LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10902, 5 November 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

' have audience for a word or two. Jitf ° e —Sliakespere. several newspapers outside our own pro- • 1 district arc still exercised oyer the Son of w by Mr. Hone Heke has been bsent from l" 3 P lac6 in Parliament durin g 1 whole of the past session. The hon. Ifflber himself has a very pretty sense of fT 0 and he must be amused at the variexplanations that have been given of Ju absence. Th e latost is tlmt of a Wairapaper, which says that " the native ®ber is actively canvassing for support member 16 a"" 1 J ■ ° " Tenable him to proceed to England as Maori envoy to the Queen and Parliament, press for the interference of the Imperial authorities in the affairs of the natives of 'is colony. Mr. Heke, it is reported, jjas already been promised a fairly large sum of money, but he is evidently bent upon obtaining such an amount as will enable jjim 'to do the thing in style.'" A good many natives have had trips to London jjder various pretexts, and we do not see Tvhy Mr. Hone Heke should not have one. J would urge him to include within the sphere of his ambitions a seat in the House 0 Commons. That could easily be manned. Wo have now, I believe, a pureWooded Hindoo in the Imperial Parliament, m d I don't sec why we should not have a pure-blooded Maori. Hone Heke could give manv of the members, of the House of Commons a lesson in English, and socially Jie could outshine the majority, as he sings 4 good song.

• I We become quite a convert to the Old Age Pensions Act. At least, I begin to see some redeeming points in it. Tho other day I had a look at a business letter ad-t dressed to the office. It was from a subscriber to the Weekly News, who had been wearing out the patience of those who have to look after the payment of subscriptions. He had to confess that he was far behind, but he pleaded against being cut off in Iris bus. He saw his way clear by the operation of the Old Age Pensions Act. He would at once apply for his pension, and get it. Out of the first instalment, which ho toped to finger without delay, he would pay so much of his overdue account. Out of the second instalment, which would be paid about holiday time, ho could not promise anything. But at the third payment, he would clear off his indebtedness, and after that the pension would enable him to keep himself square with our countingliouse. So that you see there are some good things connected with the Old Ago Pensions Act. I shall be glad to afford ail the assistance in my power to any of my gentle readers who consider themselves entitled to a pension. During tile discussons in the House some of those benighted people who opposed the Bill declared that much of the money would bo spent in liquor. It' will not be so, however, in the case at least of our old subscriber.

Everybody was surprised to hear how little Sir George Grey was possessed of when he died. He was a man of considerable means by inheritance, lie had been for a long time in well - paid offices under the British Government, and since his retirement he had drawn a pension of £1000 a year. To some extent I can account for how it happened. I was talking the other day to a Queen-street shopkeeper whom Sir George used often to have a confidential chat with, and he told me this. One day Sir George said, " It is a curious thing that almost everybody who has aided the Liberal cause thinks he aud she has a claim upon my purseand he added with a grim smile, "they have got it nearly all."

A few days ago, there died in Auckland a | man who had never been anything higher in his life than a barman at an hotel, and who has earned nothing for many a year. And yet he left twice as much money as Sir George Grey. He lived alone, and a neighbour who knew him found that he sometimes became faint. He urged him to keep a little spirits in trie house to revive him after a collapse, but the old man would not hear of it. He asked him if he had made a will, and he said no. His friend advised him to do so, and to leave his money to charitable institutions in Auckland. "Darkie Cooper,'' as he was called, declined to do anything of the kind. He was told that if he died without a will the Government would take all the property. "Oh, well, let them take it; if I had been destitute they would have had to keep me. And so this man's accumulations of many years will, I suppose, go into the maelstrom of colonial finance.

Most women, and a good many men, j were in pursuit of the millennium by means ot women's suffrage. What dreams were indulged in! When that was achieved the fountain of political power would be purified, and our House of Representatives would consist- of none but high-minded, patriotic philanthropists. No scandals would ever again be breathed against any member. Tliey would he all men of unsullied reputation. They would all be far above being actuated by any desire to serve a clique, or the selfish interest of any section of the community. There would not be the breath of a suspicion that anyone ever exceeded the bounds of strict moderation in what he had at Bellamy's. Indeed, it seemed likely that they would be all pledged abstainers. And what have we seen? The ordinary reader, not privileged or compelled to listen to the debates, and to see what goes oil, lias had broad enough intimations of what has been taking place. But be knows only a portion. I see that women's societies are still being established for this, that, or the other purpose. Could we not have one set up for the purpose of educating the sex up to what are their duties in respect of the suffrage?

Nothing has amazed mc more than the anger displayed by the Premier nt what was said by Mr. G. Hutchison about Bun Tuck, and bis connection with Chinamen on the West Coast in the old days. He staid simply have laughed at the whole affair. Where was the harm in it? Mr. Seddon was then a mining agent, or a. storekeeper, and was bound to have business relations with every class and nationality on the West Coast goldfields. There was no Wore harm in him being a fellow shareholder with a Chinaman than there is in any citizen of Auckland buying a cabbage from John when he comes round in the Morning with his basket. And yet Mr. Seddon insists on getting a committee of the House appointed on the subject. That Committee, with the expense of bringing witnesses from the West Coast, will cost tie colony £500, and all to show that Mr. Seddon was never in partnership with the Chinamen, and to vindicate the character ® f a certain Nathan Seddon, who lias been dead foi many years.

A correspondent, writing from Mititai, that C. Clarke, of Tokatoka, Northern Wairoa, referred to in a note in Local Gossip of the 14th ult., is still ahve and hearty and e "- He has resided at Whakahara, near Tokatoka, for the last 39 years. It appears ™at it is Mrs. Clarke that is deceased. As ]t is a third of a century since I have seen the old man I was inadvertently led to the Wnclusior that he had passed away.

At the anti-gambling meeting the Rev. «. , e ph Clarke said that he had lived in the Vicinity of a racecourse in the Old Country, ™ had his experiences. He then explained , operations of the "whisperers," those gave "'the straight tip," "stiffened" r. ™e horse, and how the horse "developed a % which showed that the Pastor's early ; education had not been neglected. Some ' nf^rt, e£S Was manes d at accepting the aid :r 01 the temperance people in the crusade, alViin 1 they might fairly be regarded as an . j®P°rtant reinforcement, seeing they are alv denouncing people who are "in their

The systematic way in which merchants'' goods are pillaged either in the London docks or on the local wharves, reminds me of the systematic pillaging during the Waikato campaign of 1863-4. Between the Land Transp°i t Corps (the " bullock-punchers") and the Naval Transport Corps (the " watermokes ") even General Cameron had to pay toll to them, when " medical comforts" were sent up to the front for the staff. Just as the Auckland merchants have to plant gloves anywhere to get their consignments to hand unnned, so medical comforts reached the front ill unlooked-for guise. Major Heaphy got some stuff, but only in a kerosene tin, while General Cameron was so exasperated at his crusted old port being sampled, that an escort, in charge of an officer, went up with one consignment. The officer determined that his charge should be untouched, and sat and slept on the cask, but even when that was done the Naval Transport found means to syphon the liquor. The water-mokes" were accustomed to run through the stores going to the front, sample the stuff, and leave it on some of the islets of the Waikato for future uset Occasionally, the " bullock-punchers" fell in. Here is an illustrative case. The word had been passed round at Drory that a consignment of "medical comforts" had been brought into camp that day by a detachment, en route for the front. Accordingly at nightfall they came in, sampled a case, and carried one into the bush, where it was duly opened. Imagine the disgust of all hands, when the package proved to be a case of castor oil. It did not tend to throw oil upon the.troubled waters, and the "bullock punchers" returned to camp sadder and wiser men. Like Bunthorne, they were crushed again."

It appears that all the pillaging is not done at the London docks. In New York the same evil practice prevails, as the commanders of the American vessels trading between New York and this port can testify. There is quite a run on Florida water, for instance. One captain determined that his consignment of the article should arrive here safely. He saw to the stowage of it, never letting his eyes get off the stuff till it was under hatches, and the hatches sealed. To his astonishment he found all the cases sampled, and the Florida water was gone. How it is done, is at present racking his brain, but he thinks it is a conundrum, and will have to be given up. It is not healthy to talk Florida water to him just now, and he is not taking any.

There were many men in New Zealand, and in our Parliament, who were opposed to granting the franchise to women, but none of the opponents of the measure were prepared to go the lengths which have been attained by one legislator in the West Australian Parliament. He stated that he had sent a detective round amongst the fallen women of the city to ask why they wanted the vote. It did not say much for the detective who was at the beck and call even of a member of Parliament to do bis dirty work. According to the veracious detective, or equally veracious legislator, these light ladies replied that " they often had members of Parliament under their thumbs at present, but if the franchise were added to their other charms,their power over lion, members would be more complete and more absolute." The vote, if granted, said this legislative Solon, "would be only used by the agitators and unfortunates in the street." If ever the West Australian women get the franchise, they will not forget this libeller of their sex. Mebcotioj