OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIV, Issue 4, 26 January 1910, Page 4

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

January 22. Wellington's Anniversary. 6/J’ XN I VERSARY Day. and. of / I course, a holiday—a day which J might well be called *’a day of devotion.’’ It is a day on which to look back on sixty-eight years <•: good history. We look at the big wharves that now surround the old har--Im»uf in the inner bay called Lambton, and we walk round the miles of plankin? among the big ships, we note the city grow n out into the valley ar.d < v» rib wing out of it to the tops of th? hills around, we admire the good build* iixrs, and we see the »moke of foundries and the <t« am pulD of railway trains, wi hear the roar of trains, and we realise the last word of a truly great chapter of history. We do not forget at the same time that it is a history common to the Dominion—a history of self-relianc \ of adaptation, or good sen-e ami prudence: full, in fact, of all the works ami qualities which belong to the great capacity for »}f government tl Ly our ra<*e. Thus, while we think and talk < f the great men who made \\ 1lingtt n. we are reminded also of the great men who made New Zealand, building the country in security up to greatness. So without thinking too much < f our own we pass on to the enjoyment <»f the day in the customary manner. races, and the junketings which remind us of the achievements of on/ fathers, body forth our patriotism, and fp«t at the same time our capacity for whole-oine enjoyment. The Coming of Kitchener. There is a mild sensation among us. We are talking with bated breath about the Marshal who is to come and make us all ~s it up*’ presently. It is realised extensively that the military authorities have taken the hint of his doings in Australia. Hence, we all smile when we read the programme which is to concentrate the men of the four centres and let the Marshal do all the rot. The Prime Minister puts it better, thus:—"We simply supply the human material. Lord Kitchener will select the area for the manoeuvres, an«. draft the scheme of operations.*’ It will be all done between February 17th. when the Prime Minister and the ])ef»nc« Council meet the Marshal at th* Bhiff. and March 3rd. when the san « men will see him off at Auckland f< i Fiji. It will l>e a rapid visit. But t. the Marshal lias a rapid eve. Boj to Settle the Knyvett Case. A few men who may be called dreamers, but if so they dream for their country s good, had developed a theory about tlie Knyvett case before the re|x>rt of the deputation from the Northern City was made know n by the newspapers, it was to tiw effect that the matter might be referred to L>rd Kitchener. The onlv doubt they had was whether K. of K., who i- s<» stern a disciplinarian, as his African exploits help his Egyptian history to prove, would bring himself down to the level of advising anything relenting in a matter of a breach of discipline, hut they remembered that he had at one time, when he was. like Captain Knyvett. young and impressionable, not to say headstrong, broken discipline himself. As the story goes, having been refused leave ©f absence —he wa> stationed at Cyprus — by hi- General, so that he might go to Ab xandria to see the threatened bombardment. Im- molly got on board the first steamer “ailing for that place, saw the bomlkardment as a gue-t of a naval officer engage* 1 in the affair, and. returning. r» [«nrte<! himself with the same coolness t<- the General who had refused him leave of absence. What came of it history has forgotten: at all event-, nobody who’ tells the -tory nowa«la\> think- of saying anythii g alout the sequel. Clearly, however, it could not have been very serious, because the Lieutenant who committed that breach of discipline is now the Field Var*hal who overthrew the Mahdi, made are at Vereeniging. made Lord Curson -it up.” while he used the Indian romto reorganise Che Indian military

system. ami is visiting these parts before taking up the greatest and newest command in the British Empire. The Cyprus episode is somewhat analogous—distantly but distinctly—to the visit of the Auckland Artillery to the Artillery of Wellington, and might therefore be a good peg on which to hang a story of intercession and rehabilitation, granted to the prayer of the great Marshal wanting to signalise his visit by an act of clemency. But there was always to be considered the question of how to get the Marshal to take smh a course under cover of a review of a military decision. To hint at such a thing might rouse him un| I :isant’y. and to leave him to himself mig t find him never suspecting what was wanted of him. An Gver-zealotis Friend. But since the report of the deputation proceedings the idyllie idea has receded. Simply because the proceeding-. while di-elosing reasons for asking explanation from the Court about tile non-taking of notes of evidence and . t er allegations of irregularity, al-o further str ng light against the ea-e for the captain. Since then the chan pi. n blunder has been made by a friend of the captain’ a volunteer < Ulcer, naniele-s. of course, but n -t tc.nguvle-s. for he has practically accused tiie Prime/Minister of lying in the endeavour to make people believe that it was Colonel Tuson who advised the sentence of dismissal, whereas the said volunteer knew, as did everybody else did. that the colonel was in Australia all the time. This is somewhat typical, for the truth turns out to be that the Colonel did go to Australia, but that he dealt with the Knyvett ease before he left for that country, and decided upon it finally after he had received the report of the Court after his return. There are the documents and the dates to show, and these have been publicly quoted, to the great discomfiture of the nameless volunteer officer, whose over-zeal in jiis friend’s behalf has betrayed him into a blunder - , perhaps fatal, to his friend’s cause. But presently we shall have the reply of the Court to the request for explanation which was promised on the representation of Mr. M ilford, who handled that part of the ease during the deputation proceedings remarkably well. Till then it will be well not to say too much one way or the other. For my part. I do not think there is much hope from that quarter. If I am wrong. I shall be agreeably surprised. Mystery Mongering. Tn the meantime. I have another agreeable surprise to chronicle. Some two years ago. the Hon. T. K. MacDonald got hold of some gossip about a firm knowht as "E. A. Smith,” and asked to be told all about it in the Legislative Council, in a return for which he asked. The implication, not, of course, directly made, was that there was said to be something dreadful going on in tire matter of shipping commissions. The return was not granted on the score of expense, and the matter dropped, only to la- revived in the columns of the "‘Dominion.” which really only re-opened the question which had been previously raised by the London correspondent, who eaters for that paper and others. This brought the Prime Minister to the front with a simple enough explanation. The firm of “E- A. Smith” turns put to have been run by a son of Sir W. Kennaway. and to have been doing -hipping bu-ine-s which was profitable enough in the way of commissions paid by the shipping people, but from fir-t t<. la-t not a farthing was paid by the Goverment. The business was done by this firm, and the Government decided la-t year to take the business over themselves, defraying the cost out of the commissions which had been paid to the firm aforrlstid. and taking over some of the clerks of the same. It was for this purpos that the late bead of the Tourist Department. Mr. Donme, was sent Home. The whole thing turns out to have been a simple matter of business, in which the Government were in no way implicated, and, futher. that the business will in future be done by the Government, which will not make any profit out of it. but must find an advantage in the better control the

change perhaps may give them in the matter of immigration of all sorts in place of the control hitherto limited to the assisted immigrants. A report is to be furnished of the whole matter by the High Commissioner, and that is all absolutely that there is in this highly circumstantial, much circulated, very mystery-mongering story circulated with bated breath by the Opposition syndicate of newspapers. A good scene was the opening of the branch of the Labour Bureau in the new Te Aro Post Office yesterday. The best of it wa- supplied by the unexpected necessity for replying to an attack on the Labour Department by the President of the Trades and Labour Council. Mr. Noot went so far as to declare that he and his friends had come to the eoneiu-ion that the Department is ran nowadav- in the interest of the employer- rather than in that of the worker-. The Minister of Labour replied n th much vigour that the Department was run in the interest of justice, that the workers had derived immense benefit from its operations, ami that if anybody wanted it to tyrannise over any interest, employer or otherwise. those persons would be grievously disappointed. The kind ot instances the Minister ehose tor the illustration of his points made his speech a specially severe ami sugge-tive rebuke of the behaviour of the Trades Council. It was a strong n all’s reply, and it had the heat of personal conviction. What the supporters of th< Trades and Labour Councile are going to do about it we shall see. The Department and the legislation behind it have been often directly, and still more often indirectly, the cause of preventing industrial upheavals. It is true that the prevention of only one would have amply justified the Department and all it- policy. As there happens to be several the argument is irrefutable. The pleasantest part of the episode was the character of the Minister’s reply. A stranger familiar with the line and the methods of the enemies of the Department and the Labour legislation behind it. would infallibly have come to the conclusion that the reply was addressed to the uncompromising enemy, not to the doubtful friend. It is suggestive of the fact that the workers have in some instances gone over to the enemy with arguments of similar character. But it is impossible to believe that-this represents a movement which is likely to develop into the formation of an Independent Labour party. Sir Joseph Ward backed up his lieutenant with the practical argument that the Dominion of Canada has just taken and set up a copy of the Labour Department of this Dominion with similar laws behind it. As usual, he did not neglect to give a pleasant bird’s-eye view of the Dominion’- finances, public and private. V\ hat else he eould have done in the face of the wool prices upheaved from the deep of depression one can not see. Neither can one see how any one else could have done the optimistic suggestion half so well. I need only add that the prognostication of the half-million surplus made by him last week at Christchurch, and referred to with agreeable surprise in this column, does not, I find on inquiry, refer to the current year. That would have been, as I hinted, too much joy. But there are good hopes in financial circles that the surpluses will begin again next year. If they do I do not think the Government w ill repeat the experiment of giving awav much in “concessions.” Lord Kitchener’s Dominion Tour. The “New Zealand Times” announces that preparations are being made by the defence authorities to enable the volunteer troop- and cadets of different provinces to lie concentrated in the four centres of N-v. Zealand during Lord Kitchener’s visit. Lord Kitchener has expressed a de-ire to make a thorough examination of the fortifications at the four centres, and every facility will be afforded him of doing so. The Government will entertain Lord Kitchener at Wellington, and the Mayor is making arrangements to give him a civic reception at Ute Town Hall. The New Vice-Regal Residence. Within the past few weeks the new vice-regal residence at Mount View has risen out of its tree-shrouded surroundings. ami now stands up and commands attention (remarks the “Dominion”). The building, which is a long two-storey structure. running from east to west, is surmounted by a tower and several gables,

which relieve what would otherwise be a somewhat squat-looking structure. Although the building is still encompassed by scaffolding, practically the whole of the external walls have been completed, and the front and back entrances amt balconies are beginning to take definite shape. The greater portion of the roof has been boarded in. aud a start has also been made with the - tiling. Plasterers have made good progress on the outsido of the building, putting a covering on the Powellised wood wall-, and a -tart will shortly be made with some of the inside plastering. As the inside of tht building stands at present, it is simply a forest of woodwork, scantling for tlsi corridors and partitions rising on every side. It will be several weeks yet before any idea can be obtained of the interior of the building. The nrain entrance, which faces the south, is approached by a drive, which commences near St. Mark’s Church and runs past the eastern side of the residence aud terminates at a covered-in arehway at the main front entrance. It is anticipated th.’.t it will be another four month- before the end of the building contract is reached. There are about 110 men employed on the job at the present time. Tire General Synod., The General Synod of the Anglican Church is now proceeding at Wellington. The Primate, Bishop Nevill, of Dunedin. referring to the possibilities or C nurch l-nion, expressed the opinion that union- of widespread bodies should not be consummated in small areas without coitoultatii n with the authorities in wider sphere-: but he did not think the universal consent of the authorities of the negotiating bodies need be required. If the whole Chureh, say. in Australia or Canada, were happy enough to come to agreement with the authorities of a denomination in sueh an extended area, perhaps independent action might be justified. America’s Tariff. Interviewed regarding the cablegram stating that the President of the United States has granted the minimum Customs rates under the new tariff law to the United Kingdom, but" not to [Britisn colonial possessions. Sir Joseph Ward said he regretted that the new tariff did not refer to the British colonial possessions, It meant, as far as New Zealand was concerned, our practical exclusion from the United State- in regard to certain articles, which would be difficult; to introduce even under the lower tariff. There eould, he added, be no doubt thaS at present a considerable quantity of New Zealand wool was shipped to England and bought .by Americans there, and then conveyed to America: the anomaly was. he assumed, that such purchases would come under the minimum tariff, wh.le if shipped from New Zealand IS would come under the maximum tariff. There were some article- which would fully compensate for interchange of trade between New Zealand and America, and would not in any way injure our local industries. Fixe at Wanganui. A serious fire occurred just before midnight on Saturday, and but for the fact that there was a total absence of wind a whole block of buildings might have gone. The fire started as the result of an explosion which took place in the shop of Mr Davis, a jeweller, in the Rutland Hotel Buildings. An assistant was working in the shop when the gas failed- Ha went into another room and struck a match, when a violent explosion took place. The man got out of the building in a manner which is a mystery to him. The explosion was followed by fire. The flames got into the second floor of the Rutland Hotel, and rushed with remarkable rapidity along the corridor intu the third storey and out of the tower. The brick walls and appeared to act like a funnel. When the brigade arrived the fire was raging fiercely. After an hour's work the fiames were subdued, but not before the hotel was practically, ruined. As the seat of the fire was upstairs those portions of the building nob burned were soaked with water. Only one upstairs wing and the diningroom escaped. So far as can be ascertained the insurance- on the building are as follows:—. Liverpool and London and Globe £2OOO, Royal Exchange £ISOO, Alliance £IOOO, North British £IOOO, National £loook Phoenix £SOO, total £7OOO. The contents of the hotel are insured for £2944

in Royal Exchange. It is believe.! Mr Davis’ stock was insured for £250, in the New Zealand office, which has a similar risk on the stock of Mr Aynsley, tobacconist and hairdresser. The Rutland was a fine brick structure, and was built about six years ago. Practically everything but the walls will have to be renewed.