LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8664, 5 September 1891, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

«i.«t mo have audience for a word or two." 1 —ShakfSDcre. It has been ruled by tho Houso of Representatives that tho expression " the honorable member ought to be ashamed of himself for relying on a technicality to refuse an inquiry into a charge of corruption" is uiv parliamentary, and therefore must never plore be used in any form amongst gentlemen. Gentlemen hitherto have been under the impression that "you should be ashamed of yourself" was not a very strong expression, and might be used without giving any ve ry dire offence. However, it is perhaps ell that a House in which the Labour element preponderates, and gives the law to all other sections, should set up ft high standard of delicacy of expression. That would bo all very well, but it is somewhat puzzling that along with tho ruling that th» expression is utterly impermissible and worthy of censure it should also be thought quite allowable for a Minister to say that pn ox-Minister had been guilty of corruption, and to attempt to support tho charge by saying that somebody, whom he would nob name (probably could not), had heard another person (who is now dead) make t-ho remark in a conversation on board a steamboat. One would think that this was straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel. Tho difference lay here, that the Minister who made tho serious charge had a majority at bis back, while the member who made the trivial remark was in a hopeless minority.

But it would appear that the Houso is sometimes ashamed of itself in a body. When it seemed that things were about to become ft little warm over this question, the Speaker ordered the House to be cleared of strangers, and press reporters and Hansard reporters were bundled out. The object of this was that there should be no record of what might be said and done, and that the members should be at liberty to strong language without its being preserved in Hansard. 1 .should like to know what, this exclusion of strangers meant if not that the Speaker and the House were •'shamed of themselves." They were so chained of themselves that they wanted to sneak and vote in secret, and to pass a that a member ought to be ashamed of himself for saying that another member ought to be ashamed of himself. There is one thing quite certain, and that i-i that the country is ashamed of the House. '

Tint connected with this barring-out of the public and the reporters, there is one remarkable point. In the House of Common.- the ladies sib. behind a gilded railing, and by one of those fictions of which the English people are so fond, they are supposed not. to' be in tho House at all. Thus when the order is given to clear _ the cilleries, tho ladies were not interfered with. Following this precedent, they were allowed to'occupy their gallery the other night when the reporters were turned out,'and to hear all the talk which was ruled unfit for male ears. I have known in Courts, when delicate investigations were being proceeded with, that all ladies were required to retire, but our House of Representatives change their procedure, sending away the men and keeping the women. I am not sure whether the ladies should feel flattered or insulted. Are they allowed to remain simply because members are of the opinion of those Orientals who believe that women have no souls? Whatever i? the motive, there is the fact, and it we are to have repetitions of the scene, we shall have to get. a lady reporter at Wellington, so as to report the proceedings when the males are turned out. There is, I may remark, a danger in reporting the proceedings, as to do so is, like calling Mr. Jackson Palmer a " commonplace young man," a breach of privilege.

Clearly, the allowing women to remain in the House, simply because ib is below the dignity, of .that body to recognise their presence, is a relic of barbarism, and _ is altogether out of place in a House which Las "decided by a large majority to allow the women to have the franchise, and to have the power to say who shall and who .shall not sit in the House of Representatives. If women are to have the power to vote they are entitled to have all subordinate political privileges, and amongst these the privilege of being turned out of the House of Representatives when anything is to be done of which the Speaker and members feel ashamed.

Rut, alas for that trusting, yet oftendeceived sex, they have been betrayed t\',r;iin. Sir .John Hall carried the second readin,' of his Bill, to confer the privilege of the franchise upon women by an overwhelming majority, and then the Premier promised Lis aid* and offered to do the thing in his way. The gentle trusting spirit of the sex naturally animated Sir John Hall, their champion, and then he found that, like lovely woman in the ancient ballad, ho had looped to folly, and found too late that Premiers betrayed. It is the old, old story. And thou, in this ease, women cannot even bring an action for breach of promise. ■■ -

When the Rev. Mr. Birch was here bofore I had frequent call to mention his name, and, perhaps, it will be thought that I am unduly neglectful if I make no mention of his speech at the Wellesley-street Church the other evening. Mr. Birch, however, commenced his address by a statement that he wanted to have 110 controversy with the press or with his brother clergymen. In his speech there are many templing subjects for remark, but I am not going to be tempted to begin. Mr. Birch might say I wiw disposed to get into controversy, but the fact is I have given him up.

"Tickletoby" writes in a very indignant strain about what I said last week as to the disturbance which took place somewhat more than a twelvemonth ago Jab the presentation of University diplomas, He aays : " With regard bo the statement | a bout the students having made a disturbance at the presenting of diplomas, it is now more than ever apparent, save to a man mentally blind, that the noise has not 'been made by the students, but by a portion of the public which should never have been admitted on such occasions." I do not think I ever asserted that the disturbance was made by students, because I could nob tell whether tho lads whom I b'iw making a noise were students. Why does nob "Tickletoby" tell us who they re? Who is this "portion of the public" spoken so contemptuously of ? The writer goes on in this lofty and gentlemanly strain " Doubtless'Mercutio,' never liavi"'-,' had the advantage of an academical education, is naturally envious of those at present enjoying its benefits." Possibly "Mercutio" had nob the advantage so vaunted of. But lie feels quite sure, judg- ")£ from his letter, that ho had the advantage of a better education than "Tickletoby" has had, in writing, in good sense, and in good manners.

u ' i' iavo ''-° two letters on tho subject of l'onguo v. Pen," and tho discussion aC ■ °vonport. " Heighingboti" writes :— I)kak M krcutio, —In your notes last week 0,1 the debate at JJevonport concerning the power of the pen v. the tongue, you appear "J make a curious error in contrasting the audiences reached by these two powerful weapons. If you take the " tongue" liter- , ~ 'I reaching those only who hear the actual voice, then surely the " pen " all'eets nose only that see the manuscript. In my umble opinion these members are equally I ovverful nowadays, owing to the ready aid of ' leir big brother the Press ! You put the relai(il',iw 'ers down a & the modest proportion of In it- i° l ' lc tongue representing the f n „ • but I am sure this is not sound logic, you will grant that a remarkable utter'j 1 quickly cabled to the world at large, In « C V( eßßll yi or the gist of a new book. ini' 01 summing, up" you have, I think " s 'It 1 . 1 the ] ' ea " fot ' tho "Press." This ti'c'l rf U ' to the " tongue," as the claims of f,.l„v, r occupy a great space, even in the tennri«f° ouroca press, vide the "windy" > r «porto rom our " wuidy h city. Wl " uy

Another writer says :— The "local team was not composed of *' Devonport Wesleyans," but of representatives of the Devonport Mutual Improvement Society. And, secondly, the audience was not requested to vote on the subject, but three gentlemen were appointed as judges, their decision being on the question which side had displayed facts and arguments with the greater ability. . The judges were not called upon to weigh the balance of evidence on the subject of the debate, therefore your contributor's suggestion of local bias on the part of those present proves utterly groundless and uncalled for. I confess that I understood fcho controversy to be as to whether a great orator or a great writer wielded tno most influence; and I explained my difficulty in understanding how such a subject could be discussed.

I havo seen a good many acts of harsh tyranny in my time, in the police force of the colony, but tho case of Constable Gordon, late of Whangarci, is likoly to be as famous in its way as that of Constablo Gillespie, of Manaia, where public opinion and the press compelled th eGovernment of the day to make reparation to the unfortunate officer. Constable Gordon, it may be premised, has been stationed for years at Whangarei, and nob only fulfilled the duties of constable, but clerk of the Magistrate's and Warden's Court, receiver of goldfield revenue, and half-a-dozen other things besides being a good clerk. Suddenly a ukaso arrives transferring him to l'aeroa. Of that he could not complain, as the tour of duty must be done. Apparently, it was thought afterwards that the station was too good for him, and he was ordered to go to To Kuiti, in tho King Country. The place to which he is sent is a shell field-hut, erected by the constabulary, 20 by 10, unlined and uncoiled, and in this apartment ho and a wife and four of a family were to live and sleep, and fulfil all tho decencies of life. Tlifj constable left on Wednesday by the Waikato train for Siberia—"his not to reason why, his not to make reply " —but, to his eternal honour be it said, he did not even allow a New Zealand Government to degrade his wife and children, for he would not allow the one to live the life to which she would bo condemned, or his children to be bereft of che benefit of a public school, there being none at Te Kuiti. He has accordingly left them at Whangarei, and obeying tho ukase issued is living in exile from his family. When I say that Constablo Gordon enjoys the approval of his commanding officer ; that lie has IS years' service without a single mark on his "defaulter's sheet," «nd is thus brutally treated, and mulcted in £40 a year without even a single reason being assigned, the public will have some idea of the pass that things have come; to under a Liberal Government — heaven save the mark ! If the best men in tho service are treated thus, what may the rest expect Such treatment would break the heart of a bullock, to say nothing of that of a man, and I have known men in the Imperial ser vice lose their reason through being the victims of official tyranny far less degrading, severe, and contemptible.

It can only bo conjectured that the " underground railroad" had been at work. Possibly the constablehas offended a lumper, the delegate of a Trades and Labour Council, or come between the wind and the nobility of a slaughterman or a federated bootmaker. The treatment of men in the police force was bad enough under former Governments, but these administrations had at least the decency to furnish or assign a reason for their actions, but under the regime of Richard I. that trifling formality is apparently dispensed with. The unfortunate official nowadays gets stabbed in the back or hit on the head, and never even enjoys the melancholy pleasure of knowing who bus blasted his prospects and career, or ruined him for life. " The Government ought to be ashamed" —Oh, hang it, I'm drifting into unparliamentary language, and must scop pouring out any more Ivumara sludge.

There is a certain noisy clique who " rule the roost" in the readiug-room of the Free Public Library. Some time ago a reader, representing about forty, went up to a circle of six, who were very noisy, and quietly referred to the rules against talking. '•Oh, ah is there any other rule you'd like to tell us?" was tho rejoinder, and " Come outside," was the pugnacious request of a man about 0 feet 2 inches in his boots, and weighing about 14 stone. This invitation to a spare one of about 9 stone 61b was not good enough for the latter. These are the side lights of tho Auckland Library. Nobody ever imagines for a moment that there is any courageous member of the City Council who will limit the "rights" of the populace. If the Mayor, who is a literary man, moved in this matter he would be but a target for tho shafts of tho popularity-mongers, and so the thing goes on. _____

The doctrine nowadays is that the poor working man is the soul of honor, honesty, and virtue, and that every man with a decent coat on his back or a little bit of property in his own right, is ready to lib and bribe, and is a " social pest." A good .story was told me this week about a " poor working man" who had "had" two parsons of the city on " the confidence trick." He then tackled a layman, his desire being to get nearer the church, so as to be able to enjoy spiritual privileges. Would the benevolent layman help him with means to shift ? He had only a few things. The benevolent layman agreed, and sent a spring-cart man, as he thought there was only a handful. To his surprise he gob in a bill next week which broke the neck of a pound, lie enquired " Why is this thus ?" The spring-cart man replied " Well, I had to go for three loads, and 1 broke the springs over carrying the piano !" When the benevolent layman sees this " pore working man " sitting in high places at a " bun worry," and thinks of his lost money—of poor human nature in fustian—he thanks God that ho is " a social pest."

A correspondent, "An Old Soldier," under ' date Waipiro, August 22, having noticed reference in the daily papers, to Mr. Feltus, as deserving some recognition for his services in bringing about a settlement of the old soldiers' claims, asks " Who's Feltus ?" He says mo a told soldiers in or about Auckland, acknowledge that Mr. Clarke, of Parnell, and late of the Royal Artillery, has for years past taken ;ir> active part in advocating the claims of his old companions in arms. After enlarging upon this head lie yoes on to say, " Of course wo are not forgetful of our many friends now in Wellington who have always staunchly stood by us. Sir George Grey we know; Sir George Whitmore, Captain Russell, Mr. ©adman, Mr. William Kelly, and other Northern members, we know; Mr. Clarke, we know; bub Felbus? Feltus? Who the blank is Felbus?" I think ib will be suliicient to say that he is " the champion of the sons of old colonists." That fills up the " blank." Out of nine candidates for councillorships in the City, Newton and Newmarket boroughs, there were 'no loss than eight " Johns," who wanted to be Jacks in office. One of them, who was returned unopposed, was sb overcome that it is said he fairly effervesced into tears.* A friond who saw him in this condition blew a sympathetic nose, and tried to get him to cheer up, but it only led to a fresh bo-hoo, as to tho honour done to his family, which he would hand down to posterity, etc. If he had been Green I could have understood all this sorb of thing, but ho is not-. Ib musb have been an incident of this description which came under the notice of tho Rev. P. Walsh, and caused him to send that touching paper to tho Auckland Institute on " The Age of Pulp." Mkkoutio.