ON THE WING

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 12, 20 January 1894, Page 22

ON THE WING

The Woodville Examiner has recently gone in. for ancient history and is reproducing from the . archives of Victoria a highly varnished chronicle of the adven-tures-of'Ned Kelly, the bushranger.— Chestnut!

The erudition displayed by the Wairaira/pa ■ Observer in a recent leading article anent the political situation in Italy, is worthy of reproduction. The editor in referring to Victor Emmanuel speaks of him as II JRe galantuomo and then for the benefit of his readers who were. unacquainted with Italian, gives the following translation in parenthesis— 4 • The gentleman King. ’ ’ Where our friend learned Italian we are at a loss to say, but we are morally certain that'he could never have studied the biography of Victor Emmanuel to place such an interpretation on the term galantuomo as applied to him. Victor Emmanuel was notoriously a libertine ; his intrigues not being confined to the ladies of his court, but extending to the contadini as well. Galantuomo was satirically applied and referred to his numerous , amours; and liasons, Again our contemporary refers to the triumvirate of Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel. - Why the slight placed upon Mazzini ? who. was really, the brains of the combination. "We fear, we gravely fear that, the article .wa,s evolved from a ladies’ boarding school, “ Ollendorf ” and an out-of-date copy of “ Men of Mark,” The expenditure on the Labour Department last year was £4192. The following story which is told of a London Judge, epitomises one’s ideal of a summing up that is brief and to the point. ’ ; It should recommend itself to some of om’ long-winded arbitrators m New Zealand: —“ The case being tried' was one against a railway company for the loss of a bag. After a somewhat lengthy hearing, the judge summed up to the jury thus: ‘Gentlemen, the plaintiff claims damages for the loss of his bag against the company. They are always losing bags; they lost mine when I was on oircuit. Consider your verdict.’ ” Our Wairarapa contemporary is not afraid to hit out .from the shoulder, as the following quotation from, a leading article in a recent issue shows: —“ Racing in the Wairarapa-is , a farce. There is,nothing honest? or legitimate about it. Instead of being a> test of horsemanship and of the stamina of; horses, it has become the medium? ; for loafing spielers and smart adventurers to fleece the unsuspecting pubhp."% ‘1 1 ‘

Mr. A. J. M'Bredie, of the Railway Engineers Department at Dunedin, has been promoted to he assistant to the engineer-in- chief. Mr. George Jones, proprietor of the Oamaru Mail, who has been for a trip to England and the continent for the benefit of his health, has returned to Oamaru. He claims that he is much better for his trip. The petitions for dissolution of marriage in New Zealand in 1888 were 35; in 1889 there were 26; in 1890,24; in 1891, 31; and in 1892 30, of which 18 were granted, Mr. Robert McNab, M.H.R. has resigned his commission in the volunteer force as Captain of the “ G ” Battery, N.Z.A. The Feilding Star is very anxious that the municipality should sink for artesian water .and is urging the inhabitants to subscribe towards that purpose. A story is told about one of the newly elected Mayors in the North of England which is good enough to be true. Entertained at a banquet after his election he, in returning thanks, was anxious to make it Known that no party considerations or personal favours should warp his action whilst holding the high office to which he had been called. “In fact, gentlemen,” he said, “in my opinion the Mayor of an important borough like this should be, like Caesar’s wife, all things to all men.” Mr. George Bell, the proprietor of the Dunedin Star, celebrated his 85th birthday a few days ago. Mr. Bell is still a healthy old gentleman and capable of writing an interesting article. His great age jgoes far to prove the fallacy of the theory that journalists as a rule die young. Mr. Mark Cohen, editor of the Dunedin Star, has consented to stand as a candidate for the Otago Education Board. Jackson Palmer, the defeated candidate for Waitemate, has brought a petition against the validity of the election of Richard Monk praying that it'be set aside. Considerable excitement has been .occasioned in the district by the action, as it is stated that the petitioner feels sure of victory. The time has been set for the case to be heard, and both sides are.working hard. If the precedent of upsetting elections on the plea of money having, been expended is. established, hardly one of our legislators will be safe in his seat. The speculation in political circles now is, if .Sir Robert Stout is unseated who will the candidates be who will contest the bv-election. Is the rumour true that Mr. H. D. Bell contributed largely towards the election expenses of Sir Robert Stout ? “In a recent English breach-of-pro-mise case, the defendant, a farmer, explained that he had broken off the match because he wanted the money he had saved for the wedding to buy manure with,. It was a choice between love and fertiliser, and he chose the fertiliser. The jury apparently regarded the manure as an additional insult, and the

were- something awful.” This reminds one of Mark Twain’s Black Forest romance, where the possession of large € hoards of manure constituted the millionaire of that country. A contemporary says that sandwiches are now being made by machinery in England. We were always under the impression that the average railway sandwich was turned out by a lathe. , It is rumored that the Ministry will on the assembling of Parliament propose that Sir Maurice O’Borke be elected Speaker. Our sympathy goes out for the late poet Speaker who will undoubtedly, like crushed violets, give us Ms sweetest poetical scent, if defeated. The Marlborough Weekly Times in a recent leading article goes into hysterics over the wickedness of gambling' by means of the “ totalisator,” and with a snug consciousness of rectitude congratulates itself on the fine imposed upon Mr. Patterson, a Wellington bookmaker. Now what does the Times want? The millenium has not as- yet arrived, and it would be just as easy to put down moderate drinking as gambling.. Why then is it not better to regulate the evil, if evil it be, by certain restraining laws ? Men will bet as long as the element of chance exists, unless the entire nature of the animal is altered, and legitimate Control is much better than the farcical theory of abolition. Let the Times study human nature a little more closely from a practical point of view, and it will cease its wailings in favour of a theory that is as impracticable as it is absurd. A Canterbury farmer was fined £5 and costs for using a cancelled postage stamp. We knew that times were bad in New Zealand, but we didn’t think that they had arrived at that stage that the average landholder was obliged to rewash his postage stamps with vinegar in order to write to his friends. This certainly is a case of penny wise and pound foolish with a vengeance; and we hope the lesson will prove a useful one to the transgressor. “The American Salesman” seems to have been getting himself into trouble again at Greymouth. A row occurred at his entertainment there which became so fierce that he was obliged to return all the money he had taken for Ms sales. . If people will patronise tMs class of entertainment they must expect to be “taken down,” and shouldn’t “ squeal ” when they find they have been made fools of. Everybody knows what the so-called “ American Salesman ” is and should look out for him. Mr. W. G. Foster, manager of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, is at present on a visit to Blenheim. The Palmerston people propose to borrow a £IOOO for urgent drainage works. The Evening Post claims that Sir Westby Perceval is desirous of being relieved of Ms duties as Agent-General. What? when he has just got a handle to Ms name. Go to! London will be sweeter to him thap ever now.