MELBOURNE ECHOES

Western Star, Issue 1573, 24 June 1891, Page 4

MELBOURNE ECHOES

(By TeiiEphonus.) General Tulloch has thrown a bomb . shell among Hie managers of our benevolent institutions by declaring \ that the Immigrants' Homo is a disgrace to civilisation, and that neither that place nor the Benevolent Asylum are to be compared with the county workhouses in England. When it is remembered that the county workhouses are still the abodes of nmery described by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist, fifty three years ago, that the average cost of the food of an English pauper is not more than about 2s 3d per week, ami that the respectable classes of the English poor willingly starve and see their children starve rather than enter the doors of such

places, it will be understood that the statement is a startling one. But as it is, Messrs Zox and Godfrey continued to add point to it. The former pointed out that at sixty-three, old people were now in gaol because there was no room for them in any Benevolent Asylum whatever, and the latter asserted that hundreds of old people living between Ballarat and Maryborough were awaiting their turn for admission to one or other of these asylums. These statements do not apply to Melbourne alone but the entire country, ai.d the result will probably be an entire revision of the system. There may be an attempt to board out the most suitable of the old people as children are boarded out. Thu plan is followed in America and may be useful here. Iu country homes where wife and husband are both for ever busy, an old man or woman who could potter about would be worth having if no pecuniary cost were attached to the keep of the visitor. The weakest of such poor folk are generally strong enough to see that the baby does not tumble into the fire and that the saucepans.do not boil over. It is said that the missing steamer Tai-amung was loaded with 1400 tons of coal, and that her utmost capacity is not more than 1200 tons. If this be true there will be a great howl when the facts are known. Et is also as-

Betted that no skipper dare, now, venture forth in face of any weather, no matter bow much too heavily the ship is laden. On the other hand it is remembered that the Taranmng was one of the best victualled and most com. fortable boats on the coast. She did not lay herself out for passengers, but would take one or two now and then, and those who once travelled with her were only too glad to go again. The Bernhardt boom is the biggest that the theatrical world has seen. £Bl4 the first night and an average of over £SOO per night ever since, which gives a return of about £3500 for tbe iirst week. Of this amount it is understood tbat the fair Sarah rcceives£l2o per night, one-third of the gross takings in addition, and also £4O per week for hotel expenses. These sums together give ber £720, £1,106 (3s Sd and £lO making in all £1856 6s Bd. The Williamson and Garner management have the balance, £1043 13s 4cl. Of course they have tke heavy expenses of the theatre to pay, rout, lights, band attendance and so on, probably £4OO per week, and their preliminary expenses must have been enormous. Last Thursday tbe Divine Sarah issued letters of invitation to every manager in Melbourne, "Music Halls, Waxworks and all, stating that Madame Sarah Bernhardt would be delighted to see "the whole of the employe's of their company at the Saturday matinee of La Dame Aux Camelius with which she begun her second week. A certain musical hall manager marched up to the theatre on Friday and demanded to see the the actual writer of his invitation which he produced. He was shown up to the gentleman in question, handsome Phil Greenwood, who was treas-

urer for some time daring Mr Musgrove's in New Zealand. Tie manager demanded to know whether they were playing a joke on him and was told "no, the invitation was all right and had been issued at Madame Bernhardt*' personal desire." Th< n he asked " Why the pandemonium it it had not been signed," and on being informed that invitations were always couched in the third person and consequently always went unsigned, he said lie did not care a continental about the third person. There were only two persons in it, himself and Madame Bernhardt. Furthermore, he was ready to bot new hats that the invitation ought to have been signed, and oddiy enough, he found an ally in one of the firm's agents, who hap-

psned to be there. Words came on so quickly tliat the manager and his supporter offered to bet £lO each that they wore right, and Philiip might have made a £2O note had he chosen to take up their rash wagers. In a i"or»ni»ht the engagement of Olga Nethersolrt and Clias, Cartright clones at the Bijou Theatre whin Caste is ti be reproduced, and after that thJ Much Ado About Nothing of the late Mr Wi liam Shakespeare. 1 am rather sorry for Brough and Boueicault. B!ak<'S{itare does not draw in Me bi uru.e <X«i piing when there is some special reauou for patronising it as tueie w.is when tao Essie .Icnyi'B n ania was on. Much Ado About Nolbiig will, 'o my miurJ admirably illustrate the course of the speculation. IE Sir U nry Paikes wins m the general elect.ona now pcuding in NewSouth W r a'ei he will frost from Federation until he has settle J everythiu" else. If Mr Dibbs wins he will practically frost f>otn it altogether, as he favours'a foim * f Federation which no one else can see any reason for accepting That is to say he is not conlib the idea of Intercolonial Free Trade but desires to see Protection established in New South Wales as ago. :v.t Victoria. He also swears not !• consent to Federation until Sy dno i> named as the Fcdej al Capital, a dec; . i which will postpone the arrant/-mont sine die. Police protcctiou is sadly wauled iu

oaf suburbs which become more unsafe every day. People are hustled and robbed, ladies assaulted, houses stripped of their fittings and all their windows, door handles, finger phates and other garuishings pitched into tho streets. Tho people cry out for help from all suburbs, and a day or two ago a dopu!ta-tioii :fVp‘m Canterbury al-kcd the Cbfbr Secretary for a Police Station as there were none nearer than Surrey Hills. He promised to ask the Chief Commissioner to spare one policeman, but one is not of much use in a district which has fifteen miles of unmade roads to patrol. Our force requires immediate revision ,and in the slang of the Theatres will have to be brought “ up to date ” at once to save wholesale plunder, j ~ j > Mr .1. H. Barf.'Ws who, tome montlis back xleliveted a lecture upon Barbarous Melbourne in which he de-

nounced the city and its people, the buildings, clothes, manners, habits, customs and other features of the city, is on tho war path again. He has been tolling the A.M.A. that the capitalists are greedy, that the extremes of poverty and misery are as wide apart hero as in London and has instanced the Bank clerks as being specially illtreated. This is nonsense. A boy goes into a bank soon after he loaves sc-hoc 1 and presently earns at least as much as an artisan who has given seven years time to learn a trade while his after advancement if he is in earnest, honest and resolute, is quick enough. I know various bank clerks who persist in living as if they bad £SOO a year, when their earnings are nob more than £3 per week. These are always wretched, but I know others who by living decently and within their, means have

won the confidence of their employers and have been promoted rapidly. I know a country manager,, ,not. yet thirty, with £l5O a year and allowances and a handsome house to live in furnished at the expense of the bank as a mark of their esteem, who began in their service a dozen years ago as a fatherless boy . without a. shilling or a friend. As for Barrows' contention that they are so overworked that a bill limiting their labor to! ten hours a clay would be a godsend, it is all nonsense. The Banks keep more holidays than the Government officers, and the dajs are few in the year when the Bank clerk cannot get away by the 5.20 train at the latest.