LOCAL GOSSIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12955, 26 August 1905, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL GOSSIP

"Let mo have audience for a word or two." ~Blial\gspei'c.

The other afternoon someone knocked at the door of my sanctum. "Come in," called out, and there entered a short, thin gentleman, wearing the dress of a' priest Though his black, wiry hair was leaked pith grey, his face, which was clean shaven was wonderfully youthful looking. His eye 'attracted my attention. One wis obscured as if by a cataract; the other, of a soft bluish grey colour, sliono with extraordinary clearness. His lips wore thin and mobile, mid from lime, to Lime the tip ~f bis tongue swept across them with Hie rapidity of a weaver's shuttle. A fleck of dry blood on a (irmly formed chin showed that the razor had been used that morning. 'ft was not an uncommon face. There was nothing in it to denote any -real force, of character, or the possession of more than [ordinary gifts. The complexion was a trifle murky and sun-stained. When he spoke his voice, was low and soft, "I am Father Hays," he said, with a pleasant smile My visitor was the great apostle of temperance.

If the. rev. lather is a, rousing lecturer he js on the contrary a. gentle conversationalist —the mildest, mannered man that ever Idled a hall or stirred an audience to the cheering point. In the course of our talk he told me that he had been greatly struck with the excellent and general character of the leading newspapers of the colony, more particularly the New Zealand Hkkald, which he considered was superior to many' of the morning papers published in the big cities at Dome, lie had expected to find something very different in a country which to most people in the Motherland was a. mere speck in the far-off Pacific ocean, a dot on the map, so to speak, with nothing but a name. And this led us to talk of the ignorance which, in spite of cables and steamers and cheap postage, still prevails in Groat Britain concerning New Zealand and the New Zealandcrs. lie told me that when lie informed some of his friends that he intended to 'remain two or three mouths in the colony they were astonished, ami asked him what lie was going to or all that time among a lot of savages! The notion is still very widespread that New Zealand is overrun with Maoris, who go about in warpaint and nakedness, and hurl poisoned spears at. one another. The more intelligent aiming the masses know it as the place somewhere across the sea where the frozen mutton conies from; but beyond that they know nothing. Kven among the belter educated '.here is a eery hazy idea of New Zealand, of what and where it is, as instance lie story of ..he young Englishman who brought Home his New Zealand bride, and found that his lady friends were all agreeably surprised to discover that she was no: black, but a. while woman like themselves.

A number of telegraph linesmen have been hard at work' lately in Auckland stringing lip the shining pipeline that hangs from pest to post in loops. These pipes are leaden, and contain 52 double wires. Ymi have only to thiiik of the mesiiwork which is made by half-a-hundred double wires strung on tho insulators in the old-fashioned way to appreciate the vast improvement made by the pipe system. I am in hopes that after a while all wires will tain through insulated piping and be buried underground, so that those ghastly poles may be removed from all city and suburban streets. ' Mr. Myers has not yet persuaded the city to take up his subway proposal for till telegraph wires, gas pipes, watennains, and so forth, but the day may come and cannot come too soon, not only for the appearance of things, but for the convenience of the public.

Most of us must, forget how Queen-street looked when it was undisturbed by pick and shovel men and when it presented an unbroken sweep of shining asphalt from Wel-lesley-strecl to the wharf. We can boast if it as one of the finest streets in the colonies, but, the satisfaction it gives to ourselves, and the impression it makes upon all, our visitors at then first entry would be vastly increased if a subway system enabled all repaii work to be carried on underground. Of course I know that, the tramway repairs would always have, to be on the surface, but surely one may anticipate that, the, tramway will not keep 'wobbling in Queen-street until the end of the concession.

Referring to the tramway reminds me that I have heard it, gossiped that the company thinks of taking steps to run the cars without stopping throughout die Sunday, the reason given being the impossibility of satisfactorily dealing with the traffic that accumulates during church hours. There is certainly a remarkable accumulation, but it is unlikely thai any change would be permitted without a very considerable amount of discussion., if at all. However, we shall know more about it if the company makes a, proposition to the Council.

The weakness of the electric ear system, as possibly of all transit systems, is its noise and jangling. Churchgoers would certainly object strongly to being disturbed during divine service.'and many churches we naturally situated on the. principal streets followed by the tramlines. In Sydney, where there is' a, very heavy Sunday traffic, the tram service is suspended during church hours, and although Sydney is far from being a Sabbatarian community there appears to be no disposition to alter this.

The housing problem is causing no little interest, just now, and if something is not (lone short!v if will be necessary for the City Corporation to invest m a number of balloons, which could be anchored to a stoke in the Domain, and each made to support a wiekerwork cottage. Ido not know how the postboy or Hie butchers cart would get along in Airville, but a wickerwork cottage, say in Ether Avenue, in Airville, would have its advantages, lor there the canvasser, the dust, and the policemen would cease from troubling, and the debtor would be at rest, unless the bailiff cut the rope of the balloon. Why is it that in the heart of a city like Auckland or Wellington slum tenants should be allowed to exist, in the first place this city hasn't got anything. like a comprehensive drainage system. 11 « doesn't get it soon it will wake up to tie fact that however well slum areas may jc concealed from view, they are going to make themselves felt some summer. It is at verywell to sneak of the demand being for large and better-fitted houses; but that does"t solve the problem for the. class which cannot afford more than 10s to 12s per week home rent, and that class is being crowded together more and more, until in» very " spaee of time the slum evil will l>e a ions menace to the public health of the community.

The great majority of the wage-Mineas are men who finish their days work at live p.m. ... six p.m., and those arc the for whom every possible facility to induce, ttridenco in suburbs should be provided- am the remedy, of course, .is rapid, e Lciciit, ana convenient, means of transit. But even «"tn thai proportion of the population remo to th' .suburbs there will be still a ck which cannot hope to remove itself horn -ne immediate environs of the city, because ut duties performed while other people step, and nothing short of all-night car lo would meet their case. Then again 1 Jew is a class 100 poor to remove itself Join U.e city even with the most complete «} ban transit system in the world, and th, & where the housing problem will be somethin. to grapple with. At present than* huddling" closer and ever closer ><>H el f wretched, tumbledown, insanitary tenements, which blioura bee,, wiped off the to of the ago, and the attendant evils o - ing misery and tilth are crowing MM batten. „ in those foul alleys and byways. civic and national problem, a"" , un . faced soon it will be a big, "« v, i m on ' and healthy blot on the boasted civhsairo ofi | li: advanced legislation of this "pw adisco Pacific." A/r,, w <'ii'fiO.