OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 13, 28 September 1910, Page 4

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER.

WELLINGTON, September 24. ** The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring,.” ©I’R “City of the J Lilis” is coining out gaily in its new spring clothes. The gold of newblossomod gorse is blazing the steep slopes of the Tinakori Range and the Karori heights, and the hills around Island Bay, and the other little mountains that go to give Wellington a sort of sub-Alpine character. A little later •we will have the whole of the hills gorgeous with the yellow broom flower of gold, of which Kipling wrote in his poem, “The Flowers” — "Broom behind the windy town, pollen o’ the pine, I‘ell bird in the leafy deep, -whore the ratas* twine.” We are the “windy town,” and ours is the broom. Gorse and broom are “noxious weeds,” as per Act of Parliament. Yet these despised noxious weeds are the brightest and most beautiful things —next to the blue sea—that we have nround angular and rugged old Poncke. Our hills would be hare and stark and mono-coloured indeed if it were not for the gracious gold by the unconsidered weeds. It’s peculiar to Wellington, out of all the cities of the Dominion, this yellow carpet of ‘‘noxious” bloom. You don’t Fee gorse and broom blossoming right in the heart of a town anywhere else in New Zealand. Not even a tenth-rate country township would sutler a patch of gorse, such as, for instance, that on a certain bright little billside close to the Talavera Terrace stopping-pl ace on the K el burn cable car line. This is just about a minute ami a half’s carride from T.ambton Quay. In any other place but Wellington, the owner of the gorse-ridden slope would bo served in double-quick time with a. Police Court summons for harbouring noxious weeds. That Wellington not only suffers the weeds, but actually seems to like them may, I think, be accepted as some proof that after all, in spite of their detractors, its citizens haw some aesthetic perception, some Ben.se of the beautiful. About a National Flower. talking of the (lowers that bloom in the spring. 1 see tlmt a beilding resident has made a suggestion that Dominion Dav. or home other spring festival, should he made a sort of National Flower Day, whereon \*w Zealanders should all wear one flower Ixpieal ami distinctive of their ‘•'•unirv. He suggests the kowhai as a suitable Hower, because, he says, it is plentiful and easily obtainable. The ilea • s a go<>.| and a pretty one, but I am Hr aid the I'eilding man made rather a mist 1’ • ill let ting the kowhai. It is a 1* n-.'.liful fk.wer, and it has some fine • >. ial ionl’\<n Rudvard Kipling, in !r> -hurt Nr.v Zealand tour a good J- ’i’\ \cars ag<\ found time to notice ‘bin K ow li i i’s gold”- — ‘’l lung for gift on T<iup.»’> fave, >igii that spring is come.” Put i« a fi igile il"wer, and it is not plentiful enough near the centres of population to bo likely to become in any sense a national flower. If we are to have a n.dionil flora! emblem, as a sort of complement to the badge of Hie fernb*af, w h\ not adopt the manuka? This fi really our national flower. It is about as plentiful hm th** brat ken fern, and it

is to be got elose to the cities. Down here 1 have seen a manuka 'bush in a garden right in the city, and the Botanical Gardens are pretty well halt manuka scrub. The manuka is despised by many Localise it is "so common”; none the less it is a beautiful plant; there are few prettier spring or summer sights than a hillside of flowering manuka. And it is aromatic of odour, and a "hardy annual” withal. So let us wear it in our uttonholes, if we are to have a National Flower Day. I’m afraid that if we depend on the kowhai, most of us would have to go flowerless. Touching the manuka, a word about its ordinary English name. Why will New Zealanders—who ought to know all about this commonest of their flowers—persist in writing of it as “ti j tree”? The ti-tree is not the manuka at all; ti is the Maori name of the native palm which we call the cabbage-tree. “Tea-tree” is the way the pakeha name of the manuka should be spelled. It is so called by some of the earliest settlers who came over from New South Wales, I believe, because of its resemblance to the “teatree” scrub of Australia, which again ■was so named because it was thought to resemble the real tea plant of China, and because its leaves were sometimes used by bushmen and travellers as an infusion in imitation of tea when they ran short of the genuine article. So, sweet reader, write "tea-tree” in future, please —not “ti-tree” if you are writing of manuka. At any rate, don’t perpetuate the atrocity some one did down in Otago years ago in Christening a place “Titri.” lie thought it was pure Maori! And I believe the name is still retained as that of a railway station! Enough of the flowers. Kati tena! Le us get on to something more solid, if less agreeable. Parliament's Ways. East night I spent two hours, or thereabouts, in the Press Gallery, listening to our politicians paying each other lefthanded compliments, and incidentally having a whack at Auckland every now and again. The debate was on the second reading of the Imprest Supply Bill. Don’t imagine, however, that honourable members talked about Imprest Supply. They talked about every subject under the sun but that. The principal orators were Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. Massey, Mr. Henries, Mr. Allen. Mr. Dunedin Thomson, and Mr. Malcolm. They talked about Lascar seamen, Imperial Conferences, the Union Co.’s monopoly, the ’Frisco mail service, Auckland's colossal “front,” Mr. Gunson and the Auckland ( hamber of Commerce, fine ripe Island oranges, and the price of fish. Anything, anything but the Bill. And Dunedin’s braw Scotch member told a wearisome tale about one poor but virtuous constituent of his who had to do a fortnight's “hard” because he wouldn’t, or couldn’t, pay for the support of his brother who was in n mental hospital. There was a really good, brisk, vigorous speech from Sir Joseph Ward. The Premier was in great form; he was real "chippy,” and keen as a, razor. I have never heard him speak more incisively on the subject of Mr. Massey and the Massey ite delusions and Opposition bogeys, then he turned his tongue on young Mr. Gunson, and his now famous telegrams about the Pacific mail service, lie spoke his mind plainly. The Government know what it was about; it had information that Mr. Gunson hadn’t, and tin' Auckland Chamber of Commerce’s policy was a. piece of “colossal stupidity.” fie showed pretty conclusively that the Auckland people—or that portion of the people represented by the “self-consti-tuted” Chamber of Commerce was “barking up the wrong tree” as far as the Frisco ami Vancouver mail services were concerned. (At. any rate, then, they were’n’t “dumb” dogs, like the Wellington members, \ide a. recent speech.) If the ~nd ('hamber ot Commerce thought it was going to put. its oar in and govern this country it was making a bio mistake. (Chorus of "Hear, hear!”)” So There ! Eater on in the debate Mr. Massey gave Mr. Laurenson, Lyttelton’s little Scotch-speaking member, a. testimonial ot a sort. Said he, apropos of some interjection from Mr. Laurenson: “I'll say this for the honorable member: lie

handles Billingsgate Letter than any member in the House.” Auckland's Government House and ' P< ints of Order.” One of the big debates in the House this week was that which concerned the Auckland Government House. Mr. Arthur -Myers made a very sensible and moderate speech on the question, and Mr. Lang, member for Manukau, who speaks seldom but always to some purpose, pointed out; that every Governor that had ever come to New Zealand had had the privilege of two Government houses. He told the House, further, that the Governor’s residence would serve a double purpose; it would accommodate an admiral of the Australasian Naval Squadron when in Auckland. Air. Glover, too, said his little piece. Some of the Southern members were, at white heat. Auckland’s victory over this Government House business seems to have wounded them sorelv, and Mr. F. Al. B. Fisher (Wellington Central) gives it as his opinion that the Auckland people realised that they had only to shout loud enough, and they could get anything. Air. E. H. Taylor, the clerical member for Thames—whose usual style 'of oratory is not calculated to set the Thames on fire—succeeded in jabbing his little knife into Auckland over the Governor’s House. He said that the matter had not been settled yet by any means; the better class of people in Auckland hadn’t been consulted. Air. Albert Glover was on his feet in a jiffy, with slaughter in his bright blue eye. “A point of order, sir! A point of order! ” he cried. “ What’s the point of order ?” Air. Speaker mildly inquired. Air. Glover exclaimed, indignantly:' “ He’s reflecting on the people ” “ That’s not a point of order,” interrupted some honorable member—a base 'Southerner. Air. Glover said, with still more indignation. “ The point of order is that he is diverting from the subject.” (No doubt he meant “diverging,” but he didn’t say so.) Air. Speaker ruled that Air. Taylor was quite in order. Then Air. Arthur Myers rose. He asked whether the honorable member for Thames was right in casting reflections on the better class of people in Auckland. Southern members laughed villainous ironical laughs. “I have reason to know,” continued Air. Alyers, “that the better class of people ” Air. Gl. W. Russell: “That’s not a point of order.” Mr. Alyers said, it was a reflection on a section of the community that Air. Taylor was not justified in using. Air. Speaker, in calm, judicial mood, said that the statement that the better' class of people had not been consulted was no reflection on them. "So the “points of order” fell blurtea on the floor of the House, and the vilTification of Auckland went on in the usual strain, of which, doubtless, you have read more than enough in the dailies this week. The Blunders of Mi-. Hogg. Air. A. Hogg, member for Masterton, surpassed himself on Thursday night in the House. He made what was probably the most foolish speech of the week. It was on the Government’s new Defence Bill. He derided the idea of preparing for war, and' of drilling our young men and teaching them the use of arms. Better wait till the foe come, said he, in effect, and then we’ll all “rush to arms.” The same old “rushing to arms” phrase, the same old fatuous fallacy. “A mighty lot of use it would he rushing to arms,” commented a listener, “if the men didn’t know how to use the arms.” But it was in a burst of rhetoric on the subject of John Bull’s mighty prowess in Every Jolly Thing that Air. Hogg was at his best—or worst. “He was surprised”—l quote from the report in one of the dailies yesterday morning -—that on every possible occasion the example of Germany, Japan, and Switzerland was brought out before New Zealand. Had Germany ever produced a Johnson or a Jeffries? Had any country on the Continent ever produced a Sandow? No; if one wanted 'to find people <>f muscle mill courage one had go to Old England.” (Applause.) That peroration is certainly funny. Does Air. Hogg really mean to tell us that he is in his sober senses, and not intoxicated hv the verbosity of his patriotic “purnle pa'tehcs”—that Mistnh .Tolinsina, of Reno fame, l« a son of OU England any more than he is of Ger-

many? I hardly think our eullud braider's pedigree has much of the John Bull strain in it. And does Air. Hogg really imagine bandow to be an Engfislunanf He'll be claiming Kaiser Bill as a Yorkshireman next, or Bismarck and Von Aloltke as North of Ireland warriors!; And' does he really truly believe that John Bull Ims the monopoly of “muscle and courage ? Won’t he ever let poor Sandy from Scotland into the sacred ring? Really Mr. Hogg is funnier than a pantomime. Cheap Transit for Government House Guests. The Wellington cabbies are up in arm; against Mayor Wilford’s latest bright idea. This is, to run a quick service of tramears—every three minutes —front Lambton Quay to the gates of Government House, at Newtown, on the occasion of the various “functions” and entertainments to be given by Lord and Lady Islington tills summer. Air Witford has had an interview with the Governor, who seems to be intent on democratising the Government House receptions and ether affairs more than has obtained in the past, and enlarging their seope very considerably. To this end the means of transit camo under review. The Mayor has arranged for a three-minute service to enable people to get out quickly—and cheaply—to the bran-new mansion on Mt. View. For that’s where the rub comes in for the cabmen. They point out thati receptions at Government House and similar society affairs have brought them a lot of custom in the past, and that to pit tramears against them is to take the bread out of their mouths—and the oats out of their horses’ mouths. They hold that their charges are not excessive, and that anyone who can afford to go to Government House can well afford a cah to take him or her there. There’s h, good deal of truth in that, I suppose; the fair ladies who flock to Government House don’t spare expenso on their pretty clothes. Judging by tho frocks and the hats, they ought to b« so opulent that a 10/ fare to the home of vice-royalty wouldn’t hurt them. Nevertheless, I fear the poor cabbie will lose: the day, and a lot of his old-time fares. We shall see High Society—such of it as doesn’t own motors—trooping to “IA6 Homes” in packed tramcars next shmmer; and the common person who cabs ifi comfortably will be regarded as quite vulgar, you know!