MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2826, 23 August 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

MELBOURNE GOSSIP.

(FROM OUR OWN UORRKSI'ONDENT.) Mklhournk, August 4. A roiNT of professional ettiquotte has arisen between the Attorney' General and Mr Purveß, Q.C., in connection with the Premier Permanent Building Society prosecutions. The question is—shall the Crown Law Officers accept the ipse dixit of the Q.C., and proceed with the second batch of charges, without examining for themselves the grounds upon which they nro based, or shall they look iuto matters a little before committing the Crown to an unascertained item of oxponso ? Far more trifling appears the bone of contention botwean Mr Purves and Mr David Gaunson. David was riled on the opening day of the trial becauso tho Q.C. alluded to him as "a person." Well, in a case ■whore opposing lawyors have beon so very complimentary towards each other, there does not appoar to have been much harm in that. It was bettor than referring to him in tho torms made uso of tho othor day. If Mr Purves decliued to uso the phrase, "my learned friend," ho had good reason for doing so, as the sportive David had declared open war long ago. The climax was reached on Thursday, when Mr Purves called the attention of the bench to the interruptions of "Mr Nimmo's solicitor." This riled Davie more than the " person " had done, and he parodied Mr Purves' second name in a manner too indecent and vulgar to be printed. Then catno the most disgraceful scene at all. Mr Purves told Mr Gaunson that he was a " liar, a scoundrel, and a blackguard." Mr Gaunson returned the compliment with embellishments, and the pair were kept from clutching each other's throats by their respective friends tearing them apart by main force. Ono is accustomed to hear of scenes of this kind at the bar of a low public-house ; but it is somewhat nnusual to onact such a soeno with a bench of magistrates, % dozen learned counsel, defendants and ■witnesses, newspaper reporters and policomen, for an audienco. I know a place— a British colony, too—whero cold steel ■would have been called into requisition at an early hour next morning if such an affray as that had taken place. I wonder what Piorre Douar's ghost thinks about the coroner's decree (not Dr. Youl'e) that his "cold corpus" should be buried in nnconsecrated ground in the dead of night ? Perhaps his ghostship did not object to the barbarous sentence, which disgraces our civilisation more than it shamed his misdeeds. It is possible that he might have had enough parson at Pentridge, and may think it sufficient for the time being. I have no desire to be irreverent; but I am thinking that, whatever Pierre's ghost might think of the matter, the degradadation affected his corpse very little. It would have more elbow room, and the worms, too, to decay in unconsecrated ground than in a hundred-acre block that had been blessed by a bishop. The only thing that was wanting to conncct the ceremony with more barbarous times was the absence of the four cross roads and tho stake; and these, it seems, the coroner did not provide for. Those barbarous times I allude to are not so far gone by, either. 1 remember well a little hillock, not three quaiters of a mile from the spot where John Wesley was born. It was at the corner of four cross roads— one of which led straight to Epworth market place, in the middle of which John Wesley preached one day. About a year after that, an eminent witch died in the village, and was buried. Her hearse was a plough sled, and her corpse was dragged by a howling rabble to the four cross roads just mentioned. A hole was dug, and old Mary Pilsworth's body was thrown in, To prevent its getting out again it was pinned to the ground with the orthodox stake. My grandfather, then a lad, told me the story. He heard Wesley preach in the market place, and he saw the witch's funeral. We however, are improving. We have left the cross roads behind, and no longer think the stake essential. I presume that if anybody knows tho rights about the " unemployed " question it ought to be Trades' H'lll Council; and the late President thereof, Mr Hancock, scouts tho idea that there are many unionists out of work. Ho admits that distress exists, though not such great distress that men aro in waut of food, oxeept, porhaps, in isolated cases. Mr Wintor, howevor, who is a member of the Council, states that in ono Society there are 500, in another 200, and in a third, one-half tho members, out of employment. The question, therefore, arises—Which of the two statements is correct? No matter just now whero tho two oxtrcmea meet. Mr Hancook mado a very sensible saggestin, though not by any means a new ono. He hoped that overy member would get his Society to start a " benevolent fund," and there would bo no occasion for charity. This is what most people feel. The average of wages in Victoria is sufficiently high to enable any industrious and thrifty man to lay by sufficient to enablo him to tide over slack times in winter —cases of sickness or accident excepted. As for tho irreclaimablo "loafer," ho is always with us. And although no one wishos him to starve to death, ho is not greatly to bo pitied if ho does go with an empty stomach occasionally. There is ono roraarkablo feature about those unemployed, however. Tho majority of them are rarely without pipe and tobacco ; whilst a goodly sprinkling mint be acquainted with the shortest cut to tho attainment of " beer." Tho " unemployed " question was discussed by tho Richmond Council the other night, when some interesting disclosures woro made. Unusual distress exists in that city, owing to tho council having recently closed the quarries and discharged a small array of stonebreakors, A proposal was mado that all tho men should bo taken on again. It transpired however, that tho overdraft at tho baul amounted to £1200. It was then Bug gofltod that each of tho councillors shoulc personally advanco £10 or £12 for i couplo of months. Tho officers of thi municipality also proposed to allow r month's salary to stand over until thi close of tho financial yoar. In the rnidal of theso proposals and shifts to maki both ends meet, tho treasurer roportoi that " £3000 was outstanding for un paid rates." Whereupon, it was promptly resolved that " thocollcetor bo instructs to summon all defaulters." Very oasy going folks, thoso Richmond councillors treasurers, collectors, and ratepayer, generally. An over - drawn banking account anda general condition of hardup pishness on the ono hand, and collectabli debts on the other, which will enable th< council to close tho year with a credi balance. It is well known that tho matrimonia practices of tho Brahmins are both pecu liar and extensive. For inst.ence, ther was recently an old man of Bengal, wh lmd so many aunts, sistors, and daughter that he didn't know what to do. So h gave thorn all in marriage to a boy c ten, and is now relieved of the responsi bilityof looking after them. This nms be unsatisfactory for the ladies, fo Indies, all the world over, prefer, if po? sible, to monopolise the atfontion of thei husbands ; and it is an equally unsatit factory custom for the boy of ten, who on hardly bo said to have received a fai start in life. But it in a convenient cus torn for tho heads of house*, and we ma conclude, therefore, l hat heads of house had a good deal to do with foriniilatin tho precepts of the Biahmiu religiot It would hardly do, howevor, for Mu bourne. The Government has done a sensibl thing in placing the Model Schools buil in" at tho disposal of the Salvation Arm) to be used as a night refuge for th iinimployed. About 100 men can li sheltered there, and as cooking utensil aro to bo provided, it looks as if th Army people did not intend to send th refugees supperless to bed. Unfortu li'itely, however, tho unemployed is nc always a reasonable or a tractable pcrsoi Taking him in tiie aggregate, lie waul employment of his own choosing and i

such places as he may direct. He must not be offered stone-breaking, for that " hurts his hands and it must not be far from his beloved hannts in Melbourne, or out of touch with a Melbourne grog shop. Last week the Salvation Army posted a notice calling for 50 men for farm work, stone-breaking, and quarry work. Forty men applied, and were registered ; but the resolution of some of these failed when they had to start. Again, 100 men were required by the Braybrook Council for strone-break-ing. Fifty men were entered during two days ; of this number some 30 turned up; but tho remaining 70 cannot be obtained. And yet we are told that hard-working men are starving by tho thousand. They allege that the members of the unemployed are 1500 carpenters, 1500 painters, 500 boot-makers, 500 plasterers, 500 brick-layers, 400 masons, and 200 compositors, all, with the exception of a feW compositors, being union men. How hon. members—oven tho leaders— really speak in tho llouso, and how much their speeehos aro improved by newspaper reporters, the two following extracts, taken from one of the papers, sufficiently show. Verbatim extract from commencement of the speech of Mr Gillies at the Federation Conference: —"To start with, I think it has been acknowledged on all sides, even by those least strong in the view of a great federal constitution—still it has been acknowledged

on all sides, both by the representatives of South Australia, who, perhaps, with the hon. member for Western Australia, Sir James Lee Steere, are least strong for a great federal constitution—yet at the same time it has been acknowledged by all of these gentlemen that we ought to have a Federal Parliament." And, here is the newspaper report:—"To start with, it has been acknowledged on all sides, even by the representatives of South Australia and Western Australia, who aro least strong for a great federal constitution, that we ought to have a Federal Parliament."