WELLINGTON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 5926, 5 February 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

WELLINGTON.

(flfiOM OUB bwifrCOBBEISPONDKNT.) "' '

7 7-777 -'7 / / /'! '; J»rinairy72oi;h.! ,*' - -If my memory, serves me right I left off In /my laat letter with pur railways/ and I b^in this! epfatle; with the aanae Bubjeot, because j I have to add to what I then said that aome very exoslleht work haa been done, on, our/line during the late holidays-Ohiiatmaa, New Year, ahd': Anniversary; \- On eaoh occasion several thousands of excursionists were carried without the slightest miehap. The experiment waa tried of reducing the tibae by 45 minutes from Wellington to Maaterton, and 70 minutes the other way/ the traina running to Maaterton in |3 hours ;45 • minuses, and .from* Masterton in 3 hours 20 minutes. 7 Time 7■'was'well/.kept, although to do 7this involved running at something like 45 miles an hour over favourable parts of tbe road. This, however, was accomplished with perfect ease, steadiness,, and aafety, and the famous Pell ino'lne, lib 15 for 2£ miles, was. deßcended oh Chriatinas Diy in the ahorUst time" onrecord—-viz;,j9 minutes, the other dfsoerifsby the special train; being 12 minutes eachi whereas/ the ordinary lime all wed is half an honr. The 6 a.m. special from. Masterton to Wellington oh the 3rd inßt. performed'the journey in the quickest time ever yet made—viz, 3 hdura 12 minutes, including,all stoppages, the aotual travelling time being 2 hours 23 minutes, or omitting the ascent of the Fell incline, 2 hours 3 minutes for a distance of 63 J miles. This is capital work, and completely eotipges the Chrißt-piu'ch-Dunedin express in ita palmiest dajs;— I mean before it was turned into a slow, stop/ ping " Parliamentary," as it is at present. Of course it would not yet pay to run the ordinary trains at this speed, but it shows what can be done even on bur 3ft/6ln. gauge railways when the proper time comes. Before quittiug this subject I may add that Anniversary Day (22nd inßt.) was the best ever yet experienced on the line, over 4000 persons travelling, and about LSOO being taken, while not the slightest mischance marred the entire success of the day's WOrk. -...-;..,,,; .. , . ...... . ;.,, . ./'/" * * - Large quantities of timber for exportation are now coming in daily from many sawmills along the line. The new goods-sheds aire being * rapidly pushed on, and extensive improvements' are contemplated in the passengerstation, whioh still need* numetoua appliances -and wnvccl-,

enoesto render it reasbuably complete. Two most absurd; steps taken by the Government have been—lst; to keep'open the old temporary 'atatibn-' at Pipitea, only half.a mile distant from,the new termlnuß, thus'forming a perpetual obstruction arid hindrance to all heavy trains; and'2nd, carrying a new street on the reclamation right across the station-yard, in order to save persona ÜBing the street having to make a trivial detour of some 20 yards; while the diagonal intersection of the station-yard, by the perfectly useless and unnecessary Whitmore street, is not only a serious nuisance and trouble to the railway officials, but also a grave peril to the j publio. In both cases, however, strong private and .personal. influence was brought to bear arid/gained the day, although in the latter instance it involved undoing' a good deal olexperisivewdrk only jrot finished. I fear it will be my painful, duty, at no very remote date to record a' deplorable accident at this dangerous Whitmore street crossing. But we will hope, for.th^best. ; : j -' The neWo'wners of*the Wellington Tramway nave been trying, some-new experiments, which have given highly-favourable:results. They have reduced'the price of packets containing 12 tickets to 2a; or 2d per ticket-7?oheap enough in all conscience.'7 The consequence ia that |a new impulse haa been.given to the traffic, and the cars are to. be seen-crowded.as iv the early, days of the undertaking.* Another immense improvement is standing only at street corners, and not every ,few, yarda it required, as heretd-: fore. This enables timetbbeipurictually kept, and bas further tended .to pdpulariae the institution. Nobody seems-to know exactly howthe proprietorahip of the tramway standa now, or what position' the' whole affair is in, but at any.rate the public" is unahimous^n voting the' new-management—whatever may be its perY 'sonnel —a thorough success. ■-i -7' ,-ii-*:..i ;*. 7 The* official valuation of city property this yealr^showa a decrease of -. about 12£ percent; in; .annual value; ■ Many^people are disposed to ■doubt whether this at all represents the exterit; of the depreciation'actually; undergone by towri 7 pro'peirties.-arid.to put it at*'2s* br 30 per cent.However) it is on the larger sum that we shall1 have to pay" bur rate's J and every penny ia most; .urgently needed, for our Corporation exchequer, is hone - too- plethoric nowadays. What with the loas of subsidiea.'the' diminution in the value of property, and the'difficulty !of getting, in the rates due," I fear we must -make up our; < ■mind to <-ai* material reduction in our iucdmes this year,, and that must mean-ai large curtail--ment of expenditure. -I'donbt whether the city: couhoillohi fully realise yet'the exteritto which this reduction will have to be carried outA'- It" 1 will.tiot be'enough merely to stop: the thou-'; .sand; and-one-little jqbs'-^T do not use this, word in its political se_i_tf—which seem always going on/and which run away with a great deal of hard cash in the aggregate, however in-' sighlficantfthey inayappear Individually.' Much more than this will, I am convinced, be forced 'dn'-us *arelorig7by the diminution'in our "civic revenues. Departmental expenses will have to b"e cut*down, aud!the Town. Glerk^atdiCity Solicitor will have to be' rolled into one by a lawyer being appointed to the Town Clerkship. I This is. a reform the necessity of which daily beoomes more and more evident^ *At present the lawyers' bills • paid annually - by• this city are simply enormous. m.;*:!.,.-. ::;-, j^b^y -.-.. , ; "7J By the1 way, I may mention here that "ttie long-pending action'which 'I explained at some" length some months ago when the proceedings ; were institUted;: Williams' v. Wellington Cor-: 'poration; has at length been finally decided;ih. 'falvpuT. of "the' Corporation,* the'practical result j being' tbatthe' City Goundil can alter the levels fpfj ! the; streets atthetfdwri sweet 1 will; arid without''liability to/'cbmpehsate.'**property owners;1 so/ long; as 'the perriianent levels have not been fixed in the manner prescribed by law. ; Gaptaln*. Williams loses.his case,* his comperiaa-:, tion, all the expense he has been put to by ttie change in: the'street level adjoining his land,' ■and- now' he' has -to pay all'the'-costs; which' amo'nnt;;I Jbelieve,, to nearly L 2000.™ Such is ■]£jf Jl'lr;,.*: -J* ;r,-.-o_; L'vs'ro*-;:..* a y<fl y-y. I r * Y'A Kettenharcdme arid gone,* atfd we stilllive11, He only drew very moderate houses, arid be "was not 'at all' deified;;;' To tell the !truth/"'he dieappoihted us—perhaps, because xwe were5 so ' utterly 'nauseated by t the fulsome puffery of his freliminary annouriceinehts'arid 'the sickening atterj^with"^wbioh* somef'bf7the Australian paperaliedaubed'hlm. "Perhaps because of hia insufferable airs and graces, and the'ridiculous antics he perfo"rm¥*hile'se'ated at the noisy and rather harsh Pleyel pianoforte, which some critics' have exalted Into a celestial harpsichord. ! PerhM* because we did not like his taking liberties with Beethoven, and coolly ignoring that great master's own marks of expression- arid phrasing, to substitute the notions of'" Henry Ketten.a At'any Tate,'.while we'all admitted bis brilliancy of execution — although; he did make several 'slips in Beethoven V • Waldsleln "' Sonata ' * (Op. * 53) -^ and the extraordinary .loudness ;of histhumping, Iwe generally '-* agreed ' that, we' decidedly preferred'dur:local-geriias, lMr'Angelo Forrest, a^favourlfe- pupil of ;Mr' Charles* Balle; (the classical, pianist par-excellence),'i whom, 11; regret to say, we are about to lose'at ah'early date, after al sojourn -here of- leas than' 5 two >ears 7 Hia departure will be a heavy blow to muric in Wellington. Jr ~ ..;,,., ,- "; Talkin? of mndo f Borne've^ "creditabieperi l?!^1^. 06? °*" Gilbert and' Sullivan's1 opera, " TheSdrcerer "^lh full costume, and with all stage effeotsr-hSve "recently been' given by some ■members of the Choral Society in aid of the funds of. that .moribund institution, erstwhile so strong and so efficient ■" Both musically and dram^lcally:the;wdrk! waa* capitally done : indeed, I bare seldom, if ever, been present at a better ■'airiaterirl effort; • True, the Jr;*A'lirie was not; aulte equal'to'Miss Lesif's; dr-the Vicar,tb 'Ridcatdi's",-or;the;Sir Marinaduke to J Hardlrig's'or tbe.Pew-opener to Miss Heath's • 'but -putting*l' aside '"' those ' three -parts,'' which, nevertheless, were excellently; filled, the rest -of Jthe^'perfpriheM were*mudn*'better than the ' prbfeesionals who played the work here1 before, arid'the-chorus and superior, excepting only:In the. concerted movement '* '0 marvellous illusion," which'was spoiled by being taken too fast.-On-the whole the arduous undertaking waa admirably, carried out, and,11 rundoratandi .oyer. Ll5O "-was receiyed, but jthe expeuiea * ran away with" most'"^f. the profits.;. *Mr, Sidney' Wolf," RAvMi1 rably directed the performances, r fear -the result, however good musically; : will l not benefit the funds of, the Choral Sooiety very materially. Some very atrong stimulus will be needed to reanimate the* Society, which just now_ looks, deplorably like dying a natural 'death.,;;. 7v 77.;.;;; 7.;-' 77. ''-■' : •■_ Nor is It the only local institutldri in that' predioament; The WeUington College, has long sheen a publio and local scandal for its perpetual insolvency and ;wretohed '- mismanagement; Many attempts, have'been made to mortgage it, and 'now, another ,one is to be; tried.: All the masters are againrto:have ,'f.eix months' notice,, with a .view to reorgahisation." Whether any radioal reforms will be carried but remains tor be seen. The College: Gover nors hitherto have always been afraid to attack the disease at its root,. and have contented themselves with lopping ' off branches, aud innocent .branches. Now.- they protest. very much in-regard to their .better intentional i shall believe in them when I see themaasuming practical Bha'pe,- and not before. '-Experierdiddocet/' 7*■■.. 7 ■".- ~■; •"■ -•■■ :'- ■ ■