OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13052, 11 March 1911, Page 3

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

ECHOES OP THE WEEK

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

"When a boulder conies roaring down ft hillside into the flank of a railway carriage something is bound to happen. In the present case what happened was the death of a young lady. The wonder was that in that train,-travel-ling at twenty-five miles per hour, more people. <Ud not meet their death. Just think of it—twenty passengers all sitting along the sides of the carriage, and only one killed a.nd two wounded. If it hiul been a first-class carriage, with the sevxts athwart, ship, it would have been a goou deal worse.

The inquest is ft. source of perplexity, hy reason of the many expert witnesses who all drfclared that it is quite unnecessary to do anything to that hillside. The management just proposes to lot the JiiH go on as it is. Query: How many cuttings and how many hillsides are there, on the railways of the Dominion '? Many of thuse are- patrolled not only daily, but between trains. Still it will bis -safe to bet that every rock oi\ tiiest- sidliugs will for some' time to come have all eyes aboard trains bracketed <>n it. What to do witli the problem is a great question. Public opinion calls for a Ruval Commission.

'Sir Joseph Ward mid Or- I'lndl.ty Tire not to In; deprived nf their semi-oil' nftUT all. When the proposal for a banquet was under consideration it hevnme known—whether rightly ik \vr:)Hj:'v this deponent suyetli nut — tb>\t the Mayor would net preside if 'the Attoi ney-Genonil was present. Thtt committee war1, |)aralysed, for the j-uceess of the function appeared rlotfbtJ'ul i.n the extreme. Till1 Attorneygeneral, hearing of the objection alleged, promptly dncline.d to stand in , the wsy. Thereupon his colleague as promptly declined to lime anything to do with it cither. The Mayor was. there-fur;? popularly suppo:-cd <>.) b.about to pm-laim that h'1 iiad acted i:i. nn un official manner. Someone Miggested as a w;.y out, that the com-] Jnittee and their nigg-.'stcl bau'jUt't be dropped, together with their proposed rhairinan, ami ;i nv\v project set o'i foot. No sooner raid than done. A new committee w.is got together, a new suggestion foi- a bai:.|iiet to both Ministers adopted, the Chicl' Justic agreed to be chairman, the Gi'verneir accepted an invitntiou tv. h;< present, and everything is now right for the banquet on the .Ist. Everything is ;ilso right for an afternoon party in the grounds of 'Parliament Mouse for j ,i send-ofV to Lady Ward and Mrs! Fiiidlay, at which there will be, it *■; exported, an attendance, ol' I. wo thousand.

Naturally, r.s ih;'> result of this disturbance, everyone is talking of the Coronation, and from the C'e.iv.iuuion to the Imperial CVnifVivu.T is but :i step for the l'.'ast advonlunius of conversationalists. This brings us to the "Manehoiter Guardian's" eulogy (it: tin; Dominion's agenda paper, which it finds the lust, mo.-t practical, :nid ] the most di^niiied of the !'••'. ; ■dnnviMjj; tile ro!!clu;-:ioii lint Iho liberal treatment in ilic- culoiiu'K is instilled by results. 'Solicit! Whether tile C'ouieience will adopt the yn^^'.^tion I'-r tin- o:-talilishniiiiit of r.n Imperial C'omivil—in thi'Di-y and procticf advisory only as the solution ,)!' lust sesium runs, —reuiaiiis t:> hi' stTii. 'I he iinpivssimi i;s that if it does the sug-iU-"ives it. " Dr. Vindlav h hack from hii tour nf the far north full of ii^nir and -ond stories of tin- <--otti!T:i :'!id their neeptiou of him. What seems to have astnni^lifd him iri:-t '.v.is th 't >;i Tue remote little tor, nsliip <>'.' Wliunu;ar- i ■fhey reported hii-.i ih two papers verbatim as v.rll .is it is ijossihle to report nuvhod.v. The fact says somelliniij, i'in-'i;)iini:ilisiic riiteijiiise in Hi-' North mid for th-, pnitlie :e'nit that justiVvs it. \ii-> you :\ comfortalilc li^cr who Jikrs liis'jilass at dinner and "whiles :-" "Hccniisi: if you ai-<- Hie dniiK lull made (I nt and nui'li-hed for v ; all every year ),y the \l.'\. -Mr. Walke.r, that di;j■Un^'.iished temperance authority. \\\<\ Vnake you open your ey< s, 'iiul tno comments of hi/, hrcthreu will cause you to tremble for the. sal"ty <;l your '.uiidL-iLlte ;:,lus. Kvery honit-.ee e.i viurse roads this diink lill as |>:ovu■that iM.-lieei.M- does n<,t. step any .oh.v 'f nil a (Iriukinu; that v.iiui- >.<:. II oi-, Hse, they risk. e:-.n we r.cfoiml for the !'■•(•. lhat ;; ...fter ci.ii!it.f=--M di'.inets have voted reduction and _ twelve have adopted no-lic'L-r.si:—v, ipii^i; out e.itoKfther sunn.1 two litnidn.l and Idly liotn's—the drink hill |X v lv id c; only two shilliims :> head le:s than n was in ISrii, hffoiv local 'M"-1 lV:'--; thoimht of in its iTci-!it loiin, and licenses weiv iuc-r.'i:sed every tune or asking. Nu-licensi-, th.cy declare,, does not <liniinsh the drinking of I'hnholic )i(|iiors. Th-.-.v do not profit h.y the drinking, hut s.omehi.dy does, they , think, and who ihat is they would ;'very miiHi like to find out.

(ill the oilier h:in(l tin.' tempei-j.ik-e men road the (inures differently. I h".v put down the whole of the improvement in the (hink hill to the. good timos which provoke men ouUido the .no-license districts to think mure than is "ood for them. Helving on the good i>ffwts of no-license us they deduce them from the. court records and the tradesmen's account:; of better payment of their hills, they propose to ;iud vi"om- to their campaign ol prohibition. On the. whole then the general election next December promises to be rather interesting. One tiling is certiiin, of courf-i —prohibition is not V Mr Tre>'enr is iiottiiui the first of a round of pnventntiims Irom the labour people, with whom lie is, it is needless to say, a favouiito. Labour is "i-aMul for services rendered, and doe's not sciuple at these m<V'tmi& to declare tliat all the hills wliu-U lwssL-d into law to the advantage ol labour for -ill the years of the Lib-nil marine were drafted, or at all events stiJ^est--0(1, by their clmnpioii—a statement whieli he inv.inahly t|uaiiiflis '(inicuhal, but much o! the credit innna-'fs to ivnmi.n with him nevertheless. He revels in free speech on these occasions, and Trt-ear uninnzzled is a piia/ln to his friends. Jt veem.s probable that the farewells to the official Tn-ear will become the pnjludes to a dote Labour alliance with the unofficial m"'' <» t!l" snlll'' linmcit Heir and there one hears men say, "AVhv don't they put him i.n the Council-" TUo disqualification Act does not permit this to be done lor six months after he has be-a out ot Ins appointment. Hut after that there is iTallv nothing l>i-ovoiit the promotion. Mr Tro»«'ar is full ot vigour and experience. AVas man born for banquets, routs aiulinerrv makinii;? That he was niul woman with him-exeept for banquets, from which woman is very wron-ly exrludcd—seems clear from the proceedin,/ of the week. The Government hn^ no need to ask any questions about tlio matter. Never luivu such things resolved themselves into" such -eniahty ot triumph for the powers that be. I arliamont lions" grounds are an ideal site for a garden party, and tlie weathor was ideal for the ideal party. licnco the crowd was imnwnse, and as cordial as it was immense. One is ready to "fight with beasts at lvphesus," on piinciplc always, of course; but when the smiles of youV fellow oitimis (and of citi>onrssps) are added to the righteousness of tho cause, it s astonishing what you will forget in the way of the lights and the beasts. It Mas a ple-'is-int picture to watfh Sir Joseph -md Dr. Fimlla.v with their ladius Ktn.ndiug at tlip entrance to thrt lawn and the lieople crowding foinarrl to shake liandp and say "good-byo. They wore of all sorts. The merchant with his lady, ai:d the well dressed and not by a.ny mcians abashed Jack Piano with his missus, and sometimes there was also' "the kid," and whenever that small politician came, along he was lifted tip and presented, order-

Ed to (Mke- liatttk with Lady Ward and to say, "I wish you a pleasant voyage arid a s'afo return," which he did in ihft various ways known to pretty, uncouth childhood.. No ttile could, when , put to remember it, remember seeing such a. crowd as assembled to say good-bya at Parliament Mouse.

In tho evening the dinner was a great success, also. Not from the gastronomic point of view. In that respect the less said the bettor after the. manner of those diners who said they congratulated themselves on having dodged the greater part.of the menu. Rut it is not everybody who cnii appreciate a "cold s'warry." Moreover, you want some things which cannot always be had. Sam yYelier, lor instance, would make the fortune,of any "swarry" whether cold or hot. But let it be borne in mind that the cold "swarry pat" which Sam did so splendidly Was not altogether cold. The log.of mutton and turnips were, hot, and the heat of them .covered d multitude of sins. Here th'-rt was nothing hot to cover thy multitude of sins, and the guests —paying guests at a guinea, remember—took cartt the next day to enuinnmr" the multitude of'the, sins. V. Inch, after.all, only means that the hod was cnlil, and .nobody with a British stomach can "abide1" cold loorl. Food, you see. is cooked, and cookery implies lit at it must be eaten hot. Tli.'V.'et'ore to serve up cold food at A guinea banquet is a crime against nature. Tlenee one must not look tod close at the complaints against a dinner which as a cold collation would have evoked thunders of applause from the- knowing gourmets. Liquors? Yes, three was-a sparkling hock which was exceedingly good, but it was very hard to got, and there was not,much else;

I But tl'io intellectual pabulum was beyond criticism. When I toll you that not a single- man who was present tailccl to declare his enthusiastic appreciation of the speaking, and said ?;o after .nearly three hours of listenins, in A not room with complaints rify about liini of the scarcity of; eigiir's and the total absence of liqueurs, and the evasiveness nl' coffee, even luke-warni eoliee, wuhotjfc the proverbial time ljuiioured necessary reminiscent ' chasse." When tinner such circumstances the quests unanimously shout enthusiastic applause of three houi-B <.l speeches, you don't want a certificate signed before, a notary public to show the high class of the'speeches. All of them were, with one exception, general. A little of thy high iahiti.li. something of the study and a good den) of the midnight, oil. All these wore, necessary, to briny the general speeches up to the Imperial I (inn-. . There was nothing new in the Imperial i'lirm established. Wo have heard it all before. .Hut it was vpry well put together, an;] Us reiteration is tlu- proper reply to the years of Ft.'.teme-nt.s made by the mile, of the disloyalty of the colonies and their determination to "cut the painter" at the very first demand for men or money. Lord Islington was especially happy with his foniiast of the. .British ai:<! the Human Empires ; the one that die] because being founded on despotism of subject peoples it deserved (Kith, and the British bcrause being established on the free will of many free nations it deserves to live. Here ue had in a nutshell the fullness of the seasons why the Empire should .-■trive to consolidate the Empirel for all time, and also the proof that \yhilo the consolidation is beiiiK.arrnngecl.tho present ties, loose ninl informal as thov Ml-! 1, will hold us all together without fail

'I he Governor's speech was typical of the others. These, with the exception of Dr. KiiUllay's, were all in the pnil'inmary general vein, necessary on

.'■uch ii.ii occasion, and they cleared the way for the practical part of the story. This v.as supplied by Sir Joseph Wtird. Me .spoko as an ambassador who had the confidence of the whole people, as was proved by the, presence and the speeches of the members of the Opposition and the presence of the Gover-

nor. Having the confidence, moreover, he was not handicapped by any instructions or limitations <ii' any kind nn the freedom of ins action. Standing in that position the Prime Minister lelt it to be due to his people to say exactly what he was prepared to do at the eonfeieiice-, and to give, reasons lor the same. It was an admirable pivs-entinent-. As the daily papers have lilled out the shades it is not necessary to say more here. What is inevitable is that the vogue that the Prime Minister has already obtained i:i London with his resolutions, which the Press is largely declaring to bo the li'i-ot and the only leading notes for the conference, has given him the lead at the conference, and whatever may be pnssed by that body the "mana" of Ward will be uplifted. Add that he gons with a unanimous nation behind him and that his work done he returns with a million of surplus revenue to offer to a unanimous people in front of him, and you can easily add up the sum that we shall see recorded,in brilliant figures at the gnneral election. 'I hat is assuming that the chief figures live through the interval. But whatever happens to the individual the cause will always be to the front.

l>r. Kinrllay made a rousing speech, chiefly «v [he defence question, a fighting speech which dwelt on the danger of war with Germany, and he nr.ide the most of the danger. There is n way of course !>■■ which peace might be assured, a.nd it has been publicly canvassed. But the designs of various Powers- have to be reckoned with, and thny are so mixed that it i:-. impossible to ignore the alternative ol' the way out. Broadly speaking, if Germany has a free hand in Turkey with railway and trade development, them will be peace based on legitimate German expansion. If that hope prove vun then there will be buckling ill' .swords. With that in our minds we all listened to the doctor's eloquence, find admired the fine national spirit to which it gave voice. When it;; sonorous periods closed there was great cheering, and as we went out we heard the soldiers—there were iirmy present—-shouting their enthusiasm. Every man of them was cecksure that there must be fighting soon, and the name of their war prophet was Findlay. it is not a spiveh that can be repeated in the conference., and the fame of it, if itreaches London, will militate against th? proposal Sir Joseph Ward is going to mako for publicity of the conference proceedings.

Frozen lmvit is tlio only thing which divides the public interest here at the capital with tli!> departure of the Ministers. Surfeited with Imperialism with which we all ngrro we turn with some relief to tiie exciting statements made by some pessimist of the approaching subjugation of the meat interests by the American Beef Trust. But the people who permit themselves to fall into panic over this could surely have no manly instinct. If they had tli'-'y would, instead of giving way. to poltroonery, turn up thnir statute book at last year's chapter, and look up -tho Act for the prevention, not of tursts, combines of monopolies, but of the unfair exploiting of the people by these concerns so various and so c-ix-tiMisi^e. Those who consult the Act aio of tho opinion that the Beef Trust will bo absolutely swept off the pre-

misrvs if it attempts to do what is so generally feared. The Ant will assuredly show the superiority of British law over American, whereas the trusts spin the suits out in America for months and even yaars, they will set the short shrift here which makes unjust capital fear the Lord. A unanimous Parliament passed the law for suppressing those .octopus trusts, insolent with gold and callous to every feeling of humanity, justice and right. What a unanimous Parliament lias provided an efficient administrative system will carry out to the letter, without a moment's delay. In British countries wo are not grovelling at the feet of the capitalist autocrat who violates every law human and divine. When such a power corr-es among us we are ready to make short work of him. Wo twist his nnck so to speak and throw him out on the dung heap. And so good-bye for the present.