WELLINGTON NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume II, Issue 110, 23 March 1897, Page 3

WELLINGTON NOTES.

[from OUR OWN CORRE-I’ONDUNT |. Wellington, March 1.5. A CABINET MEETING. In lieu of attending a plnco i f won.hip mul asking forgiveness for tluir mani’old sins. Ministers met. yesteiday t'> concoct Ihe Governor's Speech, nml, curiously enough, the Hon. J. H. Ward arrived at noon. No man who has had his weathereye open has ever d ulited when that light-hearted gentleman had to lose his portfolio that he still remained an outdoor member of the Cabinet, and his unfailing unscrnpnlousness is a qualification of supreme value when the tusk (f getting the Speech from the Throne ready is to be hndc! taken, Ihe public arc not likely to get a forecast of its contents, as is the ease iu England, but it is certain that one of the t t-bits is to he a proposal to reduce the rates of interest paid by local bodies. How, he refrained from saying, but had he announced that for the future he would deny himself the pleasure of collecting a shaking fund from them and treating it as revenue, it would have hcen a great deal more to the point. Whit the local bodies really do want is control over the money spent on public works, in place of having every road and bridge within their boundaries made a, qnest’on of the “colour” of their representative. It will be remembered that in the session of 1895 it was announced that a very perfect Local Bodies Bill had been draft’d by the Wellington Town Clerk, and representatives from all county councils, municipalities, road boards,, etc., were invited to discuss its provisions while Parliament was in session. About 70 attended here, and, alter waiting for some ten days for copies of the Bill, they found they were being humbugged and they went home in high dudgeon. In the next session Ministers were too deeply engaged in playing the drama “ Not in the Order of Reference,” to trouble about loc.il government, and that great Consol da'ion Act is still iu the p : geon-holes. ANOTHER NEW INDUSTRY. Among things seen by the Premier in Austral! t which wo arc deficient of was the mint. It impressed him very much, and as it is not likely that he will allow New Zea'aud to lag behind, wc may surmise that a proposal for an establishment to coin our own currency will be a feature of the legislation of 1897. The advantages of turning ottr own gold, silver and copper into a circulating medium in place of sending it away in bullion will be enlarged on. Of cour-c there will be a heavy loss since the virtue of a sovereign is that it can be melted down and still be worth what it was as a coin. And the Imperial Government selfishly retains to itself the sole right of stamping out six pennyworth of silver and.calling it a shilling, and of making ten pennies out of onepennyworth of bronze, and so monopolising the only profit making part of the industry. Still there remains the honour which may recompense the loss of coining gold only. It might for instance be permitted to have the sovereigns ornamented with the profile of the Premier, with del gratia surrounding the noble brow ; or, to show our Imperialistic fervour, the Queen might occupy one side ani our ruler the other, to show that he is not such an autocrat as some Conservatives allege. Anyhow, so long as the metal was good, the sovereigns would be better than State notes. THE MILITARY PREPARATIONS. For all the ridicule and protests aimed at the proposals to send Homo a military guard to “advertise” New Zealand, and protect the valuable and expansive proportions of our Premier from being scrouged by a London crowd or by less distinguished personages from Germany or Clime, there are squads lure from nine different mounted corps in the colony ; there are nine different samples of uniforms varying from the soarlet-soldier-likc dtess of the Canterbury Yeomanry to the dingy, slouchy, ill-fit-ling rig-out of the Heretaunga Mounted Infantry There are 37 sergeants and troopers and two buglers, but no officers ns yet. They are still to be selected, and as their present variegated dress has a motley look al out it, Col. Teuton has chosi-n a pattern uniform which will be supplied to them to obviate the diversity of appearance they now present. The men arc lodged at the Mount Cook Barracks, and their horses anil themselves kept at the public expense, and it is slid that they are to leave for England by the Gothic on (appropriate date) April 1. The feeliug is very general that the whole business is a gross waste of money and that it can only be productive of ridicule. Perhaps the best place iu the Empire City to pick up the trend of public opinion is on a fine {Sunday morning on the Queen’s wharf. There all classes congregate aud exchange, views. One man, an artizan, stated his views and they were heartily approved of. He said : “ I don’t sec why Seddon shouldn’t have a body guard if he wants one and it needn’t cost much. Let him take 50, or for that matter 100 of tire biggest uniforms he can get heie in his luggage, and when he ge's to London advertise for enough men six feet and over at luilf-a crown a-day to wear ’em and pay ’em out of his own pocket. He would make a bloom in good show and it wouldn’t cost anything.” It struck me tlrat the originator of that idea ought to he in Parliament. That was also a splendid notion put forth by the Financial News. Mr Seddon had sent, to the secretary for the colonics a request that our Ministers should have the right to choo.-e our new Governor. “ Certainly, by all means,' 1 says the News, “ providing you allow us to choose your Treasurer.’ This is the sort of reciprocity which would be mutually advantageous. If Mr Seddon had the right to nominate the Governor, he could, as a matter of course, dictate to him tlie names of an unlimited number of unlucky politicians as members of the Legislative Council ; while the Treasurer appointed from London would be able to say : “ Go a head, you may appoint who you like, but I have the key of the cash box and mean to make both ends meet—necessities first—luxuries afterwards my good fellow.” AN EXPERT OPINION. Admiral Bridge has been very outspoken in Sydney regarding our defences. He says they are in admirable order and beautifully kept, reflecting the highest credit on those in charge. This duty devolves ehielly cm the artificers who am paid scandalously low wages in spite of Colonel Fox’s recommendation to place them on the same f citing as sergeants, as the efficiency of the guns depended chiefly iu their work. The Admiral went on to say : “ But one is continually haunted with the question— What is the good of all this if there are not enough of the proper men to man the guns?” In that one word “proper” lies the condemnation of the condition of the whole of the defence force. It lias year by year deteriorated until all branches—police, Permanent Artillery, and Torpedo Corps—are in a state of want of discipline, which is so bad that the Torpedo Corps of Wellington and Auckland, with their wives, fan. Hies and baggage, had to he exchanged at a cost, it is said, of £(iOO, because tluir conduct had become unbearable. The Permanent Artillery have replaced most of our police on street duty without having the experience or training necessary, and they have been chosen for politieil partizanship and not for intelligence or physical capabilities as should be the ease, and altogether the whole Department is in a state of disorganisation, patent to everybody, which reflects disgrace on all concerned. The shortest road to promotion is to he able to carry tales to headquarters of some comrade being weak in his political faith. A FLIRTATION. There is a coquetting goiug on between he XTemier and the Evening Pest, which

is giving the spectators of the game considerable amusement. For a good many months the paper merely waggled in u hesitating way, some times finding a good deal to admire in the robust ways of Mr Feddon, and tin n suddenly straightening its back up and cautioning the Premier that he must abandon his devious way . Just before the elections, on Novemoer 6th, the Post wus very revere on the ■' Hawkc's Bay land monopolists," nnd praised the " Napoleonic alertno s < f Mr Seddon for his intention in take over tl-.o Wol.mn Estate," predicting that this "would catch votes, and deservedly so." Then <mi the Kith of the snme n onth the editor published his confession «i laith giving 19 categorical and vc-y pbinly stated reasons why " wc are opposed to the present Ministry." Hut. now, since the Premier's return from Australia, the coquetting is even more apparent. Three days ago the Post was in rapture* at the idea ol the Government annexing the meat faotcr.es »nd becoming consignor, consignee, broker, agent, butcher, etc. On Saturday night the Premier laid the jam on very thick when referring to the once detested Post. To-nigh; the Post is coy, and professes to be shocked at the Premier's broad compliments. By the time the month is out the Post will probibly have a column of Government ads.