LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10127, 9 May 1896, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

"Let me have audience for a word or two." — Shakespere. I always regret when there is a "scene" at the Board of Education, aud when the members exhibit themselves in a manner that is undignified and unworthy, when they call each other names, and drag their official position and personal characters th-ough the mire. My regret arises mainly from a reason which I have not seen mentioned yet, and that is, that such disreputable scones are mischievous and detrimental to every child attending a public school. The members of tho Board of Education are the heads of the system in this district. They are abovo the committees, and above the teachers. Their example is most potent in tho eyes of the children. If any toacher wcro to make such a public exhibition of himself as the members of tho Board have dono, it would bo the imperative duty of tho members of the Board to remove him, in order that the children might Dot be demoralised. The Board of Education, in respect to conduct, should be above reproach. We boast of our system of education, and certainly its power is very great. It is superseding the Church as a teacher of morals -, it is superseding the home and parental authority. Grave doubts are beginning to arise as to whether it will be successful in benefiting the race by stepping into the place of theso institutions, which are now looked upon as antiquated compared with a democratic education systoni. But tho influence will be certainly mischievous if the Board members have a row whenever they meet. The members of the Board are now tho supreme examples of moral conduct for the young people. And pretty examples of dignity and gentlemanly behaviour some of them are! The fault lies with the country settlers, who will not elect a man to the Board' unless ho says that he is profoundly convinced that tho country schools have in the past been injured by the malice of the residents in Auckland.

In regard to the Women's Liberal League, I have something to set right. It cannot be wondered at if one's head becomes somewhat confused in these times with Women'.' Liberal League, Women's Political League, Women':) Democratic Association, ; emale members of the Liberal Association, aud the sanio individuals appearing at different times in different capacities. It will be remembered that at. the last meeting of the Women's Liberal League there was a heated discussion, Mrs. Johnston and Mrs. McConnell being accused of going about putting women on the roll, and at the same time canvassing for certain gentlemen whom they "favoured." lam informed by these ladies that the Women's liberal League Las nothing to do with their mission of putting the names of women on the roll. That work they have undertaken in connection with the Liberal Association, which body is responsible for the payment to which they shall bo entitled. Mo prospective candidate has paid them, or offered to pay them. No Woman's League has anything to do with the matter. As to candidates these ladies tell those they pub on the roll that they may vote for whom they choose. And if they remark that they do not know anything about the met), then the ladies confine themselves to saying, *' Oh, there's Mr. , he is a very nice man," or some profound and persuasive remark of that character. The Women's Liberal League are not taking any steps to put namo3 on the roll. That is the task of the Liberal Association.

Mr. Seddon is, of course, anxious to tnake as much political capital as possible out of the Brunnerton mine accident. We are getting now near the session, and the general election follows, and Ministers cannot afford to miss a single point. In Auckland, Captain Russell accused Mr. Seddon of being a coward at one particular division, because be walked out of the House, and did not record his vote. At Petone the Premier replied to this, not by showing that he did record his TOte on that particular occasion, bub by this appeal —"Captain Russell charged me with cowardice, and on that very night when Captain Russell spoke, I, with brave men, was facing death at the Brunnerton mine." Of course, this is no reply whatever to Captain Russell's charge of moral cowardice in Parliament. But it is a remarkable statement as it stands. Mr. Seddon was facing death in the mine at Brunnerton ! Well, it is a very noble thing to face death when it is necessary for one to do so. But with hundreds or thousands of brave men on the West Coast, skilful miners, inured to the work every day of their lives, was it necessary for the Premier of the colony, who is not as young as he once was, who has had some twenty years of Parliamentary life, and a long course of champaene dinners, to form one of a rescue party. Whatever Mr. Seddon might have been, it is quite certain that he is not now up to the mark. Mo has his duty to perform as Premier of the colony, and was deserting his duty by rushing into the Brunner mine to do work which thousands of men could do better. We feel quite sure that the Premier of the colony in the Brunner mine was very much in the road. It was too bad of him to turn I 'lat sad accident into an advertisement.

We newspaper men are familiar with that weakness of humanity. I remember one time attending a big fire in Auckland in my professional capacity. I did not attempt to save property or to extinguish the fire. I minded my business, which was to get a record of what took place. A chest of drawers, a sofa, and some other articles of furnituro had been brought from a house and placed where at the beginning of the fire it was thought they would be safe, The flames extended, and it waß plain to everybody that the furniture would be' burned. An enterprising business man elbowed hie way towards me, and said:— You see that furniture: unless it is taken away in a few minutes it will catch fire. It is dangerous now to attempt to remove it, and anyone trying to take it away would get pinged. But if you will mention my name in the paper as having done so, I will engage to do it, and take the risk.'' He did it, and he had his reward. It has bean sounded abroad over all the world that tho Premier of ftew Zealand headed a rescue party at a coal mine accident. But the whole effoct will be spoiled if Mr. Seddon boasts about it, and drags it into every speech he makes. Then people will begin to reflect that he Ehould have been at the work for which he is paid.

Women's leagues and associations seem in trouble generally. The Dunedin Women's Franchise League was split into two factions, headed by Mrs. Hatton and Miss Hancock. Ono lady accuses another of obtaining signatures by (as she puts it) "disingenuous misrepresentations/'aphraso which means what wo all know. The reply to this by the lady accused is not very logical, but is perhaps characteristic. The League, she says, has violated their obligation by striking God out of thoir motto, and omitting the prayer at the commencement of their proceedings. Then Miss Morrison, the lady who has been twice in Auckland on behalf of the tailoresßes, has got into trouble on account of irregularities of th« funds of the society or societies with which she was connected, and has had to resign. Where are we to look for virtue?

The Ponsonby School Committee election was nearly as funny as the champion contest for the chairmanship of the Board of Education. Thirteen votes stated to have been disallowed under a mistaken decision, and 14 votes challenged in letters to the Board of Education, or 27 votes in all, is not ij. bad record. The chairman announced, when the time came to name candidates, that " he was open to receive all denominations," which would lead one to believe that he was presiding over an ecclesiastical congress, rather than a meeting to elect a school committee. A ticket, was disclosed at the time of ballot, which had been hitherto kept dark.and by puttiDg up 18 candidates and splitting; the votes, ,[ tho. a o in the know" carried the

most of their nominees. So /pleased were they with the result of the ballot that some of those present, it is rumoured, adjourned at the midnight hour "from labour to refreshment," to exchange mutual congratulations on the success of tho engineering of tho election. Tho ex-chak-man of the School Committee was hurled fromSpower bocauso ho at last kicked over the traces—even a worm will turn—and voted against a certain candidate for tho Richmond Road School. As a " thraitor to tho cause," as it is termed, he met his fate, and in the jargon of the Land League, was " removed." One reason given for electing a chairman who was not at the top of the poll over tho gentleman who occupied that honourable position was a desire to see the other man above l'ar(r). The best of the fun about tho Ponsonby election has yet to come.

Many of my roadors will be glad to seo that three police inspectors well known to them have received promotion to the ranks of first-class inspectors. Inspector Hickson is known to all as a courteous and efficient officer. Inspector McGovern, who was raised from being a non-commissioned officer to an inspector for his share with Constable (now Sergeant) Gillios in tho capture of Winiata, has steadily mado his way upward, and is known as an officer of approved courage. Inspector Emerson is perhaps the oldestofficer of all, having, after activo service in the Crimea, joined the New Zealand polico force in 1865, and rose in duo course to an inspectorship. That was in the old Provincial days, and on the ro-arrangemeut of the force when it came under Colonial control, ho with othors went back to the second-class rank. His promotion, though rather lato in the day, has been veil received in .'it's district, which extends over an area of 400 miles, from Woodville to Rotorua, including the lirewera Country. It is gratifying to see the Government promoting men who havo served tho country faithfully in the past, and it will do more to promote esprit de corps and discipline in the police force than any other measure that can be adopted.

The subject must have been causing much perturbation in the male mind, for I have still another letter from " Peter Cautious" as follows :—

Dear Mereutio,—l am waiting to see if the new women will succeed in making their ideas on marriage law before I venture on matrimony. 1 would like you to answer some questions :—lf a wife elects to take charge of the aouse," does that mean being the managing partner ? aud would I have no say? Could she turn me out? Would I have to pay the piper at her will? If she " elected to become a mother" on our agreeing how much I should pay her, must I pay cash down before delivery of tho babe ? If I io, and there is no delivery, can I sue her for breach of contract and recover moneys paid, or obtain damages ? If I fully performed my part of the contract by payment and otherwise, could she plead contributory negligence, or default ? How could that be determined ? Would her failing to deliver as agreed be a ground for divorce? Until lam satisfied on these and other matters on this new idea of buying babies before hand, I shall decline contracting marriage. Supposing you pay the price for a boy, and your wife supplies a girl, would that be a nullifying breach by which you could refuse to accept the article Mercutio.