TABLE TALK.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 998, 17 April 1891, Page 21

TABLE TALK.

The Minister’s little confab with the contractors is one of the most important political events of the week. M!r Seddon was very emphatic about the necessity for the Engineer-iii-Chief. That officer stands in the position of arbitrator between the Government and the contractors. He is retained by the Government to do justice. He costs a great deal less than any tribunal would cost, he knows more than any tribunal could know—-for as a rule tribunals never know anything, speaking, of course, technically he may be trusted, and whatever he does he does rapidly. It is clear from thi3 that there must always be an Engineer-in-Chief of some kind, whatever you like to call him. It is a comfortable reflection for the top men of the Department of Public Works.

Why Mr Buckley should have gone up to Auckland to meet the Governor who wa3 not there, to consult with a colleague who had already left, passes comprehension. He went up in the Hinemoa. He turned tlie Hinemoa round again, and tie came back in her, like the famous French Kin <*, who took an army up a hill, &c. 5 &c. ° It has been gravely suggested that this was a political move of a deep and sinuous character. Well, I suppose the course of the steamer was sinuous ; necessarily ; it would be impossible for her to go straight from Auckland to Wellington, whichever way you took her ; and the sea on the roadjwas deep. But these circumstances are not political. That the Colonial Secretary could affect the Te Aroha election by just making a hop, step and a jump on the Auckland wharf is one of those things which can only be accepted by a mind diseased by the too eager pursuit of rumours.

Perhaps we shall be next told that the Colonial Secretary wanted to feel the air which the delegates returning from Sydney were about to breathe, so that he might have the first sniff of any political change impending in their favour. Undoubtedly there is a section of the community—whether growing or not remains to be seen-r-which believes that the great question of Federation ought to be made the test question in our politics. This section is firmly persuaded that nothing will turn the Government out except a successful movement led by the other side in the direction of Federation. The hour is coming, but where is the man ?

Sir Harry Atkinson is a believer in Federation, but he sits at the top in another place. Captain Russell is likewise a believer in Federation, but he agrees with Sir Harry that the measure by which Federation is to be compassed is defective in the important consideration of the finances. How can he lead if it is a question of the Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing hut the Bill 1 However, we shall hear all about it presently, I daresay, from the Captain himself through the medium of some enterprising journalist.

These delegates on landing will find another kind of Federation in process of completion. It is a Federation represented by the long contracts which aro being secured by the enterprising Mr Nelson, the Napoleon of the meat market in New Zealand and elsewhere. There is a keen struggle going on, as anybody may see by the telegrams in the daily papers, the representative of Messrs Weddell and Company, of London, being active in travelling about and very energetic in addressing agricultural and pastoral people, warning them not to cut themselves off from future improvements in the trade by long contracts. That struggle, whichever way it turns, will bring benefit to the grower. Moral: At last the grower has got into a position in which everybody respects him. A few years ago he was under everybody’s feet. At Hawera Messrs Weddell’s representative had a long talk with the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the upshot of which was to prove very clearly the correctness of your guess about the chief though hidden subject of discussion at the Meat Conference last week. That subject was freight. It still continues freight, the whole meat question just now is freight. The grower wants to pay less freight, and he seems pretty determined to carry his point.

Talking of freight reminds me of the competition to which the trade is subjected. There is the South American competition. The meat, says Mr McFrost, is black and small ; nobody cares for it. That may be all very well, but the fact is that the meat sells, and as long as it sells it must be a rival. In the presence of such a quantity as the Plate people seud yearly, and in view of their enormous supplies, it does not do to play tricks with our trade.

Another competition is ofithejlive meat trade from America and Canada. Mr Plimsoll has a word or two to say about that in some of his later publications. The horrors of the passage which .be describes are absolutely beyond belief. Here is one. The cattle must never lie down, no matter how exhausted and weary they may be. When once they succumb nothing must be done to put them out of their misery for fear of losing the insurance. The result is that every resource of cruelty is employed to keep the poor beasts on their feet, and the most revolting apathy disregards their sufferings when once they are down. Paraffine, for example, is poured into the ears of the exhausted beast, who when the oil reaches the braiu becomes fairly mad with agony. An awful piteous sight ! Another method is to stuff the ears with hay and to set it alight! You have often seen a stockman screwing a beast’s tail. Imagine the screwing to go on until the tail snaps off! That is a common incident on board these ship 3. From the humanitarian point of view enough can be said to fill volumes, from a warm expression of sympathy to an excited demand for the instant execution of the brutes who disgrace their human nature by such practices. From the business point of view these practices are absolutely consoling. It is impossible for meat which has been brought over alive under such circumstances to compete successfully with that which has been brought over dead, and decently buried in cool chambers. ,

These stories and many others are quoted by a writer on Mr PlimsoU’s authority, fortunately, as his own is rather unreliable. For example, he tells us of a ship which was sent to sea with a very heavy timber cargo. She capsized,, she turned bottom uppermost, she got rid of her deck cargo, she righted, all her sticks standing, all her sails in order, every rope of her running and standing gear exactly as when she turned turtle, and only two men were drowned 1 This artist left out the chief point of the story, which is that the captain on the bridge resumed the expectoration of tobacco juice which had been interrupted by his involuntary plunge into the water.

The centre of the great American cattle trade is suggested of course by any reference of the above kind. The centre is Chicago—Chicago, the wonderful city of Lake Michigan, which very nearly gave us a big fire the other day. The story certainly contains the biggest thing on record in theatre fires. The police marching in with loaded revolvers and keeping order, performed a service rare as it is beautiful. Tbe commandant of police must be a man of singular presence of mind and force of character. An unrehearsed effect is the touchstone of a man.

There are unrehearsed effects and unrehearsed effects. That was one of one kind at Chicago. Another I remember once to have heard of as of a kind once common in Italy under the Austrian occupation. When an audience refused to be quieted —-and Italian audiences were very terrible in those days—the curtain used to fall, and when it was raised again a detachment of whitecoated soldiery were disclosed with loaded muskets pointed at the audience, an officer standing by ready to give the word. That produced order always, even in less time than was required by the Chicago policemen.

Chicago, by the way, gave us a wonderful fire in 1871. Perhaps most people have forgotton that 17,000 buildings were

lost an that occasion, that 100,000 people were homeless, while only 200 lives were lost, and that the value of ninety millions’ worth of property went up to the heavens in smoke. In 1874 there was a little flutter of a million with 600 houses—a mere bagatelle—the fire of this week being the third of consequence in the history.

We talk about the wonderful growth of our colonial towns. An Australian when he mentions Sydney and Melbourne thinks that he has got to the ne plus ultra, the climax, the big instance of phenomenal growth. Both these cities existed among the forties, when Chicago was founded. Chicago has now <850,000 inhabitants, more than the inhabitants of the two Australian cities put together, and not one ounce of gold was used in promoting the wonderful development. Corn, meat, timber, concentring lines of traffic —these are the legitimate sources of the most astonishing prosperity on. the face of the earth.

Another unrehearsed effect was the explosion at Shelly Bay, the cause of which the inquest is endeavouring to discover by force of very careful rehearsing. There are two parties who have had their say, one leaning on ofhcial publications, the other groping in the chaos of impromptu experiments. If you listen to one you think that guu.cotton is one of those humorous and irresponsible products of chemistry which ought never to be used under any circumstances whatever. If you pm your faith upon the other you get a sort of dim idea that unless gun cotton is absolutely thrust upon your drawing-room fire your house cannot be considered safe in the eye of any insurance agent. What more we are to get out of this inquiry remains to be seen. At present it is adjourned, and all remarks must follow suit.

Another enquiry of the time is the Kakanui. It is remarkable chiefly tor the extreme caution of some of the witnesses. One declared that she was a vessel fit to go anywhere, but that he would nevertheless not have given her a long sea certificate. Another said she was a perfectly safe boat, but it would not do to go to the Macquarries in her ; and more of that kind. But caution is the leading virtue among the Scotchmen of New Zealand, especially down South. Don’t we know that men who run across the sea never leave their characters behind them ?

By the way, there was a foolish hoax the other day about this vessel. A paper was picked up aud dated the Cliatliams, 3rd January, purporting to come from the Kakanui off those islands, and wanting assistance. But the fact is that the Kakanui only left the Macquarries on that date, which proves the little hoax to have been deliberately planned. A man who doeß such a thing has not got the soul of a man. It is a singular fact that in all catastrophes of this kind people are fond of playing with the most sacred feelings of their fellow-creatures. Years ago I remember a vessel was lost with a crowded complement of passengers —the City of Dunedin was her name—and hardly a day passed without the publication of some deliberate invention in the shape of a report of her having been seen at some point or another on the coast.

2 Mr Hatch, whose name frequently crops up in the course of the Kakanui enquiry, appears quite in the light of a distinguished traveller, who apparently kept apart from his men, carried his own stores, and did not feed on the common stuff that was served out to' them. We shall probably have a literary venture some of these days from the pen of the distinguished traveller himself. He has already published a little brochure, in which he recounts the history of the Kakanui, and everything which led up to her departure and final disappearance. There is room for explanation, and there is perhaps occasion, too, but occasion is the last thing that people require who add to the world of books. Just now, of the making of books of travel there is no end.

A very remarkable one is about to be begun. Of course the lady traveller who is to write it, who equally of course is American, will give ua her experiences when she returns from her African tour. The correspondents have industriously told ns that she intended to travel somewhere in the West Coast regions—on the Cameroons, Niger, somewhere there. She herself told an interviewer, aud I think she ought to know, that she intends to BtartfromMombassa, boundfor the famous mountain of Kilimanjaro. It is a very old route, and it is not the least dangerous of the African routes. _ The lady is young and very pretty, if the picture in the Pall Mall Gazette can bo depended upon, eked out by the enthusiastic journalist’s description of blue eyes, delicate white hands, rings, &c., &c. She is pretty now, but what will she be when she returns from the mountain with the long name ? That is to say, if she ever does return. Of course, if she does not return she will not be pretty—the mortal part of her, at all event 3. -She is about to attempt the feat successfully performed by the lady in Moore’s story, who travelled from one end of the green isle (the gem of the sea) to the other with no other guardian for liar beauty and her jewels than a beautiful white wand. But I have never

heard that the people of Africa are quite Buch lovers of law and order as were the Irish of that ancient time so enthusiastically described by the national poet. The lidy does not appear to be of the same opinion either, for during the interview she produced a pair of beautiful revolvers, apologising for the absence of ornament from their butts by remarking that she had got past the age of ivory mountings and nonsense of that kind. She meant business, this woman. She did not intend shooting anybody, but she intended always to have the revolvers ready as a last resort. Her companion used to be a stewardness of a ship, whose chief qualification appears to be that she has heard a great many stories of African travel. She is to act as cook as well as stewardess in the African caravan. The two ladies are to bo the only Europeans, and they are to be carried in a cane chair specially made for them.. As to the costumes the ladies are to wear, the lady has described them with a considerable minntenes3 and elegance, seeming to be under the impression that it matters a great deal what she wears in those regions and how she looks, wherein, of course, she is a true woman. What is she going for 1 Well, she says that everybody will be doing the African tour one of these days, and then there will be no more aboriginals in the native state to be seen. She i 3 determined to go and see the country for herself before it getatoocivilizadandmonotonous. Where will she go after she has done the mountain ? That is a secret which is kept locked up in the lady’s own breast. Will she ever get there ? She flashes her blue eyes on the reporter and moves her ruby lips into the form known as Cupid’s bow,, whereupon that enthusiastic judge of character gives her a passport through all the infernal regions lying on every part of the earth’s surface, Africa included. But he is diffident, after all, of his own testimony, for he adds other testimony, which is certainly well known. M. du Chailiu, the polite Frenchman, is a friend of hers ; Mr Stanley, the impolite Welshman, also is in that category ; Mr Ward, who differs from Mr Stanley on all other subjects but this one; is likewise there ; and they all agree that the lady will certainly get to the mountain and back to the coast. Let us hope that three such experts, aided by the enthusiastic reporter, may prove true prophets. We wonder if the lady has hus band ? We presume from the fact of her intending to make this wonderful journey that she had not. If she has lot her beware how she enters the French portion of Africa. Jealous husbands there are the curled darlings of the community. Quite recently a newspaper editor, of Algiers, thought he had reason to suspect his wife, and he quietly planned the double murder of her self and the gentleman whom he did the honour to suspect, carrying out his plan with great deliberation and coolness. There was no evidence whatever of the guilt of either, nevertheless the jury before whom ho was tried absolutely acquitted him.

Hardly an authority on morals you would think, this man—about as good an authority as his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, who represents the opposite extreme. Now his Grace the Duke of Marlborough is wall known as an habitud of the Divorce Court. How many times he has been there everybody knows. How many times he ought to have been there everybody can count. When you speak of the Duke of Divorce everybody knows that you speak of his Grace of Marlborough. He has written lately to the Fortnightly Review an article on public life and private morals, the principal point of which seems to be that the world is a great deal too much on the side of jealous husbands in all these little affairs ; that really it is quite absurd for people to envy the pleasures and successes cf the gay Lothario ; that Lothario is really a person indispensable to society ; that on point of fact so many great men have been Lotharios that it i 3 fair to conclude that they would no have done the eminent public services they did hai they ordered their lives in conformity with the absurd standards of Mr 3 Grundy. The outcry, says the Duke of Divorce which has driven Mr Parnell from the leadership of his party, “ is one of the most demoralising outbursts which have ever been seen in this country.” “ Demoralising ”is good ; quite as good as the verdict of the Algiers’ jury. The Duke of Divorce has as much courage and as total a want of humour as his great ancestor who made the fortune and evil reputation, both of which the family has preserved intact to the present day.

The Now Zealand Company’s R.M.S, Ruapehu, from London, should arrive here on Monday morning.

A meeting of the Wellington Poultry, Pigeon and Canary Association was held on Wednesday at the Association’s rooms, Manners street, T. J. Leighton being in the chair. The Canvassing Committee reported that several valuable specials had been contributed by the citizens, who had responded liberally to the appeal. It was decided to write a letter to Mr J. 8. M. Thompson, Esq., the president, who was leaving for Australia, thanking him for his past liberality and enthusiasm in the affairs of the Society, and wishing him prosperity in his now venture. As furthei proof of his interest he has offered a valuable gold medal for tbe best light Brahma cock or cockerel at tha coming show.

T.iree members of the Education Board, Dr Newman, Messrs A. W. Brown and F. H. Fraser, paid a visit to Porirua and Oharin on Tuesday and selected situs for the school teachers’ residences.

Sir Harry Atkinson is expected to arrive in Wellington, on his return from the Federation Conference, on Wednesday. Sir Harry’s health has been anything but good during his visit to Sydney. The Government have decided to take on 40 extra clerks for making up the census returns, and over 300 applications have already been received. The Coloninl Secre. tary intends selecting the required number out of tbe list of applicants at once. The following gentlemen were deolared duly elected on Wednesday as members of the Lower Hutt Licensing Committee Messrs C. W. Brown, F. Cooper, D. Hayes, J. K. Ransom, and J. Wilkins. Mr R. K. Jackson acted as returning officer. It is now definitely stated that owing to the abnormal amount of unauthorised expenditure—especially in the Railway Department the surplus from last year, though very satisfactory, is not as large as expected by Sir Harry Atkinson. The attempt being made to float the Weathersfield, which went ashore on Otaki beach have been so far successful that this week the vessel was shifted some 60ft to 70ft seawards, and now she is square out to sea instead of broadside to shore as before. At the monthly meeting of the Horowhenua County Council, held at Otaki, on Saturday last, April 11th, a large amount of business|was transacted, including the acceptance of tenders for the balance of main county road formation from Shannon to Tokomaru, the value of the contracts let being over £2OOO. The Government have not yet received tha report of the Royal Commission on the Shelly Bay disaster, and it is understood that nothing will be published until the close of the inquest into the cause of the deaths of Heighton and Densem, as the Government consider the report might affect the decision of the jury one way or another. The Railway Department have made application to tbe Government for the sum of £40,000 —to be supplied out of loan—for the purpose of increasing, on open lines, plant, etc. The sum voted last year for the purpose was £12,000, but in view of the restricted borrowing powers of the Government, this amount will probably be considerably cut down. - , - The Hon R. J. Seddon, Minister of Public Works, has received communications from Oamaru, Timaru, and Dunedin, suggesting that the unemployed should be engaged at wages, instead of under contract, as proposed. The Minister has declined to grant the request, contending that previous experience has taught him that under tha wage system the Government do not get fair value for their money. An inquest was held at the Hospital on Wednesday by Mr Eb. Baker, Coroner, on the body of a man named Charles Hastie, v,ho had died at tbe Asylum on Wednesday. The medical evidence went to show that the cause of death was general paralysis of the brain, and the jury, of which Mr Forster was foreman, returned a verdict to that effect. The deceased, who was about 50 years of age, had been in the Asylum since 1887.

Messrs T. Campbell, J. Hooper, E. Monaghan, W. J. Monaghan, and W. R. Trotter were on Wednesday nominated for the Karori Licensing Committee. As the num. ber of candidates did not exceed the number required, the above-mentioned gentle, men were duly declared elected. The following nominations were reoeived for the Johnsonville Licensing Committee :—Messrs M. Atkinson, D. Braid, T. Bowler, E. G. M. Corlet, J. Grierson, and W. Warcup. A poll be. taken on the 21st insfc. A Bitting of the Bankruptcy Court will be held on Monday next. Applications for discharge will be made as follow : —Furness Brothers, Warmington and Co., W. S. S. Stanton, J. Hendersou, L. McGovern, D. Doig. Applications to close bankruptcies and fix date of discharge will bo made in the following estates : Wm. Murrell, S. Hopper, G. J. McEwen, J. S. Allen, E. J. Mclntosh, and T. H. Hill. Mr Justice Edwards will probably preside. MajorsNewalland McCredieon Wednesday conducted an examination of candidates for commissions iu the Volunteer force at the Mount Cook Barracks. The candidates were—Lieutenant laherwood (Wellington Rides), for captain’s certificate ; Lieutenants Bell (Naval Artillery), Johnston, and Pearce (D Battery), for Lieutenants’ certificates. The candidates were put through the practical portion of their examination at the parade of the Naval Artillery the same night.

The many friends of Mr Miohael Carr, until lately in charge of the produce department of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, will be pleased to hear of his promotion to the position of agent at Gore. Prior to his departure he was presented by the staff with a handsome souvenir, in token of their esteem and regard. During his stay here Mr Cart has made himself deservedly popular, and will be greatly missed by all with whom he has come in contact. A large number of his friends assembled on the wharf to bid him good-bye, and wish him success in his new sphere of duty. The report of the Royal Commission into the Shelly Bay gun cotton explosion was handed to His Excellency the Governor on Wednesday. The Commissioners —Captain Castles and Lieutenant White—have, it i 3 understood,confined their main report to the technical issues in the enquiry, but have also forwarded to His Excellency the whole of the evidence of those examined by them, and added their own deductions therefrom. The officers named are men of exceptional expert knowledge, the former having had over 25 years of continuous active service, aud the latter over 22 years, so their report will doubtless prove of great interest, more especially as so much expert evidence has been called in connection with the coroner’s inquest. The Governor will probably telegraph the result of tha Commissioners’ reporfc to the Government.