would be boycotted, au.il more tban' oue of my tenants bava toll ino so.' .1 am acquainted with a tobaoeouit and hairdresser who had his business com pletely rained because he look a pait in the last state election against the labour candidate. Organised labour will stick at nothing to secure i heir end, and as there acins nochar.ee of awakening the apttliy or ovjic ming the fear of the bo cotl, t ij i 1 am assured that socialism >vill in slior lv in full power, anil tli j oxpjr. uned of S n I l 'taucisjo Svi.l oj oum. And if tivo-thirJj of the peopl j are willing to allow the raiuorit\ to Lully and uro.vb-.-at them ino si'.en^e, and ride roughshol over them I fuel inclined to say 'Se *e theif rijht, \v'iatt" - et C'tms.'" • • 9 • s a A strangoi, calling l.i nst-lf hv Ui. ancient and Hebraic name of Levy

has been cleaning opt the sharp town of Ber.digo in Victoria in a small way by means of the valueless cheque. A Bendigo telegram in the " Argus says : " Early on Friday a stranger, who went by the name of J. Levy, paid a visit to Bendigo, and, by passing a serieß of valueless cheques, left the city a wealthier man. Full particulars regarding Levy's profits are not tiscertainaMe, owing to the reticence of hid victims. He Started in a busiuess-'.iko manner. Briskly entering a local ejfate -.igeocy, he undertook to rent a shop in Mitchell?treet. Levy remarked that tho window was hardly showy enough, but ''111 fix 1 that up," he added; "a few pounds -vrill make a different window of it." He then went to a number of tradesmen, and ordered linoleums and furnishing". When the linoleums had been purchased, he arranged with the firm to send a man to his shop on the following morning to lay them. The next visit was paid to a •laddler's. "I am starting an agon:.y in.. Bendigo, and I'll want s saddle and" harness," he remarked. He purchased . a saddle for £2 15s, ani tendureil a £5' cheque. "If you like I'll pay in the"* morning, but »ou may as well take, this ' cheque, obseivedLevy, coolly, "it's one i>f V a well-known hotel-keeper being named: The saddler readily cashed the cheque, and gave £2 5s change.- "Now, don't forget tn seid those things tip to my shop fii'it thing in the morning," was Le/y'd farewell message. At anothor dealer's Levy presented a similarcheq^ue, and rereived" £2 133 .change. Tho cheques were cashed after banking hours. Un Saturday morning two saddlem, a furniture dealer, and other tradespeople drove up to Levy's shop with goods, but they found the premises closed, The cheques were then, it ia stated, found to I be forgeries. The matter was placed m the hands of Plain-clothes Constable Commons, who, however, ha3 been unable to find any trace 9f Levr, The police have a good description of him, and they are hopeful of tracing his whereabouts. "It is believed that he 'eft Bendigo for Mel bourne b) train on she night following bis successful day, and he has not been heard of since." A Frenchman h/»s performed ail exploit rivalling that of the bogus captain at Koepercick, at Tariagona in Spain i says a message to tho "Cape Times') It appears a new Conßul was expected, ind the Frenchman represented him<elf as a nephew of M. Clemencean, tbe French Premier, and performed the Consul's work satisfactorily for Eeveral. layß. The officials warmly welcomed' he psoudo Consul, who eventually disippeared with certain ofnc:al pipe s md the genuine Consul's advance baggige. He al o secured £40. 1 "Great Bun-eating Contest —For a ?riz —Kntranoe Free," ran the legend >n the handbills for the show in the Port Melbourne Town Hall on a recent Friday night. There were other attractions on the bill, but the bun-eating ;ontest was the greatest of them all. This is how the '• Argus " describes it: •' It was a trial of speed, not of onlurance or capaoity. Th,a question was iot wbo would eat the greatest number if buns without collapsing, but who rould get the last crumb of a single bua 'own his throat in the fastest time. The competitors—there were twe!ve of them— were Port Melbourne boys, and half the other boys in Port Melbourne rolled up to see tbeta e«t. The stage manager, at a fixed inpment in the even, ing, appeared tvofa the winga^ndcalled on the compefiiorH. The srst lad to advance in answer to the call was named Hogg, and as sqon as he was n,amed bis * prtee shortened, Th.e favourite, however, was a lean boy earned Willis, who at a beach picnic fa foitnight ago won, in beautiful style, the scone handicap, which consists in eating a scone suspended on the end of astring Last night the buns were not hung on strings. They were rich, solid-looking fruit cakes floating in round tins in a bath of warm treacle. Each boy was placed in front of his tiq, with his hands bound behind his back. His duty, at the word 'Go' was to plunge his mouth-and ncse into the treacle, and chew his hardest at the bun. Ii WBB a noble sp^ctaole. The stage manager announced, with appropriate pronunciat-on, that the couie.it would be decided in three 'eats. In the first 'eat six boys would take part; in jjhe second 'eat, six more ; and the first three to finish in each 'eat would take part iq the final. The match betan. The official record was that in "eat three (and final) Willis won from O'Grady' with mo>'e than a mouthful to spare. Time, lnjin. 7 1-5 sec. (record for Australia)." "Mofussilite" makes his semi-final '05 bow to his numerous victims and wishes them all, including Harbour Board "critics," "the man in the street," and the "amateur engineers," A Meeby Qhbjstuas.