SOME-SYDNEY SKETCHES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3746, 22 May 1899, Page 2

SOME-SYDNEY SKETCHES.

(BY " SCRUTATOR.”)

\\ (ii.) J-' \AT THE HOUSE. ‘‘Parliament Buildings? Oh, yes; that’s up in.Macquarie Street; you can’t miss it, a mouldy old shop. Wo don’i brag quite so much about its beauties as wo do about ‘ Our harbour.’ ” This much from a Sydney friend, whom I interrogate as to the whereabouts of the New South Wales “ Talking Shop.” And my friend was not far wrong when he described the Council Chambers of the Mother Colony as a "mouldy old shop,” for neither its external or internal appearance can truthfully bo described as handsome. As a matter of fact, the present Parliament Buildings in Sydney form a part of what used to be known aa the old "Rum Hospital,” concerning which Dr Lang, in his history of the colony of New South Wales, gives some curious information. The story goee that- the original buildings which, of course, have been largely altered and added to, were erected by three enterprising colonists, Messrs D’Arcy Wentworth, Blasell and Riley, who put them up in return for the right of receiving a certain quantity of rum from the King’s Store, and the additional right of purchasing 15,000 gallons of spirits at a certain low rate and monopoly of selling the same. In course of time the “ Rum Hospital ” became the Sydney Infirmary, portions of which were pulled down to give space for the present Parliament Mouses, but othei parts of which remained and.were utilized. With the growth of Sydney,' however, the Parliament Buddings have become sadly behind the times. Plans for a gorgeous new building, to cost .over a million and to be erected in the Inner Domain, at the rear of the present buildings, were prepared,’ and. the foundation-stone wasdaid, I believe, with some-ceremony, as far back as 1888. Whir tho splendid Town Hall and Market Buildings;,before them as an object lesson' ‘(from the City of Sydney), the Governrh'ent ‘duglit to gb on with the work of a new Parliament Honso without further,. delgy. Perhaps they are ■waiting for Sydney to_become the Fed era 7 Capital. A VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS.

■ Duly fortified with letters of introduction >to the Hon 'Edmund Barton, the Premier (thei Hoh George H. Reid) and other political big'wigs, I had no difficulty in getting a capital seat—-a front seat, in faot-^in.“Mr Speaker's Gallery’’ in the afternoon of the opening day of the short and special .session, held, for the express purpose of once more passing-the Federal Enabling Bill;) T The formal opening had taken place, at- noon. Prior to the opening of the proceedings I enjoyed a chat with “Mr Speaker” himself, Sir Joseph Abbott, aT courteous gentleman who has frequently l visited New Zealand, and who gay© me a very.hearty welcome. My seat was to the right of the Speaker’s chair (on some cross benches which run up to within an arm’s length of the Ministerial benohes);“and almost' immediately behind the seat ocoupied-by the Premier, who during most of the sitting sat at the table, alongside the - Clerk of; the House. The Chamber is dong and, as I thought, very narrow; benches- being'arranged along both sides; and in rows at the further end, opposite “the Speaker. Above Mr Speaker is the ! Press Gallery; in a side gallery the Hansard ” reporters arc to, be found, on the other side fcit the ladies and members’ frieiids,andin the end - gallery congregate'such of thp public,as are interested in hiatterS legislative; There are ho special oonveniences'.m the way of desks and drawers) for . members,, jper.oly rows’■ of deathern-covered' benches with; high .backs., . If la 1 member,.wants to, write or takenOtea/he, must .useia. blotting pad on his knee or-betakeihim,to the writing-, .rooms ! or library;; 'Messengers do ’not spera to he so numerous) as in the 'New Zealand Parliament, nor 'are-the services of those who: aro presehtho' frequently in request'"bymembers. V:Apparently there is less “looking hpYHansfwp ’ ” and,.! suppose,., taking,;.up<; the wretched past. . Also, I saw ! hq>'privato secretaries hanging about. "• ■■■ ■ -! ■ “OH. MAURICE! ”

One has heard ' arid. read : not a little of the scenes : of-dis(>rdoi?-which have from time to time gained for the Parliament of New South Wales a certain unenviable notoriety, and, truth to tell, I could not well help hoping, in my innermost heart, that some -of ,the. celebrities: in row-mak-ing, gentlemen like Messrs Crick, Haynes, Sleath and - others,' would “start the 1 cir■ahParUamentaryslMigon the other side expresses it. I- did-not enjoy the inestimable privilege of-being'present at a really first-class row," hut I witnessed a few scenes whichj r alth6hgh described .by a friendly Sydney pressman as mild in the extreme, ‘ were quite, sufficient ..to prove that in point !of general Behaviour, of .reward for -dignity land .decency; the Parliament of- New Zealand is miles ahead of that of New' South-Walesr-After a-few questions, rather curtly answered, it seemed to me, by some mild fun began, several members ‘ badgering” the Premier as to a .certain cablegram al<eged to have-been, received.by him from the Attorney-Geiieral,lMr “Jack” Want, then in- London, on the subjeetcf the new Snabliiig Bill. * My ,Reid fenced adroitly md neatly, and the matter soon dropped. Next Came.n. long debate! on -a technical n oint—the • setting; up tof a. committee to the Address-in-Reply. A merely forihal matter, it whs-'made'the subject of a very nasty .attack'on the Government ’iy ■■ the 'redouhtablb Jack' Haynes, foraerly member; for. .forget his present/constituency, Haynes wanted he committee to .be ballotted for, and ound this question auseless.,/time-wast-ing, bitterly frivolous wordy war raged ar well-nigh lid not interest me-^-it,'could not well’inchest anybody—hixt it served to show me bow weak, how' pathetically weak is the ule of “Mr Speaker ”, in the New South .Vales Legislative ‘Assembly. Five or six Members would speak at once; one would ise from his seat and rush up to the foot ■f the, table arid excitedly addres the ipeaker on an alleged point of order. He lid not even define his point of order, or ry to, but wandered-off. into side chan ’•els, mostly containing a. turgid flow of •ondemnation of the Government. Other . Members would 'then “ chip in;” until it eemed as if Babel itself were let loose. Then the long', gaunt'form' of Sir Joseph Vbbott would rise from the Speaker’s Chair, and the so-called guardian of the dignities of the House would blandly r,nd mildly “ bleat ” out—“bleat ” is the only suitable expression—something like ‘Ms:’ “Really, gentlemen, if'honourable members continue ;to make‘ these continual interjections and interruptions, it : s impossible for, mb to maintain-due’ order,” and so' forth, ‘ Then would' come .a 'nil for a few, mnutes, and ,then Babel again. “Oh; for-a few-minutes of Sir Maurice- CTRorke.” What, a time, What, ? remarkahlv disagreeably time, of it the Mugless word-spouts of the Sydtaey House '■ould have could Sir Maurice only occupy •he Chair for-a day or-two. - Why; the owdiest of our scenes on this side are as •ositively milk-and-watery proceedings as ompared with what' is almost.of daily oc''.urreuce in Sydney. • * -

TIIE PREMIER. Meanwhile, .through all'the din and .dis- . arder, regardless ' of sneers and jeers, ~nd ugly epithets in more than merely ■Parliamentary “asides,” Mr Geoirge ■; oust on Reid, Premier of Xew South Wales, is calm and unconcerned. He is • aim and unconcerned for the very good 1 -eason that most of the time he is,asleep! dumour hath it that Mr Reid is never so watchful and wary as when h« is, to all

outward appearances, coHirtiug, and winning the embraces of Morpheus, but this be as it may be," if this present deponent did not hear Mr Reid snoring more, than once that first afternoon" sitting of dip; session, he must have been suffering froth severe deafness. A man of short to medium—height, Mr Reid is like; Hamlet, “fat and scant of. breath.’ The well-known caricatures of clever ‘Hop 1 in the “Bulletin” hit him off exactly:; The partially bald pate, tire full fat face, with a more than plenteous double chin, the formidable corporation (not atoned for, as in the New Zealand Premier’s case, bv a height which carries it off) the general “pursiness” of the body, the famous single eyeglass. “Hop” has got Mr Reid “down to the ground.” Ordinarily his attitude is one of mild indifference, you might almost call it apathy ; the eyeglass screwed up in the left eye is seemingly fixed in quite permanently; the vast corporation reposes neath the cover of the projecting table—he is either half asleep or at best, not interested. But let a single point be made, lot a single interjection drop or interruption be made which is the least degree pertinent to a matter of importance, and behold the difference. The eye brightens, the face turns up and fronts the house, ranging the house “fore and aft” as it were; the pencil is busy at work jotting down a necessary note, and in a minute or two, on the first opportunity, there is a neat astute reply or remark, a telling interjection, and someone has got a“Roland for his Oliver.” . Mr Reid is admitted by ail who know the New South Wales Parliament to be the readiest, most direct, most point-seizing and'point-making debater in the Assembly, hut of course ho has his detractors, who allege he is only “a platform-man.’ On the other hand his admirers assert that whether on a platform or in his seat in the Assembly ho is the “brainiest politician in all Australia.” His genius for getting out of an awkward position is by this time a matter of celebrity. REED AND FEDERATION.

Mr Reid is desorbed as a “demon to work,” and certainly for the last six months at least he has had a tough row to hoe. There are those who will tell you that “George Reid is done, thoroughly played out, cooked like a dinner,” and so on, but the same George Reid has got out of so many awkward corners in the past, arid has so often, “come out on- top” just as his opponents were laying the flattering unction to their souls that he was irretrievably discredited, that I can hardly believe that his term of power is any way near its termination. Ho is fighting big fight just now against localism; his old ally and, until now, faithful supporter, the “Sydney Daily Telegraph,’’ would fain rend its erstwhile hero in pieces, and his armour, and his weapons are respectively weakened and blunted by the fact that but a year or so ago he was vigorously attacking some of the main features of the very scheme he now supports. But George Houston Reid is not a man to be dismayed by a host of foes, and obstacles in his path he; has- a trick of shoving on one side with an ease that is quite marvellous. Also ho knows, men—“knows” men in the political sense —-and is a pastmaster in the art of securing support, where support, to the outside world, a world that is ignorant of the hundred and one devices which can be brought into play by a ruse political leader, would be deemed impossible of attainment. Like 1 Major Bagstock in “Dombey and Son,” he. is “cute, sir, cute, and, ahem, . d——- —-h sly,” and despite the provincialism of Sydney, the shrieks of the old “Cabbage Tree” Party, and the frantic' appeals of the “Telegraph” to local selfishness, I believe that Reid will win and New South Wales will vote Federation. after _ all. however, the majority will i be'sufficiently heavy to convince the Council that further Opposition .is .. useless, is ariother matter. But. first of all George' Reid wants the “Yes” vote. Time, was when he wanted “No.” He has been called Mr “Yes,” “No” Reid, and doubtless there is some truth in the sneer. But sneers at his inconsistency nptwithstaridj mg, Mr Reid, whatever he may have none in the pas t t,( is.tp-day going bald-headed for and" that he' may or may not'be genuine .and siricefe in his recent coriversion has nothing t0..d0 with the fact that his preserit game is Federation. And Mr Reid “always plays the game.” “TOBY” BABi'tON—THE -LEADER OF, THE OPPOSITION. ;

As a matter of fact there is 'no real Opposition, in New South "Wales ..Parliament just now, ' that is no Opposition Party pledged and determined to turn out the Reid Government. Federation is on and in the “Sturm and Drang” or Federation fighting the--ordinary “ins and outs” question has for the time been iost sight of. It will come up again in due course, when Mr “Yes-No” Reid may have a tighter corner than ever to get out of, but to-day, the-leader of; the :Opposition is, mirabile dictu,- dauntlesslyi supporting the Premier, and the.twain are united against the malcontents on the big question, the only question,' of the day. One afternoon' in, the Assembly was quite . enough to convince ine, r ;that, for the time being at’least, the Hon Edmund Barton is content to leiave' side issues and purely party points alone. He wants. Federation, .and if; he can get it through Reid, his opponent in general politics, well, let it come through Reid. There are those—there are always such—who say that Mr Barton wants Federation for his own ends, wants it-big Federal billet, and so on, but those who know “Toby” Barton—as he is affectionately nick-named—-laugh to scorn such a suggestion. Barton, like' Reid, is' a“‘big man”—l mean a big man mentally. .With, his short, thick-set figure,' with, a fine’,‘ clean-shaven, clear-cut face he reminded me, as I sat watching him in the Assembly of which he is such an ornament, of the portraits of Lord Russell, : the famous judge. As an ' orator - he ’ is unquostonably Reid’s superior;’ he has the gift of speech, measured,. graceful cultured speech, as it is ■ ,given to few public men to possess,., hut politicians-r-Mr Barton does not possess a tithe of the energy, the industry, the special, peculiar aptitude for the rhere business of politics that are owned by ins rival. One hears stories of his missing divisions, being personally much more interested in the relative merits'of Plato and Shakespeare, which he may be discussing at his club; he has neither mind nor inclination for the wearisome, but, to ' the leader, necessary minutiae of politics; he troubles himself none too much as to the best means of “keeping the party together”—in a.hundred small ways, he is Reid’s inferior as a practical politician. But with the public, especially the well-educated public outside the House, his is a name to con jure with; he can stir and move great audiences; he is accredited with- being a .statesman .— : Reid, be it always remembered, is a politician!—he can inspire enthusiasm and confidence. Evejryone knows, however, that is everyone who .has seen aught of the inside track , of, politics, the race is not always to the best educated, the most cultured, the broadest minded, and ‘so With many, the verdict is—Reid first, Barton nowhere. But Reid’s trouble is this—He is now committed—vulgarly speaking—“up to the neck” to Federation. If the colony says “yes” he will score, it is true, but Barton, who said “yes” when Reid was bawling ‘*110” has been saying “yes” all along, will score much more heavily. Hence, say the scoffers, you will see Reid shove Barton into a big federal billet in order Lo get rid of him as a formidable rival for (ho New South Wales Premiership. The Federal vote next month, you see, means much both to Barton- and Reid. “JACK HAYNES.” , . s This letter has, so fan been all politics, and on the principle of “going the whole

hog” as well,; I suppos'e', go on a little further With the same topic. I was not pkirticularly struck by the Quality of the delivered in the Assembly. .Ifhe (Btq|iewhaij notorious CHok ivas very' jquie|;‘j>n the fikst occasion I attended the .debates) indeed he made, in a ver.V quiet, TM|t deliberate .and effective way, some of rhb best points of the-dayMr llichard Sleath;%ho is virulent of tongue at times, was not in evidence, and the only one of the “rowdy-dowdy” boys of the Assembly who was in the least up to his reputation was Mr Haynes. He made some smart .hits -at- the— Sleepor;" he spbkS'witlT much force and, so it could not be denied, very' logically, hub it is evident that the oflee redoubtable "Mudgee” is to-day a spent, volcano- so far as the influende-ef--his speeches is conacrned.-; cßufi y-thcniglnlip be truculent and vulgar, onet'cannot''!ie 1 p liking the man, for pe is undeniably -witty,- and even when he says his'“nastiest” tilings, ho is uncouthly jovial in manner, and one seems to imagine that what the tongue says the* heatt'xlocs not always confirm. Dozens of stories of Jack Haynes’ “good things” are,on record.. It is chronicled of him. that he ence,,jn the paper he then edited,, reported on Opposition meeting as follows; —“,A monster Opposition meeting had been announced for last night , at (say Mudgee) to further .the candidature of Mr :—. Two Ministers wer'e'jpresent.” VOu another occasion, 1 when'a vote for assistance to gold pros- [ spbetors camri up hr the 1 House, he de- ; scribed-' "ft now' 'departed '• Now- South : Walies-politician,.Mr Nininn Melville, as I finding. gold in the mouths of defunct I clients when in the course of his profes-i-siona!, pursuits .he disturbed their long i homos (Mr, Melville was, I beliovo, in private, life, an undertaker!) The Assembly had., tp roar, willy nilly, on a . third ''occasion ‘ when, on a question of a grant to .the’ National Art Gallery, Mr Haynes complained," jn ' mock’patnetio tones,-that at-was' altogether too bad for Mr So-and-so ja:-bucolic-looking member) Wjhbidiad his portrait bn every liiUstard tin in the colony', do be niggardly in his view's about. State patronage of the fine arts ! Occasionally; lip . wan more rude than witty,; ,:;; He was; ispdaking; in the Assembly one day, when some sceptical member) cried out: “Titus Oates! Titus Oates!” , Mr Haynes was not iff the least disconcerted. “Tight as oats! Tight as oats—l can: assure ■ you,' Mr Chairman (the, HoUso. was in committee) , I can assure you I’m,, not: as tight (mentioning a prominont adversary who had just retired to; “sleep, it off.’’) Mr Haynes Was .formerly 41 strong .supporter of Mr Reid and it was' vastly amusing to mo to listen laffectpdly' pathetic but soinewhat; stinging itppeals to his quoudanrphmf to'.“remember the days,” etc., rihen,;. he,, Mr, Haynes,, i. and bis . then friend Mr, Reid,,,.iver,e;,,staunch “No’s.” i Theij.^Eybrglaes'ed'^' Sleeper)” turned his ; head,.so’T. noticed) :,at. this, smiled [ sadly—and' then-,went, to sleep again! Mr Reid in.‘‘Yeftf’ Reid just) now', and being qpsen&ally. a practical.. man, .references 'to arid t-ppiindprs of. his'“No’' attitude, ,4 dpn'fc ttbubje. i him hi the Toast. “It 'amfisies, Jack Jlayrres, but it dobsin’t. fatter" pile .(jot/’, so at’ least I the smile l ,,tpe l slirwg, l and the pntp plumber,'ariri; no -doubt the Prpmie^-.was (ijght., , It’s, not the past that troubles'Premiers,' but"tlie .present, and: ip, ' muc h' greater degree, the future. ‘ - V /.OJ*! STRAY NOTES.

j : The ; tNeW South Wales Assembly sits ••late krid tofteri ? indeed,, of date .tears, it [has been sitting' -on wu - average about sevenTrpcmths/ in .the, year. , .Which must be 1 - tryingto niembers. But it only sits forir ]daj?s' a "week and I fancy thb'coiniriitirdb'.ivofk; S’ppfi so. arduous as it is - 6f i 6 l f‘herb!'“ ‘Members ’get paid £3OO a year,, and they ,earn it. Elections, from; ,what !l heard from more than one ! legijlatpri, ,>vho was.spre on the subject, faftfl apparently. 1 riot in the least ciisini clirifjdt|;o;; expatiate, gresy freely, on his | wpeg putside'r from, another_ colony, qxdensive.'to ..fight; living (for of'.Parliament) in Sydney and the length ; op;,’ d is rougK on a man who iprivato business to look after. So in the Assembly you find a laiyrer uro-Iportion-of—tlie-.-non-effectiye’-aiicl “nou.produoing” class than in this colony, and 'this ‘ evil is evidently increasing. Federation, when it comes, will help, t,Q .kill, the ever-growing local “roads bridges’.”Moment : in Australian politics, remain^‘to-be] srien, 1 but I "do know that many far-seeinjj'iarid'pnblic-sliirited men. in Nea; South Wales will vote “Yes” next month,because they think Federation'will 'cfbate ,a'healthier, broader and more, tamely (colonial; spirit.' Meanwhile ithe,,, HppsoVis 'a ..pleasant enough club. iThece is a.Bellamys,; of course, and, according, to popular rumour, many of tho I disorderly serines in tho : House,” which kfford the’ Sydney evening papers such fertile subjeotsrfor-Striking “scare-lines” hs the'Yankees say, are not unconnected ■with the fact that members patronise the Irefiieshmenit room riot ■ wisely but too well.. —■ -Tlie general convenience of the House, in the way of lobbies, reading and writing booms, etc., are not in tho least superior to those'enjoyed by members of j the New Zealand Parliament—indeed I thirik.it js. the other way round. There is q, iinb.' iibtaty of 'over 30,000 volumes, rich, ’df''<x>riree J ]; “Australiana but the shelf aria floor rdo'rii is_ cramped, arid I Relieve we have in Wellington, in iaur present tumbledown buildings, a much .largey and mo re valuable collection bffjbdqfg jthaji;thoy;liav.e in Sydney, ~ - i(To 'be continued.)