THE WEEK THE WORLD AND WELLINGTON.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 7 April 1913, Page 2

THE WEEK THE WORLD AND WELLINGTON.

BY FRANK MORTON

In this most sombre capital tilings maunder on niuch about ivs usutvl. As to the scheme of be.nutifica.tion, there "js already some bickering. Thej are squabbling a*s to Avhieh among them deserves most credit for tho success of tho carnival. If they had a rudimentary sense of humour, they would be saved from such a disgusting absurdity, but they have no sense of humour at all. They nvo just little emug parishioners scheming for a little advertisement, a little food for their silly vanity. I have seen public men and public matters in many cities; but I never saw before any such hateful pettiness as constantly comes to tho top in this town. We have -more of it in connection with tho coming visit of H.M.S. New Zealand. One would think that the city would mako haste to give this ship a worthy welcome. She has been presented to the Empire by New Zealand; and Wellington is, after all, the capital city. She is the greatest and finest warship that has ever come to this . country. Her tour has imperial significance. But what do we find? A pack of City Councillors., our oddest old women, whimpering and nagging. They t j do not think they were consulted first j of alt, as they should have been. They t can't soc why the Navy League should ! claro to take any part tin the preparaj tions. They are opposed to expense. i They are certain that it is wrong to | make an adequate charge for admission to the citizens' ball which is to ho afeature of the entertainment of the officers o# the vessel. They whino most distressingly, and they hav^ almost succeeded in making the public sick of everything in advance. I beg you, try iind make a picture of a great civic ball, admission gents half-n-crown, ladies free. You can't do it. j There would reculfc a wild scramble of .' tho people that don't count, and a total !. absence of the people that do. The | iall will only hold" a certain number of j people, ami they must be the right j people. The officers of this ship are what you call gentlemen. Mainy of 11 em aro men of family. If you asked them to a ball whore they would dub shoulders with scavengers and tinkers (admirable chaps though scavengers and tinkers may be in their private lines), it is exceedingly unlikely that they I would enjoy tho experience. Then we have Councillor Tregear. 1 yield to no man in my regard anil respect for Councillor Tregear. I know that ho belongs to a pack with which I have little sympathy, and 1 know that while ho war? an officer of the State he ■occasionally did things that I considered improper, or at least indiscreet. But Mr Tregear is a sincere man, and » man with brains—the queerest person to get elected to Wellington City Council that one could possibly conceive. Only, ho grows old. and becomes erratic and querulous. Thus, when there is j talk of this ball, he says it 6hould be ' called.-the Ward Ball, beeairse Ward j gnvc the warship. I am ashamed for Air. Tregear when he talks such degrad! ng rubbish as that. It has been ox planned over and over again ad nausea?r-. how this warship came to be given to the Empire. There was an emergency call. Sir Joseph Ward, as Prime 'Minister, rose to the occasion, sent a-(•ir.-uiar to all members of Parliament, ebt-a:i?ed their consent, and offered the T> c odnought. I am not sure myself that the gift of a Dreadnought was tho best means of helping the Empire on that call. But my opinion sis only the op-.ii.ion of a layman; and the thing is done, it any case. More than that. In this matter of the Dreadnought the. jMassey Government has taken full 6ha"ro and all available credit. Mr Allen 1 as made patriotic speeches in London, with this ship for text. It was in the i-eat of enthusiasm engendered by that discussion that be announced has wild idea of an expeditionary force. Tho ship is given by New Zealand the gift lias been sanctioned by virtually every member of tho Parliament that existed at tho time the gift was offered, and Sir Joseph Ward's personal responsibility in the matter "was merely his responsibility as Prime Minister of a dominion * that now and then rather likes to do things decently. It is a nity—it is a.thousand pities-— that Wellington City Council should Lave anything to do with such a mattor. In tho mutters of wit and intelligence, Wellington City Cnunrjl falls beneath contempt. Mr Tregear is the only well-educated man connected with i-. Its meetings, whenever there is the slightest difference of feeling, degenerate into tho vulgar wrangles of illiterate Boeotians. The crying shame of Wellington is that its citizens of mark ■and standing will not enter the. arena r-f city politics. For a time, we had Mr Wilford, a good man; but he speedily retired,, and in most matters h© was speedily-disgusted. He was called to i office by a stern sense of duty to his I city i . but no sense of duty is strong | enough to induce him to tako tip offic6 I terrain.