Wellington Notes.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2096, 25 July 1887, Page 2

Wellington Notes.

Wellington, July 21. The principal political topic of conversation here just now is the outrage committed against Mr Bruce by Government supporters a* Christchurch. Those acquainted with • methods employed by the Government when in office uro not a great deal surprised, because intimidation and noise wore their most powerful weapons in the House last session, and of course the understrappers faithfully follow the load of their chiefs. This much, however, is certain, viz., the leaders of the party are sure to injure themselves by such cowardly proceedings. Sensible men will reflect that a cause that will not bear talking about is a pretty mean one. Christchurch is not the only place where similar tactics have been tried, and, had not the souse of the vast majority been against it whon Mr Buchanan spoke at Carterton, two or three noisy persons would have created a disturbance there, by all accounts However, the sturdy good sense of the Wairarapa electors and their love of fairness, defeated the clover devices of the two or throe*would-bo interrupters.

Our chief social sensation is the irrepressible and mysterious burglar, who, if all accounts be trne, prizes open two or three windows every night, looks in, sometimes taking something to eat, and thou walks away again. Sometimes the burglar takes nothing. There is a very exciting story in circulation touching u robber, a stiletto, a servant girl, a poker, a broken head, and three naif crowns, but the unbelieving snigger when they hear it, and ask why the young lady, after felling the robber, did not give him another crack just to persuade Mm to remain quiet until she called assistance.

The case of Mr Vickers, late of the Native Department, is exciting a good deal of interest and people are waiting for farther developments. In the meantime the Department is in a blue funk about the matter and I am afraid some of the five gentlemen who were broaght in at an expense of thqj£B74 per annum to save £3OO per annum, will get their dismissal There is every reason to suppose that the Vickers case is by no means an isolated one. It is said'fcthat tentlemen who come from the stormy hetlands aro found very suitable for Government clerkships, and that when the beads of the Departments in which these young men are thrust, protest there is no work for them to do, they aro sternly told to “ find them work, then!"

Wellingtouians are very anxious that Major Atkinson should address a Wellington audience. The N.Z. Times points out, and with justice, that the Major is a party rather than a local leader and that it was a mistake to address the people of a remote and comparatively small district on weighty and important mi ttors which really concern the whole colony. There can bo no doubt that the people of this city, whether they did or did not agree with Major Atkinson’s views, would give him a fair, patient and courteous hearing.

Many will luM-i. i irh regret, that Mr E. V/:.Kiiukl (ic.ft nut intend to offer himself as r. eaud dt to for any constituency, hut fiat -r.vmg to private affairs, he is, temporarily it is to be hoped, retiring from public life. Mr Wakefield, ae is well known, is a highly cultivator man, and a polished speaker, and ,nr haps no man in Now Zealand, save Sir George Grey, is so intimately acquainted with the history, political and otherwise, of this colony. Under Mr Wakefield's able editorship, the Evening Press has become a power in the laud At a time like the present, when a largo number of illiterate persons are in various districts seeking the suffrages of the electors, the country can ill afford to lose the services of such men as Mr Wakefield.

Treating of Mr Ballanco’s Village Homestead Scheme, the Sydney Bulletin, the most radical paper beneath the Southern Cross, writes ; “ It has cost the N.Z. Government £70,000 in cash to give away 900 farms for nothing. Most of the now settlers have taken to growing pumpkins because with that particular crop it is only necessary to stick in the seeds, and the rest of the work goes on by itself while the farmer is away sinning. Some obtrusive politicians are grumbling, however, and complain that there is too much pumpkin in the world already."

Some of the Loudon papers do not seem to have very exalted ideas about our colonial armies, judging from the following extracted from a Home paper of a late date:—

“ A certain Major of colonial volunteers was lately holding an inspection. Presently, he got his men all mixed up and couldn’t untie the knot. Still sitting in the saddle, in fall view of his expectant army, he calmly took out the “ Drill Manual ” and complacently began to turn oyer the leaves. “ Look at page fortysis ! ” yelled a man from the ranks. The Colonel looked at page forty-six only to find that he had been “ had." “ Eh, mon ! ” he coolly exclaimed, “ I really diuna see anything aboot it on page fortysax. Ye have surely made a wrong mistake.” Our colonial brethren are indeed a great and warlike nation."

It is to be hoped this did not happen ia Now Zealand.

This is a good enough story, but if all we hear bo true, the British Imperial Army has not so very much to “ blow ’’ about. It is said that not twenty-fivo per cent of English Cavalry captains know their places in the field, but depend for the proper word of command, uj on their covering file, some grim old corporal. There is a story that at the recent mameuvros at Aldershot, a cap. tain of a crack Cavalry regiment recoiving an order that was worse than Greek to him, asked Which way, now, men P ” “Ch ! fains -ht to — hades" replied some Bull , ;r At least bo mean t hades. *' Aii r. pit i., u ■•hccrfully sun" out the captam , ' i .■; > ight ! follow me.” It was very idee and kind of the Even- | ing i’ost to devote a loading article the other night to the subject of its f'riem , Mr Henry Bunny, and very thoughtful of the Tost to direct the electors of Wai. ravapa South how they should vote. I am sure now the electors know that the Post desires them to vote for Mr Bunny they will do so. As for Mr Bunny he ought to bo really grateful to the Post for trying to give him a lift aud sneaking so highly of him, because, to say, the Post has not jdivajs had a very great opinion of M? sunny. Fact. No, the Wellington Evening Post, only some three years ago, hold Mr Bunny as very small potatoes indeed. After I road the Post’s gushing loader of July 15,1 took the liberty of looking through a file of

that journal of the “ enormous" circulation. fudge my surprise and horror when 1 found that sidy thru yuan ttyo (in 1881) the following was the opinion held >by the Poet of Mr Bunny ; “ Amongst the new candidates we find the names of Messrs Rocs, Reliance, BUNNY, W. Kelly. W, J. Speight, Major Jackson, W H Farnall, C Brown, R Reeves, W H Eyes, Joseph Ward, L Harper J C Waeon, Allred Saunders, Sir Julius Vogel. Alfred Cox, J T Fisher, Dr Uodgkinson, J B Bradshaw, Downro I owart, Cuthbert Cowan, Captain Ruzt >ll, Robert Stout and G Lumsdcn, all of wnom have at one tune or another (at* vioualy eat in Parliament. With the exception of Messrs Harper, Waeon, Cox, Sir Julius Vogel, Ballance. Bradshaw, Captain Busrell, and Stont, none gentlemen ever particularly distinguished themselves during their previous parliamentary career, or gave such promise of public usefulness as to create any strong desire to see them once more entitled to write M.H.R. after their names.” The Protection craze seems to have died stillborn in Wellington; at least one hears very little about it just now. Operatives are beginning to realise that prohibitive protection might do good to a few manufacturers, but would not really improve the position of the working men, ana that even were wages temporarily increased, the price of all necessaries would be increased in corresponding ratio. I met a friend the other day who not a mouth since was a very hot Proteotionist. He has cooled off considerably ; indeed now be is quite icy on tha subject. I ventured to enquire Hie reason of Hie change. Something like tha following conversation ensued: — He—“ Well, you see, I’m a shoemaker, and suppose we got this Protection, it will increase wages, will it notf" Me—“ Possibly—for a time; say, throe | months” ; He—“ Say, a year, but that does not ’ matter. Well, my wages are higher, and ' of course, the boss charges more for the boots he sells.” 1 Me—“ Yon bet.” ' He—“ And the woollen workers, and ‘ all trades will get higher wages." Me—“ So they say. He—“ Then all the manufacturers will ’ charge higher prices.” Me—" Without they are professional , philanthropists, they will." He—“ Well, my landlord, my batcher, 1 my baker, and my milVman and the rest J of them all wear boot* and clothes, don’t \ they?” , Me—“lfthey don’t, they come under the provisions of the Police Offence* . Act.”

Ho—“ Then this is wh&t Tm coming to. What is the use of me earning five shillings a week more wages if I have tu pay away seven or eight shillings mora between the landlord, and the baker, and the butcher? Those people will, under this protection humbug, all have to jwy more, ;ud will, of course, all have ta charge . .ore.”