FLOTSAM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6176, 6 April 1907, Page 7

FLOTSAM

NOTES ON THIS AND THAT. The Secldon memorial movement cannot bo said to lose its interest. Not so long ago the general committee came to the Ministry with a whole £IOO in hand, and in hand also a proposal to erect a technical school memorial, to cost £40,000. Faith. we know, though small as a mustard seed, can effect wonders, and, therefore, wo hope much from the committees £IOO, which., bv a later report, now amounts to £271 IS3 9J, “including promises.” Tho committee is to be commended for its energy at least in circularising. The responses, it is true, cannot ho said to he commensurate with the trouble taken by tho committee. One little town in Otago—the most elevated town in Now Zealand by barometrical measurement, and, in various figurative senses, more elevated, apparently. _tha 11 several of tho cities —has sent £37 towards tho National Xcr let it bo forgotten cither that Naseby was anti-Soddon during the greater part of Mr Scddon’s political career. The other towns appealed to cannot bo called uncivil. Most of theny declined to subscribe, but declined in a soft-spoken way. Two offered to have tho subscription list “exposed in the Council office/’ where, no doubt, it now looks down upon the cold as charity. The Thames decided to comply with tho committee’s request, but a poor response, which, no doubt, it received. The ingenuity of the replies reminds one of those once sont in tho case of a certain wedding. For myself the only reply that causes mo any astonishment is that from Naseby.

More interesting even than the meeting of the general committtee was that of the Lancastrians, convened by Mr J. Lewis, and held at Mr Godber’s, rooms on Thursday night. Lancastrians have always been very proud of 3lr Scddon,; and, so we were given to understand, very fond of him. Wherever you go in New - Zealand you see a maternity homo which is called St. Helen’s Hospital, a name conferred on these institutions because Mr Scddon was as fond of Lancashire as Lancashire of Mr Scddon. The great man is now dead, whom, in his lifetime, his countrymen so much admired, and under whoso nose they swung their censers—has l>ecn dead for full ten and u half months, but ho is not yet forgotten hy the Lancastrians. At the meeting called to consider the memorial scheme, there were six Lancastrians present. How many Lancastrians stayed away is not known, probably will never be known. There may be only six natives of Lancashire in Wellington, though the chairman seemed to believe that there are more; and was openly ashamed of the sparse attendance. ‘They could always look upon Lancaster as one of tho shining lights of thc-world, if only because of the deeds of that great Lancastrian, the late Premier. (Hear, hear!). They wanted to do something towards procuring sv memorial that would be an object lesson to their children and to their children's children.” So much enthusiasm • in the teeth of such freezing indifference is highly creditable to the chairman of the six Lancastrians; and 911 c grain of comfort he may certainly . allow himself to carry away, that the memorial of Mr Seddon bids fair to become “an object lesson to their children and their children's'children/*

A most valuable object lesson. It will to children’s children that Lancastrian gratitude can survive the expectation of favours •to come a whole ten and a 'half 'months, it might pertinently enough be asked whether when Mr Seddon was alive—the Bight Honourable R. J. Soddon. King Dick, “Good Old Dick,” whoso bluff, hearty ways made all Lancastrians so fond of him—whether when Mr Seddon was alive tho persona who were fortunate enough to hail from tho “Shining Light of the World” steered as clear of “good old Dick” as they did of tho. meeting the other night. It might also be asked, purely for information, how many of his countymeu > and others asked favours of kind old Dick, how many received what they asked, and how many beslavered Mr Soddon’s boots in the expectation of Sodclonian crumbs. None, perhaps. Then, so much the bettor. But even thou, more than " six* Lancastrians might surely have turned up at tho meeting, for tho very honour of the AA 7 est of England. A few of the husbands, even, whose wives have found succour in a time of trial in St. Kolen’s Hospital, might have rallied round'tho' six just men who did their duty, fair befall them. A consideration of Seddon and Lancashire obliges one to come to the conclusion that this is a mighty- mean world.

Driven to their wit's-cnd. tho Memorial Committee, as men always do in tin's not-infrequent emergency, bethink them of tho women-folk. “ It would bo n good idea to get the ladies to canvass, as was done by the Scenery Preservation Society,” and, further, it was thought “that each married member of the General Committee should see that his wife attended tho first meeting, and became a member of tbe committee,” “ Should seo ” that this was done, good easy man, thinking that it is necessary only to say “ Go,” and she goeth. Anyhow, whatever the number may be of manied committeemen, a round dozen of ladies met, and, whilst the chambers beneath were filled with a sweltering crowd treating tho Japanese sailors to tea and cake, this devoted dozen gave themselves to tho business in hand, and in a trico “decided to make a systematic canvass of the outlying.'portions of the city for subscriptions, the lists to be completed by tho ond of the month'”—practical, and every way admirable! But why the “ outlying ” districts.

It is curious to look back in this community where less than £3OO so far has been collected for a Seddon memorial (including promises)—to look back to tho time when Mr Seddon could hardly move tho length of his own shadow without having offered him some costly testimonial. Whore are now.all those testimonial-mongers who wore so anxious aforetime to give to him who already had? -Am I dreaming when I seem to remember something about circulars from heads of departments urging their subordinates to pay, pay, pay from their pittance to show their esteem for the man who, it was contended, spent Ms best energies in improving tlio lot of the labouring man? And where is this same labouring man when tho Memorial Committee have such need of him? Is there then no gratitude extant? ATo, none—riot what might be called gratitude pure and simple, without some sort of selfishness in the hinterland. You ask Labour for a contribution— Labour, for whom the dead man was alwavs s-ettin" legislation of one sort

or other put o-i the statute book—you ask Labour for a subscription from its day's wage, which is, no doubt, larger than it would have been had 'tiioro been no K. J. Seddon, and what answer do you get ? “If it were for a technical college now, for .something that might bo of use to ourselves, we should subscribe and welcome—but for a stiitue. No.” This, perhaps, not in so manv words, but in effect. 3IASTIX.