OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 368, 7 May 1880, Page 14

OUR MELBOURNE LETTER.

f From our own Correspondent.)

Melbouene, April 27th. When the House is not sitting there certainly is a great dearth of news, and we are in that state at present. Berry and his followers are keeping very quiet, and the Government appear to be devoting all their time to hard work, and so have no leisure for talk.

A few political questions crop up occasionally, such as — "Who is go"' ;_• to be Speaker? " Who to be Chairman of Committees?" and " Wliy to hs Whip ? " These questions have all now been decided, at least as far as the Government is concerned. Sir Charles McMahon has been selected for the post of Speaker, Mr. Cooper as Chairman of Committees, and Mr. Thompson Moore is to be Whip. Tho Opposition intend to run Mr. Lalor for the Chair, but it is thought he will have no show against Sir Charles.

Mr. David Gaunson has announced that he will stand for the Chairmanship of Committees, and it is stated that he will receive the the support of the Berry faction ! Such are politics 1 Mr. Gaunson did more than any other man in the House to overthrow the late Government. He was never done abusing them, showing up their incapacity and corruption night after night in a way that none but David could do ; and now one of the first spectacles which the country will see when the House meets is these men. voting for Gaunson ! He may win the prize, as he will have some Government supporters vote for him, as well as the whole Opposition. It is extremely to be regretted that the Ministry could not see their way to electing Mr. R. Murray Smith speaker. That gentleman would have done honour to the position, which I am sadly af rai 1 Sir Charles will not do. But apart from this, the selection of Sir Charles will be an unpopular move. He was Sir James M'Culloch's speaker before the celebrated 11th May, and the coup d'etat of that vaunted day was more the result of hatred against M'Culloch than of love of Berry. Mr. Service is not acting wisely in setting up the old land marks that the people swept away three years ago. To many it will appear, I fear, a sorb of defiance. He made a mistake in the first instance in not including more new blood when he was forming his Ministry, instead of bringing back so many of M'Culloch's obnoxious team. The last political scandal come to light ought to be well enquired to when the House meets. Our Parliament House is very badly

ventilated and various have been the attemps made, from time to time, to bring fresh air into the heated chamber, and all unsucceTsfnl That em nent engineer, Mr. John Woods, late Minister iov Sw' was the last to try his hand at it, with this result, that heTeft it mS worse than it was before. This fact, of course, we all knew lonff^o 3>isfc as well as we knew that he had invented a « brake , " Tta!™^« not know how the little game was worked. It was inihis StaT M? Woods, Minister for Railways, was engineer • Mr ft tt Wnwi «T Minister's factotum at the Railway Department, superintendent ' Mr Ford's brother contractor (not let by tender, msd youV and' Mr' Patterson, Commissioner of Public Works, paymaster This ™£ getting the hand into the Treasury in a free,' aSEb ? m Jner but it became too free even for Mr. Patterson, who, after naSTa ««™ ber of accounts, jibbed at last, and declared ha^no more to do with it. But this did not baulk John Woods He took an opportunity when his colleague was at Castlemaine marched dZ to the Public Works office, accompanied by the TCney-GenS and passed the account, notwithstanding that Mr Patterson Sip graphed, from Castlemaine, to his officers not to have anything to do SOOO ventilation experiment cosußou^

_ I heard the retort courteous given the other night. As I was sitting in the theatre, I noticed a good-looking young St Kilda bus driver hard by. A butcher from the same neighbourhood just then entered, and when taking his seat by the side of the driver he accosted him with '-Hallo, Bussy !» The driver looked up? andTn a d^S way replied, -'My name is Mac Pherson. How would you like if I addressed you < Hallo, Greasy ?' » The butcher looked very uncomfortable and presently changed his seat. i t ?r r °? erecte - d *> tbe memoiy of the three police-officers shot by the Kelly gang m the Wombat Ranges in October, 1878, was unveiled on the 22nd inst., at Mansfield, by Capt. Standisb, the Chief Commissioner of Police, in the presence of Mr. Ramsay, Chief Secretary several members of Parliament, and other gentlemen. Capt. Standish. the papers say, made an excellent and feeling speech on the occasion. Poor Standish ! What an irony of fate he must have felt it, to be obliged to stand up under the eyes of men and talk on that subject. He regretted that the outlaws were still at large, but expressed a hope that the day was not far distant when their capture would enable justice to be satisfied. He believed this public testimony to the worth of the deceased men would have a beneficial influence on the whole of the Police force, the members of which, in some places, carried their lives m their hands. The monument consists of a marDie base, which supports a pillar of the same material, surmounted by an urn. On the base and each side of the pillar are two other urns. The memorial is erected on a concrete foundation, and is approached by four blue stone steps, above which are two slabs also of blue stone, upon which the monument rests. It is intended to place an iron railing around the whole. r

The colony has been startled by the outbreak of diphtheria and measles. Great precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of tcese dreaded diseases.'Of diphtheria I know nothing ; I hope to con. tmue so ; but, as far as I can recollect, everybody was glad in the old country when their youngsters took measles,— they looked upon the disease as inevitable, and were glad to have it over. The unemployed question keeps cropping up. A deputation of workmen waited on tfie Premier and Minister of Public Works, a few days ago, and Mr. Service is to be highly commended for the patient way he listened to them. His colleague, Mr. Bent, seems not to have been so patient, as he said, on one occasion, when the languaee of the deputation was impudent to a degree, " I suppose I am bound~to listen to this as a Minister, but I object to it as a man. If Mr. Service likes it -well and good, but I would not permit it to go on." These men represented a new society, lately started, styling itself « The United Working Men s Union." Anything like their impudence it would be hard to conceive. Their demand of the Government was not work, but remunerative work, and it must be found at once, within easy access to their homes. Stone-breaking was offered to them, but most of them declined it, on the score that it was too hard, notwithstanding that the Premier, to encourage, them, stated he had had his share of such work himself. Mr. Service stated that he could find employment at the work for 100 men straight off, and, as the quarries were some miles from town, he sent to the Railway Department for 100 free passes, and, moreover, promised to pay the men at the end of each day's work. Out of 150 shining members of this Union, supposed to be starving, 12 claimed passes, and out of this number 8 started for the scene of operation.

The Dominican Sisters acknowledge with thanks, remittances from Rev. Father Saazeau, Blenheim ; Messrs. M. McDonoagh, Waimate ; S. Canning, Ashburton. Miss Cumming, Port ChalmerF. Pupils of St. Joseph's School.

We record, with much regret, the death of Patrick Mullin, of Lincoln, Canterbury. Deceased, who was a native of the county Derry, and only twenty years of age, was driving a team of horses from Christchurch, when they took fright and attempted to turn suddenly round. In trying to check them, the driver was thrown under the wheels of the waggon, and killed. He was a young man of excellent character, and a faithful member of the Catholic Church. —R.I.P. In our issue of last Friday, referring to the wonderful Musical Cabinets, we stated they were to be seen at Mr. A. Solomons, George street, it i? not so ; Mr. Lewis Solomon, of the Queen's Pianoforte Warehouse, George street, is the sole agent. The Fernhill Coal Company have made arrangements to supply their customers and the public* generally with coal and firewood of every description. The moderate charges, and prompt attention to orders of the firm entitle them to an extensive patronage. Mr. A. K. Smith has removed his fishmonger's establishment to the building in Princes Street lately occupied by Messrs. Burton Bros. Mr. Smith's oyster-saloon has been finely fitted up, and will be found furnished with every requisite.