TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3676, 28 February 1899, Page 5

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

A RELIC OF OLD WELLINGTON. Mr Thomas W. Pilcher writes that our memo, from thd Father of Wellington re- : garding the relic found in Willis street is misleading. “I am not aware," he adds, “ that Mr Miller ever had the same hotel, : or built a wharf. In tlie late fifties, aMr ; Swinbourne had possession of the present . Empire Hotel, and built a wharf known as Swinbourne’s where the Wonga Wonga steamer went alongside to embark passengers.' The next move was, Mr Svvinbourne sold or leased to the late Mr J. Martin; it was then converted into a : bank (New Zealand or New South Wales) ; until their new premises wore built. After that it was leased by Mr Osgood, the ! prince of hotelkeepers at that time, just ( previous to the officials of the General | Government being removed from Auck- ; land. He not only, built a Bijou Theatre, ; but put down the two tanks to catch ihc ; i whole of the rain water—two hours’heavy j rain filled them — equal to fourteen days’ i supply. They were two of four tanks of i the ship Oliver Laing, which wont ashore ; at To Aro in 1858. ' The next tenant (Mr : Moeller) had to pay £1 per day for water ' for some three weeks on account of all wells l getting dryi No rain fell in that time, and tho PolhiU’s Gully waterworks were not built.” ’ ' : I BATHING AND'BATHING. PLACES. Many parts of the, city, water .frontage are—especially at low' objectionable. The receding waters leave i exposed an uninviting expanse of green, ; garbage-strewn rocks; offensive to tho perceptive senses, in a superlative, degree. This is especially the case along the .Te Aro foreshore, Oriental Bay, and- at the bottom of Hobson street, near the railway crossing to the Esplanade. Strangely enough,however, these noisdme spots, the mere contemplation -of wmch gives the ordinary citizen a cold shudder, /are a favourite resort of the' aggregate’ small boy. In the early morning, in the evening/ on high days and holidays, the.little waifs and strays of uie Community form themselves into bathing >! ;parties, “and spend many hours in the questionable enjoyment of paddling about in’ 'tho horrible mixture of sewage and ' other abominations which laps the shore. No doubt it is desirable that’ these unfortunate youngsters should bathe frequently. It is essential, however,-that they should bo prevented from, being the medium of spreading infectious diseases by carrying about on their bodies the germs' of the many nameless horrors which are to. bo looked for at a sewer outfall. Pending tho inauguration of adequate bathing facilities, and the prosecution of further reclamation in the localities named/ something might bo done by the’authorities, in the interests of public decency and safety, to make these urchins “ move on ” —if it were only to spots with more sanitary surroundings; ; , ; / . • ■ HAND AND EYE TRAINING. Mr A. D. Riley, director of the'Technical School, entertained,’ an ..audience, * which- included tho Minister xof. 'Education and a number of; school teachers, on Saturday night, by practically illustrating the .hand and eye trailing .given to the children in the English -kindergarten schools. After enlarging ‘upon the importance of filling up the gap which exists in the colony between- the ■ kindergartens aucf“the, ordinary standards’, 1 Mi' Riley exhibited specimens- of tho work that is being done in the schools !throughout the United- Kingdom. He demonstrated how the simple cutting and- folding of paper arid the l laying of bricks were utilised .to develop the faculties of observation . and ai/cu- 1 racy on the part of very young children,' and even to give tho rudiments,of tech-i nical education ; how modelling in • card- ’ board rind cartridge -paper, or with clay.i cultivated a. large degree of manual dextorityv'atid how the arrangement of coloured paper brought out latent -powers of designing by the cultivation' of fhe'sense of colour arid form; The ; lecthrer-spoke warmly-as. to the interest the children evinced in tjiese, new forms of study/ and he expressed an earnest desire to have them introduced into the New Zealand schools. ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. In'the course of an address at Milton last night, says a Press ’ telegram, the Premier intimated -that.:the;,total number of applications /for advances under the Advances to Settlers' Act tip : to January 31st, 1899, was, 8778, amounting to £3,881,316. The Board had authorised 6023 advances, amounting to - £1,624,821: ; The whole of the, first million and a halfloan had been in vested, and up to the present no losses had been incurred. The instalments might be said to be fully paid up to, the 31st I of March,, 1898, there being but orie pay- i ment in arroar, and that would shortly! be paid. The new: loan was being lent at the rate of about £20,000 per, month, and up. to the present about £50,000 had I been invested. ,i CAST UP BY THE SEA. ’ Tho police received information yester- 1 day that a life-buoy, bearing tho name; Charles Edward, had been picked up on! the beach about eight miles from Island Bay in tho direction of Terawhiti, to- f Bother with some cases of fruit. In-: qiilnes were made by the police, Vith the ; result that they were informed that«the 8.8. Charles Edward, of the Anchor line, i had Arrived that day at Nelson from the! West Coast. Yesterday word was re-1 cmved in town from the postmaster atj Te Kopurn .that the captain •of the. schooner Isabella Anderson had reported i that on Monday of lost week he saw a mast! m tho water about twelve miles E.N.E. of! Stephen Island. The mast, which was: of Oregon pine, had been broken off level l with the pmrail, the fracture being quite I fresh, and it appeared to have belonged : to a vessel of about 300 tons. , : OLD AG H PENSIONS' . ; The. following applications for old age ! pensions- were dealt with by Mr Kenny : S.M., yesterday: —James Sawyer, 73. years of age, 46-years in colony, l £18; i Bridget McManaway, 67 years, 41 years in colony, £18; Sarah Ann Bailey, 67 ; years, 33 in colony, £18; Phoebe Ann Buck, 69 years, 40 years in colony. £18; ‘ • years, 36 years in colony, i £18; Dorothy Rex, 76 years, 35 years in colony, £18; Harriet Ryder, 65 years, 42 years m colony, £18; Emanuel Ryder, 67 years, 42 years in colony, post- ; poned for proof of dealings with business; 1 Maria Elizabeth Edwards, 65 years, 57 years in, colony, postponed till July next ; Ann Howell, 66 years ,48 years in colony, postponed for proof of what lias 'become of money for which property was sold; William Williams 73 years, 34 years in colony, £18; Mary Anri Gibson, 66 years, 49 years in colony postponed for proof of age, character and property; David Clark, 76 years 69 years in colony, postponed for inquiry as to value of property; Catherine OBnen, postponed for proof of age and property; Haro Parata te Nane, 64 or 65 years, postponed for proof of age, Ac. i His Worship said in all native cases he would require two witnesses in corroboration of plaintiff’s age. Elizabeth Martha Woodmore’s application was postponed for proof of age and character •

Henry Donkin, 78 years, over 25 years in colony, £lB, subject to proof oi character; Ann Seccombe, 66 years of age (adjourqe<f case), £lB.