HERE AND THERE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVIII, Issue XVIII, 3 May 1902, Page 836

HERE AND THERE.

The love of the beautiful, and the desire to make their city as lovely as possible, is very strong in Christchurch just now, and chiefly owing to the efforts and enthusiasm of the Christchurch Beautifying Association, a great campaign is to be carried on in the coining planting season. It would seem that the Association, have been able to imbue the public with some of their own public spirit,an.d funds are,one understands, to be freely offered. It is almost needless to direct attention of visitors and residents to the City of the Plains to the results of the Association’s handiwork, for the casual stroller by the river-side and the business man hurrying to his daily task connot but be struck by themThe Association, evidently, believes with the prophet that “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” The improvements already made in the city require a constant expenditure of money and labour, but the Association is hopeful of undertaking new work during the coming season. Its programme includes the planting of a piece of waste ground at the corner of Park Terrace and Salis-bury-street, a triangular piece at the corner of Kilmore-street and Cambridge Terrace, on the east side of iGolombo-street, another triangular section in front of Mr Wigram’s residence on Park Terrace, and the plot on Oxford Terrace, near the Baptist Church, formerly used for the storage of broken metal- Flowering shrubs and trees, with perhaps a few bulbs, will be used in these places. “Bow use doth breed a habit in a man.” An Australian sporting Writer . tells the following- amusing- story of how the slang of a racing stable was on occasion unconsciously quaintly used:—Bill, Ted and dim were three racing- pals, and Jim had been in the hospital for several weeks suffering from an illness so severe that the worst consequences were feared, though, happily, he being naturally a cheerful sort of chap, pulled through. While he was in the hospital, however, Ted had been to see him one day, and afterwards sorrowfully told Bill that he was afraid .Jim “wouldn’t see the Newmarket run.” The next morning another friend anxious to hear how Jim was getting on, called to inquire of Bill, whom he founcT writing a letter. “How’s poor old Jim?” asked the friend, and Bill, without looking- up, replied, “Ted don’t fancy him!”

The reformed publichouse is likely to make its appearance in New Zealand, for already a movement is on foot to float what is termed the “Otago Publichouse Trust Association.” The object of this association is twofold, says the “Otago Witness”—first, to acquire publichouse properties, and run them as reputable refreshment houses, where the sale of alcoholic liquors will, as far as possible, be discouraged, and second, to limit the dividend payable to the shareholders to 5 per cent, per annum- By this means it is hoped to eliminate the principle of private profit, to which so many of the evils of the drink traffic are attributable, and at the same time keep the drinking habits of society within due bounds. In the United Kingdom, where the experiment has been tried, it has proved, if anything-, too successful —that is to say, the profits accruing from the working of these reformed publichouses have been too great. And it is just here that the danger of the whole scheme lies, for big profits are ever likely to appeal to the cupidity of shareholders, who, however benevolent their motives, are, after all, only human. As a first step towards State or municipal control of the liquor traffic, the experiment will be watched with interest, for it presents an honest attempt to solve the problem of liquor reform.

“Why Women Wed” was, if one recollects rightly, the title of a play staged in New Zealand not long since. The wife of a Christchurch man was very explicit on the point the other day, though unfortunately it was evident she had not secured what she bargained for. She applied to the Magistrate for a maintenance order

against the gentleman she had sworn to love, honour, and obey, and was advised by the Magistrate to go to work and help him to keep a home together, as she seemed quite as capable of working as he did. This, however, she refused to do. “I worked hard enough in my single days,” said she, “and did not marry with the intention of keeping my husband. I expect him to keep me.” Those of us remaining at our desks or counters, or poring over our ledgers are quite out of the fashion. Kveryone is going, or has, indeed, gone Home for the Coronation. Some go on their incomes, other on their savings, some on their “cheek,” and one or two like Mr Brigham, of the Auckland Harbour Board, are fortunate enough to go at the public expense. The Ventura, via ’Frisco, on Saturday, took no less than 250 passengers, the majority of them from New Zealand. Fortupate trippers! our thoughts follow them enviously, and we wonder —rather forlornly—if it will ever be our turn. But a time will come.” In about a year’s time we shall see them returning light in pocket, and then we can bring gloom to their visages by asking them when they are going to have another trip. It is, one supposes, useless to warn children against eating berries and such other strange affairs as their souls hanker after, by telling them of other youngsters who have disobeyed parental orders in this matter and died in frightful agony in consequence. That “bogey story.” though founded on fact to a greater extent than is usual with “cautionary stories,” as they used to call them in our grandmothers’ days, has small weight with youngsters of to-day. They have a penchant for berries, and an inherited daring in the matter of new edibles. After all, each one of us have tried sand, coal, berries or some such “foreign matter” in our time. The present generation simply follow in our footsteps. Two boys at Waihi last week ate plentifully of some berries unknown to them, and had subsequently rather more than the usual bad quarter of an hour. The situation of both was for some time critical, but both are now out of danger, though one still has attack's of nausea. Berry-eating will “slump” in Waihi, but the example will not otherwise do much good. The instinct is ineradicable, and the funny thing- is that most poisonous berries are extremely nasty, and would cause a fine commotion in the nursery if administered as medicine. Poor human nature. However nasty the forbidden fruit is, it is our nature to want it simply because it is forbidden.

It is a great thing to have a persuasive way with one. In Sydney the other day two gentlemen—one fancies they were sheriff’s officers—rowed out to a sailing craft and wished to go aboard. But as one of the sailors of the boat afterwards explained in court, he and a friend “persuaded”, the unwelcome visitors to remain in their dinghy. Asked how he exercised his persuasive powers, this genial

“Jack Tar” said that he armed himself with a tomahawk and chopped at the visitors’ heads whenever they attempted to mount the ladder. This is the sort of persuasive eloquence anyone can understand. A man with just this sort of “persuasive method” is needed to convince Irish disloyalists of the error of their ways. It is something they could understand.

Someone in Dannevirke has received a letter from the front telling how a hundred men of the Sixth Contingent had been caught by the Boers, stripped of their clothing, and set free. The writer states that the affair was kept secret for a time. Most naturally, too. There was a double reason for keeping the incident covered up. From all accounts prisoners must be a perfect god-send to the Boers, for nothing else than the sake of their wardrobes. De Wet’s men have not only ridden the tails off their horses, but the clothes off their own backs to boot.

Proud, indeed, will be the chiefs of the Arawa tribe over the Union Jack which His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has sent out for presenta-

tion to them, and which the Governor is to deliver in person when he goes up to Rotorua for the purpose on May 1. The gift must, of course, be regarded as a compliment to the Maoris as a people, not merely to the Arawas alone—though, of course, the honour of guarding the gift is naturally their right, as it was at Rotorua the Royalties were entertained. One had imagined red tape was pretty well at a discount in such a democratic and commousense colony as ours, but it seems to grow and flourish here as elsewhere, and Bumble is, moreover, still with us. A Timaru resident set up four posts in his back yard, near a fence, and stretched some calico- over them, to afford.shelter to four lads who were to build a boat under his superintendence. The Borough « Council’s Building Inspector brought to bear upon him the by-law regarding tents and awnings, and demanded a fee of 5/ for one day and 2/6 for each subsequent day that the shelter existed. The ratepayer appealed to the Council, but it considered that it was helpless in’the matter.

The Royal visitors to New Zealand and Australia, etc., etc., last year, and the press correspondents who ac-

companied them, were, it transpires, struck with the lack of vigour in colonial cheering, as compared with “the true British cheer” of the home-folk. And that he is perfectly correct in his assertion all those who have heard the deep-toned roar of an English crowd must, perforce, acknowledge. But mere ability to cheer and thorough loyalty are not inseparable attributes. Nor does the writer in question hint that they are. He is only puzzled. During the Royal procession through Australian and New Zealand colonial cities there was enthusiasm and delight manifest everywhere. But the cheering was intermittent, feeble, shrill—like that of women; or of a symphony of many “roosters.” It had, and always has had, a suggestion about it of “that tired feeling.” What is the reason we cannot roar out our delight after the fashion of our brethren oversea? Is it “the climate” —that universal apologist? Are we a nation of relaxed throats? Can it possibly be just pure shyness and diffidence? Or is it a mixture of all these, with “liver” thrown in, that bars us from raising “that great city-roar that hails Premier or King?”

The welcome announcement has been made, that a permanent and very substantial reduction of railroad fares is to be made at a very early date. Dunedin people, so Mr Ward has told them, will be able to visit the Cold Bakes for a little more than half what they pay now. This will, of course, mean that similar reductions will prevail on other lines. Wellingtonians will be able to take a run up to Wanganui at a greatly reduced figure, and the Rotorua trip will be made reasonable for travellers from the northern capital. This is a move in the riglft direction. With Rotorua, for instance, thousands of pounds have been spent recently in improvements, but the fare, except in

excursion times, is prohibitive to all save the wealthy. Accommodation at the thermal districts is wonderfully reasonable, if one is not too exacting in the matter of style, so that reduced fares will mean a mighty influx of visitors.

The colonial larrikin, if mischievous, is seldom dangerously so, but sometimes it is otherwise. For example: —Several dastardly acts of larrikinism, which might have caused serious loss of life, have been perpetrated at the Brunner Coal Mine during the last few days. In one instance two casks of grease, each weighing 4Jcwt, were sent rolling down the inclinetunnel of the mine, one falling with such force as to tear down partitions, and it was within an ace of wrecking the electric lighting plant. Another act was still more serious. Three trucks, which were standing ready to be lowered down the tunnel at the commencement of the 6 a.m. shift, were deliberately uncoupled, and had the mischief not been detected, the uncoupled trucks would have broken away.

Have you ever been shaved by a lady barber? If you have been to Rotorua and know your way about you may possibly have done so, for a blithe and prosperous barber there has an exceedingly pretty wife, who can handle a razor more deftly than any mere male barber who ever hacked a strop or sliced a chin. To be shaved by her would be an event, and one lias witnessed wild, extravagance in the purchase of cigars and tobacco in the front shop of that barber’s in the hope of achieving favour. The lady usually declares she only shaves her husband, but the jeunesse doree amongst the visitors always live in hope, for, on dit,- that when a press occurs the fair lady will at all events lather up the patient. The lady barbers in Sydney are causing trouble, bv the way. The hairdressers of Sydney deputationised Mr Peacock last week, and asked him to suppress the “lady hairdresser.” Mr Peacock would not, however, promise to have the woman barber abolished; he probably realised that there was a great deal to be said for her. No doubt, J,m has suffered from the man barber so often that he feels an innovation would be. welcome. At any rate the cry of the male employee who finds himself getting ousted by the nimble fingered young woman is likely to become louder in the land.

The dependence of the Commonwealth on New Zealand was strikingly suggested last week in the Federal Assembly, when Mr Fuller moved the adjournment of the House to urge the necessity for suspending the duty on fodder, so as to give farmers and pastoralists facilities for keeping their stock alive during the present terrible drought, and suggested that supplies could be drawn from New -Zealand. It was stated that despite the large sums being spent in hand-feeding, thousands of stock were dying, and settlers were being ruined.