LOCAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12213, 7 March 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP.

t>tdt me have audience for a word or two." —Shakespere. The people of Auckland are always delighted to see in the harbour ships of the Royal navy. They remind lis of the old war times, when we always had two or three vessels of the good old-fashioned type that has long since passed away. There are still amongst us a few old soldiers and navy men, and there are a good many of the descendants of such men, and the hearts of all these warm to the Union Jack or the white ensign. Modern men-of-war are not so picturesque as the ships of old times, with their brightlypainted portholes and high masts. Lord Nelson would never have dreamt of painting his ships so that they could not bo seen. And then are we not all agreed that the ships now in our harbour are of the " wrong colour?" It can scarcely be expected that anybody on board will understand that allusion, "as our New Zealand politics must be an intense mystery to them. But- then we are told that the colour is " French grey," and to think that we should have to adopt anything French for British warships is somewhat depressing! But plans and methods of warfare change like everything else, and in that region also, I suppose, there is " the survival of the fittest." But I dare affirm that as yet there is no change in brave hearts, and that if need be the courage of the men who fought under Rodney and Nelson would be found in those under the flag of Admiral Fanshawe.

As I have said, we are all delighted to 1 see the vessels of the Australasian squadron, and deeply regret that the exigencies of the service require them to go away precisely at seven o'clock on Sunday next. That phrase. " exigencies of the service," is a really good and useful one. We were anxious to give the fleet an Auckland welcome by turning out our yachts and boats last Saturday afternoon. But that had to be dispensed with, because Admiral Fansliawe, who probably had his suspicions that a popular reception of this kind might have something in it smacking of advanced democracy, said that the " exigencies of the service" required him to be in here at eleven o'clock. Then, when he is entreated to be good enough to signify his willingness to take up his abode in Admiralty House, he finds that " the exigencies of the service" prevent his doing so. And when it is suggested that the senior officer on the station might cover up this one of the Harbour Board, follies by talcing up his abode there he says that " the exigencies of the service" require that that officer shall make his home on board of his ship. If the admiral had used any other phrase some question might have been put as to its significance, but '' exigencies of the service" forbids all expansion or explanation, and in order that there may be no mistake the admiral is courteous enough to put it all into black and white, so that the innocent members of the Harbour Board may not be misled or have any excuse for being misled. We are all glad to know the worst, but I should like to know exactly what the admiral thinks of the Auckland Harbour Board.

There is an old saying that " He that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing." That can scarcely be said of New Zealanders, or at least of New Zealand politicians. We have been pulling at the London market at intervals almost ever since we were a colony, and the sorrowful times we have experienced have been those in which we could not make an appeal. The only question that now arises is whether we cannot keep .up the game for the rest of the natural lives of the present generation of Parliamentary voters, and then finish up by talcing Sir Joseph Ward's advice, and " snapping our fingers in the face of the London market." After the great Vogel boom we did have a period of sorrowing, "but, of course, nothing of the same kind need ever be apprehended again.

In an article in the Scottish American a New York journal—on Mr. John Foster Fraser, the traveller, the following story is told to illustrate the übiquity of the Scot: — " Once Mr. Fraser landed at a place in the Persian Gulf, and asked whether there was any Britisher about. He was directed to an isolated cottage, or corrupted hut, which was the abode, he was assured of a man who had been sent there to keep an eye on the plague. He knocked at the door, and was invited to come in. ' I hear you are a Britisher,' he said; 'my name is Fraser, and I am from Edinburgh.' 'Ah, that is interesting,' said the solitary plague inspector ; 'my name is also Fraser, and I was born at Aberdeen!' And then they fell into each other's arms." This story is all right except as to the conclusion. It has always been a common occurrence for Scots wandering in any region of the globe to fall in with another Scot. But they never, I am quite sure, " fall into each other's arms. They don't express their emotion in that way. The story would finish up much better" if Scot No/l said: "Eh, 'non, hoo's a' wi' ye?" and then producing a bottle of whisky, added, "Well tak' a dram."

What Ministers and trades unions and the Arbitration Court are doing together in the way of educating the working man 1 was shown at a meeting in Wellington the other day. A Mr. Cooper said, "There were three times as many unionists organised now as when the Act came into operation. These unions were schools of Socialism, and so the Act had clone a great educational work." We recommend this statement to the attention of Mr. Justice Cooper and Mr. S. Brown.

There is a party who resides within easy distance of the Whau institution, who devotes part of his time to digging gum. This he washes to get rid of the dirt, and then scrapes. He finds, with a little chemical application, that the water after using j mixed with the scrapings, makes a satisfactory fire-kindler with the aid of a little electricity. He proposes to patent his invention for the benefit of the community and his own profit. He is now engaged in making tests, which are partially' successful, that by withdrawing the electricity at any moment the liquid acts- as a. powerful fire-ex-tinguisher, which would be of great advantage should necessity arise in country districts, where there are no fire brigades near at hand. I can only wish him success in both of his undertakings.

Madame Melba is acknowledged to be the greatest singer of the age. That_ has not to be settled by us. It is recognised not only in London, but in Europe, by all the great judges. More than that, very many in Europe boldly assert that she is the greatest singer that lias ever appeared in the world. Music is the art of the age, and nearly all the great singers •who could be put in competition come within a century or less. Still, it is somewhat daring to give a judgment on such a point, considering that no man living can have heard all the great singers that have appeared. But . Melba is undoubtedly queen now. For power, sweetness, dramatic expression, for ev ®s"y quality of a great operatic artist, Melba is supreme. And I own that it is with pride that I, as a colonist, think that the colonies have given the world its greatest singer. It has usually been thought that the highest rank on the operatic stage had always to be conceded to a foreigner, to a Grisi, or a Patti, or an Aibam. But now an Australian beats them all. 1 lelt that pride when I saw Melba in London, the acknowledged pride of the opera,, singing to an audience where rows of boxes were filled with princes and princesses, and nobles of. every degree. And A leip that pride when in , Auckland I -saw nei receive the most splendid reception > we could give her, and in .response heard her ping Tosti's Good-bye." It has been said that the art of music had reached its culmination—that no composer of opera could hope to excel Verdi ;or Mozart, that no composer of symphony could surpass Beethoven. . But who knows whether from the fresher life of the colonies we may not find new avenues even in musical composition, as we have found . the greatest i musical artist of all time? ; Mebcutio.