A VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1352, 27 January 1898, Page 32

A VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.

A CHAT WITH MR R. C. KIRK.

SOME IMPRESSIONS OP THE MEL BOURSE TEST MATCH. '

I Mr R. C. Kirk, Mayor of PetoHe, returned I by the Wakatipu last ; w.eek, after a flying yisit toSydney and Melbourne extending over about a fortnight. He arrived in Sydney from New Zealand on a Thursday, and transacting certain private business on that day, and finding that he would have time to spare, determined to run through to Melbourne and see the second test match. Consequently he boarded the through I train on Thursday night, and arrived in Melbourne shortly after midday, and just in time to test the prevailing heat. When Mr Kirk, and a party of six other legal gentlemen from Wellington on holiday bent, but whose coming together was, strangely enough, not preconcerted, found themselves on the railway platform at Melbourne it was 95 in the shade, with the glass still rising. " Imagine the scene," said Mr Kirk to a representative of The Mail, who called upon him on Thursday afternoon, " when about 80 people rushed into a room about 10ft by 30ffc in the railway premises, to get their luggage out and have it inspected by the Customs officers. I never saw such a scramble in my life. The arrangements for the convenience of through passengers' in this respect are quite inadequate. There are four olerks there, and arrangements for some sort of a system, but no system is observed, and with everybody rushing to get away, the scene of bustle and confusion in such a heat is indescribable,"

i "I suppose the glass fell during the afternoon ?" "Oa the contrary it slowly mounted until at 3 o'clock it stood at 98. Then a sudden change took place. A thunderstorm which was anticipated came on"; the air cooled; and Ihe temperature fell to 77 (21 degrees) in half*-an-hour. By halfpast 3 the atmosphere was quite pleasant." Mr Kirk has a good word to say for the vestibule sleeping cars recently imported from America and placed upon the New South Wales lines by the Commissioners. They are luxuriously appointed, the sleeping accommodation is ample, and passengers enjoy a most comfortable time in them, provided the weather is not too warm. " They had had five such days in Melbourne," said Mr Kirk, reverting to the weather, " and it apj>eared to mo as if everybody was about knocked out." The heat had a marked effect on the wicket in the test match. For many days previously the pitch had been rolled and watered and watered and rolled, and when the s,un came aown upon it the tffect was to burn up the turf and render it as hard as asphalt. The consequence was that whnn play commenced the pitch was a biked patch in a beautifully green field, looking for all the world like a large strip of cocoanut matting. I have brought a piece along to give an idea of what it was like. Idug it out myself after the match was over." Mr Kirk hereupon produced from his pocket an exhibit which had the appearance of a surface piece of asphalt. The peaty soil on the surface of the Melbourne cricket ground had actually, under the processes which it had undergone, hardened .to that consistency. "That is what made it crumble so. badly;" confidently asserted our represent •tative, who had been reading the cable reports. " No, it was too hard to crumble," said Mr Kirk. " After they had been playing for four days there was not a sign of a block-hole in it. In the centre of the wicket there were some bad cracks tip to where the balls were pitched, but they had little or no effect on the bowling. I watched particularly, and not one rose above the batsmen's thighs. There was nothing in the shape of the wicket cutting up. "Well, the impression, we got from the reports here was that the wicket had cut up .very badly." "The bowling was splendid, but tbe wicket never bumped, and did not play particularly badly. The Englishmen probably thought the wicket was worse than it was, because they played with no confidence. The Australians, on the other hand, felt that they were playing a "winning game, and the bowling was immense. Trumble bowled the whole of the second

innings. He kept a good length all the time, and gave the batsmen no show. Trumble is a marvellous man in the slips. He fielded balls there that the spectators couldn't see, and shot them in in brilliant style."

"How-did the Australians compare with the English in the field ?" " The Australian fielding was not, perhaps, on the whole quite as brilliant as the English. Jones at mid-off is considered the finest fielder in that position in the world. Ranjitsinhji at point, too, is wonderful. He gets balls which would be impossible to any other fieldsman. I saw him make one magnificent catch, springing back and taking a ball which had apparently passed rightover his head. His fielding from the ground, right' and left, too, is marvellous. The man has simply got no wrists. The fielding in the first innings was a greater revelation to New '• Zealanders than either the batting or the*, ; bowling—especially Ranjitsinhji's.. s /'■'' " How did the batsmen impress you ?" '* " There setms to be a general impression " that Maclartn is the best batsman in the world. He opens his shoulders to everything within reach. As a scientific batsman there is not a man to compare, flffth Ranjitsinhji. His wrist power isarqazing, and the ball never rises from the 'grovtnd', whatever be does, with it. He has got a wonderfully quick eye, and if anything loose comes along he is there as aoon as it is ; pitched, and standing right -before the wioket hits it to log. The crowd wais hugely pleased when it saw him bowled on both occasions, a thing that "had' not occurred for four or five years. The «rowd watched the game with intense interest (there we're 26,000~pe0p3 'oh the ground on Monday), and when it sent up a cheer the din was tremendous. When McLeod made the hit which put up the third century the sight was a grand " one. In.batting the Australians are quite as strong as the English on the Australian wickets. In bowling the colonial team is the stronger." "Tbe toss is of course an important factor!" "The general opinion is that the big matches will be won on the toss. There is great dissatisfaction with the present system, as reducing the five test matches to very much a matter of luck. There were New Zealanders on the stand there in all' directions. I didn't go about Melbourne much. Yon can see Melbourne any • time, but it is not always you can see a test match." " Did you have time to visit any of the hospitals or charitable institutions?" " Well, I didn't have very much time. I arrived on Friday, spent Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the cricket match, and returned to Sydney on Thursday, and was consequently unable to make use of the letters of introduction given me by Sir George Turner, Premier of Victoria, during the courteous and hospitable interview which he accorded ine. I visited the Melbourne Hospital. It is a i.i^J ery old Gilding, and not "so attractive externally as our Hospital here. I don't think we have anything to learn from them, except that they have special facilities'fdr pathological, study, which we have not here, but which we shall have to secure." Mr Kirk would not commit himself to %

definite opinion, but he could not see that •we had anything in particular to learn from the Victorians in the management and control:of our charitable institutions. Both in Victoria and New South Wales the system is oho lot' voluntary contribution, subsidised, by the Government and. administered by charity organisations. New operating rooms have recently been built at the Melbourne Hospital at a cost of ■£3ooo. They are well fitted up, but Mr Kirk thinks there is room for improvement in the rooms -which are to ba built in connection with the Wellington institution. In Sydney Mr Kirk missed the Premier, but had an interview with Mr Brunker, the Chief Secretary. He visited the Sydney Hospital and looked over the whole of that well-appointed establishment. Ho was much, impressed with tho medical and surgical staff, and- with the facilities for pathological study existing there. The out-patient system is carried on on a very large scale in Sydney. The nursing staff is still labouring under a system which entails 12 or 13 hours' labour in a day upon it. In the ordinary working details of the hospital Mr Kirk saw very little which could advantage us here. Turning to geneial matters, Mr Kirk said he was very much impressed with the little that is known of New Zealand in Australia. There is very little news from this colony appearing in the local papers, and that- of an inadequate character. "When you go over there," said Mr Kirk, "you seem cut off from home. You notice it a]QL< the, more when you see how much daily papers get from the ad-joining-colonies and from the Old Country in comparison with New Zealand." After a few more words on general topics bur representative withdrew.