Pars About People

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 1180, 10 August 1901, Page 4

Pars About People

MR LINDSAY COOKE has for so many years conducted the Albert Hotel in Auckland that he has eventually become quite ' a local institution, and a very popular one at that. Consequently, it is not surprising that the news of his retirement should have occasioned very general and widespread regret. New Zealand has few hotels so well managed as the Albert, and certainly none more popular, and any change must necessarily be as unpleasant to that section of the travelling public that has for so many years found Mr Cooke's hotel a delightful home as it is to the citizens of Auckland who know Mr Cooke so well and appreciate him so thoroughly. ••• ••• ••• The retirement has, however, been forced upon Mr Cooke. His health for some time past has been unsatisfactory, and a rest for both Mrs Cooke and himself becoming a necessity, he recently disposed of the business to Mr Bach, of Rotorua. It is Mr Cooke's intention to take things quietly for a time, probably putting in a few leisurely months on " the farm," but, all being well, there is every reason to expect that he will eventually return to the business he so thoroughly understands and in which he has been such a success. ••• ••• ••• By way of a valedictory, Mr Cooke entertained his personal friends at a most enjoyable little supper in the Albert on Saturday night. A choice and appetising spread was partaken of by some fifty guests, several appropriate toasts were honoured in wines of the rarest vintages, and altogether a thoroughly delightful hour was spent with Mr and Mrs Cooke. Of course, the toast of the evening was " The Host and Hostess," and in proposing it graceful allusion was made to the popularity of the house, to its admirable and irreproachable management, and to the high personal qualities of Mr and Mrs Cooke. The proposer also struck a responsive chord in the breasts of his listeners when he referred to Lindsay Cooke as " the prince of good fellows." ••• ••• ••• Mr Cooke made a happy little speech in responding for himself and wife, gracefully acknowledging the compliments paid to the management of the house, and conceding to Mrs Cooke much of the credit for the success achieved. He expressed great regret at the severance of old associations, but said circumstances made it necessary that he should rest for a while, and hence his decision to retire. He hoped, however, that the day was not distant when he would be amongst them all' in business once more. Mr Cooke was cheered to the echo, and was toasted again, after which a very pleasantgatheringbroke up with " Auld Lang Syne." »•• ••• ••• It is not known by everyone, perhaps^ that the King has established a new order of distinction, of which there can only be four members. It is called the " Order of the Queen's Scarf," or " Q. 5.," and the members of it are to be four troopers (one of whom is Corporal Coutts, of Taranaki, since promoted to a captaincy). Eash member is also to receive a gold star and clasp, which will rank equal with the Victoria Cross, and carry with it the same distinction. All troops will be required to "present arms" and salute the (Queen's Scarf, arid each of the four holders will receive from the King an autographed record to be handed down with the scarf. The decoration will probably be made by His Majesty ?at his Coronation.

Mr Seddon > has given it as his opinion that magistrates ought to be removed more frequently " because when they were a long time in one place they got into society which had a detrimental effect." But how about Cabinet- Ministers ? ••• ••• .«. Evidently, Mr McLaehlan dearly loves' the safe side. In the recent debate on unimproved values, speaker after speaker who would have gained by the change denounced the scheme as ruinous, and declared they would rather lose under the present system than gain under the new. It was refreshing, therefore, to find there was one at least in Auckland who viewed the scheme in another light. Quoting from Mr McLaehlan at Wesley Hall, we find him saying that "he would gain by the introduction of rating on unimproved values ; and, after hearing both sides, he must confess he had lieen converted by these so-called singletaxers. Nothing could be more inequitable than the present system of rating." Now, what price that conversion if the gain had been t'other way ? ••• •#• ... Mr James M. McLaren, who has just won a Scienc Scholarship in connection with the London Exhibition of 1851, and is thereby entitled to the letters D.S., or Doctor of Science, is a Coromandel boy, and is probably the youngest man in the Empire who has won the distinction. He was formerly Director of the Coromandel School of Mines, and is said to know more about the geology of the Hauraki Peninsula than any other man. His work in this connection won him a high reputation while he was yet a youth, and earned for him a bonus from the Government. , He is another instance of the progress our boys are making wherever they

By-the-way, who were the "large number of Queen-street strawberry growers " so caustically referred to by Mr Fowlds in his speech on the unimproved values? Is "biz" in Queenstreet so awfully dull as that ?

Mr Pirani has put an effective shot into Seddon's despotic Libel Bill by a motion to abolish privilege and make Ministers and Members of Parliament equally liable to criminal libel prosecutions with newspapers and private individuals. If this were carried, our gaols would claim a fair proportion of politicians, inasmuch as there is more libel talked under the cover of privilege in the House in one session than is published by the whole of the newspapers of the colony in ten years. But Mr Seddon would not dare to accept this amendment. ■•• ••• ... A. .1. Fischer, the Sydney black-and-white artist who departed for the Great Smoke a few months ago, is returning, not finding London a particularly proli table sphere for the development of his art. Evidently there is a limit to the demand for Australian art eveu in insatiable London. ••• ••• .«. Miss Winnie Hood Williams, a Christchurch admirer of Baden-Powell, sent the General a dainty invitation,' asking him, should he ever come to Christchurch, to visit her fathers house, and mentioning a little lake, whereon was a canoe in which he could paddle. The General has replied, and Miss Winnie ought now to be satisfied that Baden is a first-class jokist. " Dear Miss Winnie," says the General, " if ever I get to Christchurch 1 will certainly call and see you. But as to canoeing — well, I cannot canoe — can you?" ••• ••• ... One of the very best treats in the discussion on unimproved values was the sight of the old, familiar form of Dr Wallis on the stump again. Time was, about twenty-five years ago, when the doctor held forth in the Newton Kirk (now St. Benedict's Hall) on parables and prophecies to large congregations, and who knows but he might have been holding forth still had it not been that he fell a victim to the Grey cry and dabbled in politics ? The doctor stood for Parliament, and went in flying on the Grey ticket, but, alas for the uncertainties of Party Government, the ticket did not last long, and at the next elections another party was in, and the House saw the doctor no more. Then arose various little troubles 'twixt doctor and flock, the upshot being that preaching and politics were both abandoned, and a turn was given to farming. The doctor's humour is dry and fresh as ever, and his accent as strong as the day he left his native heath. The doctor was always dead nuts on single tax, and to keep him off the stump when single tax is on would mean the dealing of a hard, hard blow.

Herr Benno Seherek, advance agent of Musgrove's Opera Company, is a ] brother-in-law of Mr H. C. Tewesley, i of this city. X j ••• ••• •#»'■',( John McLcod starts out on his can- j didatnre for the East Ward with one ( of the strongest and most indefatig- i able committees that have ever or- ] ganised a municipal campaign in Auckland. Nor is this surprising, for his friends are legion. Mr McLeod is practically Auckland-born. He has made quite a name for himself in educational matters, having for years past been a member of the City Schools Committee, and having acted. as treasurer for some three years past He is one of the leaders of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, having served all tlie highest offices in the Order with distinction, and having recently been the sole delegate from the Manchester Unity in Auckland to Wellington, lie has been one of the leading movers in the now famous Premier Picnic, of the Oddfellows. And last, but not least, his recent appointment as one of the three Royal Commissioners for the City of Auckland in connection with the visit of thoir Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York was in the highest degree satisfactory. ••• ••• «•• Mr. l. 11. Watt has arrived here from Adelaide to take up the position of accountant in the local branch of the Rank of A ust rah d.i, whu-h has been vacant for some little time. ••« ••• ••• Messrs ( 'anicross and Stevens are (lie Government Whips this session. Kadi Whip is paid by the Members of the Ministry a sum of about £"•"> for the session, which is an addition to the Parliamentary honorarium. Tlie Whips are supposed to watch the interests of tlie Ministry in order to keep them in office. Usually, as in the case of Mr C. J. Mills, a vac nicy in {ha Ministry is filled by one of the Whips. ••• .«. .«. William Reehan, who has elected to contest the Kast Ward with .lohn McLeod, has been one of the leading lights of local Liberalism tor many years, and. as / President of the Liberal Association and Liberal and Labour Federation, lias been of great service to the Government. Rut, with a want of gratitude that is scarcely one of his characteristics. Mr Seddon has persistently ignored Mr Reehan when appointments wen; being made to good positions in the public, service or to posts of honour in public bodies. And yet, notwithstanding a course of neglect that would have turned tlie support of another man into open hostility, Mr Reehan has never wavered in his allegiance to the Government. Certainly, though an Irishman, he cannot claim kindred with that other famous Hibernian who, when he landed in New York, exclaimed : " Is there i\\ Government h'.:re '.' Then, I'm agin it. !" ••• ••■■ •••I Mr A. Raphael, the local manager for Henry Markwahl, importer of chemicals, etc., has returned from Wellington, where he has, for the last few months, been in charge of the linn's branch. < The Board of Kducation loses the services of two most excellent members by the defeat of Messrs S. Luke and R. Farrcll. The former gentleman, we believe, has been a member continuously for twenty-three years. Mr L. .1. Ragnall was the only one of the retiring members re-elected, and the Roard is to be congiatulated upon the fact that it was not also deprived of the services of its most estimable and able chairman. Mr R. Hobbs, who is a former chairman, returns once more to a seat at" the Board, while in Mr Rutherford we believe that the Board will have the services of a useful member. Whether the change will, however, be a desirable one remains to be seen. The most satisfactory thing about the election is that the candidates in whose interests the Standard was published and circulated, were unsuccessful. Another vacancy on the Board has occurred through the resignation of Dr McArthur, and will probably be contested by some of the defeated candidates.

It is said of . the late Mr George Fraser, who died last week, that he J made more competent engineers than any other foundry proprietor in the colony. Some of his old apprentices from the Phoenix foundry hold splendid positions in the trade in this and adjacent colonies. As one of the " old boys " says, it was a splendid school to be brought up in. ••• ••• ••• Our friend Sanford, of Kakino Island, is up to his eyes just now in a newspaper controversy on the subject of trawling in the Hauraki Gulf. Some of the fishermen wish to stop his steam trawler, saying that it destroys the feeding and spawning beds of the lish, and this Albert indignantly denies. lie, by the way, has been an advocate of the Government Labour laws. It would be interesting to know what he thinks of theui now that his own business is being attacked. ••• ••• >•• Apropos of the subject, Mr Sanford writes us : — " The lion. Mr Jennings stated in the House that ' where a few years ago there were twenty-live sailing vessels, employing crews numbering about a hundred men, there was not one vessel now engaged in the

fishing industry about the Gulf.' I don't know who gave the hon. gentleman this information, hut I must give the latter part of the statement an emphatic denial, which recent statistics will prove, as there are now more sailing boats employed in the Gulf than ever there were before. At present, I alone take all the schnapper from ten boats wholly employed (mostly 3 men in a boat) at hook and line fishing, besides a greater number of mullet and flounder boats using nets, all engaged at fishing in the Gulf, aud when my new smoke-houses are built I shall he able to take fish from double the number of schnapper boats, in addition to what thvj trawler catches. ••• .«. <•• " At present, the men worthy of the name of lishcrinen arc earning good wages, and can run in all the fish they can catch. Most of the men own their boats, and arc at liberty to sell their fish to anybody, and I could assure

the lion, -gentleman that all the men fishing for me would sign- a petition in favour of the trawler, as they have no jealous feeling towards me, and also see that the trawler is an indirect help to them, in that it enables me to keep . up a regular supply, which they could not do in bad weather. This regularity builds up a distributing system, throughout the colony, which enables me to sell large lots, caught by the sailing boats in suitable weather, and which could not b> sold and distributed before the trawler started." ••• ••• ••• .1. ■). Walsh, who was one of the best known men of the theatrical profession in Auckland twenty years ago, died in Sydney the other day. He belonged to the times of Burford, Baynor, Coppin, Gieville ami Co. Of late years he had done little stage work, yet he always managed to keep himself free from want, and, unlike some other relics of the " old days," was never known to ask for anything more than a " part." He last appeared in Sydney with Bland Holt in 'The Derby Winner." He was (»*) years of age. ft is now some fifteen or sixteen years since .1. .1. kept a prosperous little tobacconist's shop in Victoriastreet, Auckland.

Hx- Premier Reid addressed the electors on politics at a place called Moonee Ponds very recently. Subsequently, one of the free ami independent expressed himself to a friend thus: " Oh, yes. he's pretty good ; but did you hear that Max O'Rell when he was out here? He was more comic, I think." ••. ••• ... The eldest son of Sir .lames Fergusson, M.P., whose marriage to the daughter of the Karl of Glasgow has just been announced, is a child of his first wife (Lady Edith Ramsay). While Sir .lames was Governor of South Australia, he married an Adelaide lady (Missßichman), who died in Bombay in 1882, aud he has now a third wife. Both Sir James Fergusson and Lord Glasgow have held office as Governor of New Zealand. Mr Charles Fergusson, the news of whoso marriage was cabled last week, is, thirty-six years old, and was a. boy in Auckland. ,

George Fowlds has offended a number of his political supporters by his action in coining, from Wellington to assist the agitation for rating on- 'unimproved values. They declare, that he promised to leave this question, or the kindred one of single tax, in abeyance during his Parliamentary career. Mr Fowlds, on the other' hand, declares that all he promised was that he would not advocate more than one penny in the pound on the land tax, and he has not got that penny yet. The dissatisfied, portion of his friends' are, however, not satisfied yet, and probably this alleged pledge will become a question at the general election next year. ••• ••• ••■ Here is a tip for some of our impecunious mashers. A young New York doctor is seriously rattling himself — 3000 tickets at £ I each. " I want to begin practice in a proper manner," he says, " and I will many the winner who will share the money with me."' Negresses, invalids, and ladies over 30 are barred, but other disqualifications, such as supreme ugliness, will not matter." ••• ••• .*. Ranjitsinhji has declined to come to Australia. Maclaren states that the cause is some old trouble about the Australian crowds and their hooting In IKOB Ranji was invited by the Melbourne Cricket Club (acting solely for itself) to bring out the next English team. He accepted the invitation, and sent a confirmatory message to that effect from Albany while on the homeward trip. Ranjitsinhji was reported, while in India, to have said something reflecting on Australian cricket crowds, and the Melbourne Cricket Club asked him for an explanation. Ranji practically ignored this request. Then the club withdrew its invitation to Ranji, who now declines to come to Australia. ••• .«. .«. The oddest sight at the function of turning the first sod of the tramways the other day was furnished by a tiny little chap of three or four, barefooted and bareheaded, who held with wonderful self-possession and absorbed interest his position in the front rank of the guests till the finish. Reside him was Mr Paul Hansen, in immaculate frock coat and top hat, and the contrast between the big man and the little one caused many a smile. When the function had concluded, the little chap was sent smilingly away with his two hands filled with coins of divers sizes and colours. He wouldn't object to a first sod turtiii.:g every day of' the week. ••• ••• ••• It is reported that the directors of the Coastal Steamship Company have resolved to pay Mr dames Dunning a honorarium of £130 a year, dating from the establishment of the company. We are glad to hear that Mr Dunning comes in somewhere. He doesn't want the money at once, so that it will be placed to his credit, but, having taken some interest in the finances of the Coastal Steamship Company, we might lie allowed to suggest to the auditor that this liability should be shown in the next balance-sheet. Otherwise, the shareholder " dunno where 'c are." ••• ••• .«. Sir Harry Raw-son scored off a proRoer town council in Ireland. On the arrival of the Channel Squadron at Rerehaven last summer on its annual visit, Admiral Rawson learned that on the previous day the local town council had passed a vote of sympathy with the Boers, with the expression of a hope for their ultimate success. Having verified the report, the Admiral at once signalled to his fleet, " Sea rations,' and "All leave ashore cancelled." This meant that no seamen would go ashore, and that no fresh meat or stores would be ordered from the town. This being the periodical opportunity of the trades-people to make money, they heard of the order with consternation, and an appeal to the Admiral was made. But he was obdurate. " The order will stand good," he said, " until your vote of sympathy with Her Majesty's enemies is expunged. " And expunged it waij" in his presence, notice to this eftcet being sent to the press, alter which the order was cancelled, provisions, were obtained as in former years* and officers and men were allowed ashore.