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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 6

Press and Personal Record

page 76

Press and Personal Record.

The Eight Hours Demonstration in Wellington on the 28th October was a decided success. The proverbial uncertainty of Wellington weather led to some misgivings on the part of the promoters: but the day could not have been better for the celebration. The procession was a large one, and was witnessed by thousands of people. There were some splendid banners, notably a fine new one proudly displayed by the bakers. The printers' tableau was a good one; but there was not much elbow-room for the comps, stone-hand, and machinist, all at work in the lorry. A prize had been offered for an ode appropriate to the occasion; twelve competitors entered; three pieces were disqualified on account of length; and the standard of the rest was not high. The prize was taken by Mr T. L. Mills, with the following lines:

Hail, Labor Day! the yearly rest from toil
Which workers and their sons enjoy upon this soil!
Tired of the Old World's bonds, longing to he free,
Parnell, the worker's pioneer, set out upon the sea—
Braving its dangers, bound for a distant shore
Whose people were cloth'd in but a mystic lore,
Whose lines were cast pleasant and bright
Where labor almost ceased to be, in hours light,
And Nature cries with toil in this fair Southern State,
'Eight hours for labor, sleep and recreate!'
New Zealand ! Thine to inaugurate
New Freeland ! Thine is a happy state.
Britannia of old still keeps her children down;
But Britain of the South, with natives brown,
Leads in this day, October twenty-eight—
Labor is free! This do we celebrated.
'Tis Eight Hours' Day ! the workers all cry,
Send forth the sound, the world to satisfy !
Hail, Labor Day! may next year's rest from toil
Show reformation on the whole world's soil!

Speeches on such an occasion are always a bore; in the present case they supplied the stupid element. The inevitable political windbags turned up, and claimed for themselves credit for a reform which, as everyone knows, had been accomplished in this colony before they were born. One, only, of the orators, had any claim to a hearing— the hon. John Rigg, M.L.C. In his capacity of President of the Trades and Labor Council, he might have been expected to have given a thoughtful and appropriate address. On the contrary, it was empty, aggressive, and offensive throughout. In the demonstration from beginning to end, there was nothing to suggest any spirit of faction; and it showed—to put it very mildly indeed—a grave want of judgment to attempt to awaken class hatred, and to propound exploded economic fallacies on such occasion. However, the orations, ill-advised as they were, were not sufficient to disturb the harmony of the gathering; the holiday-makers settled down to the business of the day, and all went merry as a marriage-bell.

Mr Haggen has been released, after five weeks' incarceration.

Mr J. P. M'Nab, solicitor, has been appointed editor of the Marlborough Times.

Mr J. J. Smith has severed his connexion with the Wairarapa Star, and intends leaving the district.

Mr J. H. Kirby, who has been for twelve months on the reporting staff of the Wellington Press, has joined the Napier News.

At an extraordinary general meeting of E. A. Haggen & Co., the proprietors of the Woodville Examiner, it has been decided to go into voluntary liquidation.

The N.Z. Freemason has a circulation of 2,400, the largest of any Masonic organ in the colonies. The Australasian Keystone (Melbourne) comes second, with 2,300.

The Waipawa Mail of the 1st inst. publishes an apology to Mr Haggen for an article in their issue of 8th ult., commenting on the libel case.

Mr Arthur Vile, who has been for three years connected with the Wairarapa Daily Times, has been appointed sub-editor of the Masterton Star.

A writ for £200 has been issued against Mr Alexander Black, proprietor of the Pahiahia Star, by Mr J. Greville, late editor of that paper, for breach of agreement to enter into partnership.

Mr J. P. Clark, of Pahiatua, is proceeding against Mr E. A. Haggen for criminal libel, for various articles in connexion with the late poisoning cases.

The Wellington morning paper rejoices in a metaphorical tangle. It lately alluded to « the City of the Sun, and many other castles in the air which were reduced to writing and well bound in calfskin, only to be buried under the dust of libraries. »

Mr J. D. Moore has been appointed manager of the Dunedin Globe Company. He has hitherto been in the timber trade. Mr J. L. Kelly, late of the Auckland Observer, has joined the staff of the same paper.

It might be reasonably supposed that everyone knows the famous riddle on « Cod, » attributed to Lord Macaulay; but such is not the case. Someone has had the effrontery to send it to an Otago country paper as an original contribution, and the editor invites replies!

We have to record the death of Mr William Wylie, at his residence, Woolcombe-st., Wellington. Deceased, who was a lithographic printer, had been in the colony since 1861. He was for many years in the Government service, and for some time in business for himself. He leaves a grown-up family. The cause of death was heart-disease.

The Government is still extending its miscellaneous publishing business. Camp Life in the Fjord Land, a Tale of the Sutherland Falls, « printed under arrangement with the Government of New Zealand, » is the latest announcement. A novel! We wonder what next enterprise our versatile rulers will take in hand.

Says a Wellington daily: « Our poet laureate has said, of all sad words of heart and pen, the saddest are these, 'it might have been.' » On which we may remark, first, that the lines are not correctly quoted, and secondly, that « our poet laureate » was not the writer of Maud Müller.

The sub-editor of the New Zealand Herald must have been napping when he passed the following « splice » in two cable messages, referring to the death of General Cialdini, and the score of Woods, an Australian cricketer: « General Ciaroni, a prominent Italian soldier, playing for South v. North, took 6 wickets for 39 runs. »

Mr E. A. Deacon, solicitor, has issued a writ against the Rev. L. M. Isitt, editor, and Mr E. J. Fraser, printer, of the Prohibitionist, claiming £750 damages for alleged libel on Mr H. S. Drummond, landlord of the Waltham Arms hotel. The claim is based on statements in an article entitled « Abuse of Government Clemency, » in the Prohibitionist of 27th August.

The Wellington Evening Press has made several proposals to secure for its hands a weekly half-holiday, by publishing at noon on Wednesday or Saturday; but the rival evening paper so far has not seen its way to fall in with the scheme. We notice, however, that the Wanganui Herald has taken up the idea, and now publishes at 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

Of Mr Seddon, the Wellington Post writes; « He curses the commissioners with bell, book, and candle; but they are as little affected as the jackdaw of Rheims was under analogous circumstances. » Surely the Post has forgotten its Ingoldsby. The jackdaw was seriously affected by the terrible curse:

When the sacristan saw, On crumpled claw
Come limping a poor little lame jackdaw:
No longer gay, As on yesterday;
His feathers all seemed to be turned the wrong way;—
His pinions drooped—he could hardly stand,—
His head was bald as the palm of your hand;
His eyes were dim, So wasted each limb,
That, heedless of grammar, they all cried « That's him!
That's the scamp that has done this scandalous thing!
That's the thief that has got my lord cardinal's ring! »

Nor did the luckless bird recover until, having made restitution of the stolen property, he received plenary absolution.

On the 17th inst., an interesting ceremony took place at the Government Printing Office, when the hands met in the piece-room to offer their congratulations to the hon. John Rigg. M.L.C, on his late appointment. Mr Rigg made a feeling reply, in which he stated that the appointment was a great surprise to him. He would never forget that he was a working man, and he would always do his best for the working classes.

The Press Association held its annual meeting at Wellington during the present month. The following gentlemen attended: Invereargill, Mr R. Gilmour; Dunedin, Messrs G. Fenwick and Jago; Christchurch, Messrs Guthrie and Wilkins; Auckland, Messrs Wilson and Brett; Napier, Messrs Dinwiddie and Knowles; New Plymouth, Mr Weston; Wanganui, Mr Carson; Nelson, Mr Banner; and Wellington, Mr Blundell (chairman), and Messrs Kirkbride and Roydhouse. The retiring directors, Messrs Brett and Guthrie, were unanimously re-elected. Mr George Fenwick, of the Otago Daily Times was elected chairman of directors, Mr H. Blundell retiring in accordance with the regulations. Mr Blundell is still resident director for Wellington.

page 77

The N.Z. Church News has been referring in kindly and complimentary terms to the N.Z. Methodist. And the latter paper makes the following suggestion: « ؟May we be pardoned for saying that it is a surprise to us that, with its splendid resources, the Church of England in this colony has not a flourishing weekly newspaper? There are three or four monthly papers: ؟why not amalgamate these and send out a strong weekly, representing all the dioceses, and bringing the people everywhere in touch with the movements of the entire church? If Methodists, with less than one-fourth the number of Anglicans, can venture on a weekly, ؟what is there to hinder the more powerful church from a similar enterprise? »

In the House on the 7th October, Mr Carncross, a member of the committee on the Government printing office, moved the adjournment' in order to express his dissent from the report of that committee. He wholly disapproved of alterations recommended. They were estimated at £400; but he thought would cost double that sum; besides involving the removal of many tons of material from one floor to another. The results were quite inadequate. The whole complaint was that during the session five or six compositors had to work at a disadvantage as regards light; but the fault could not be so serious as represented, as the men in what was supposed to be the darkest part of the room had been earning the highest wages.

A weekly contemporary in the South has blundered gloriously in a matter of comparative statistics. The joke is, that the editor assumes to be a great educational authority and critic. Attacking a correspondent, who said that « to each million of population Ireland had 17 murders to 1 in Scotland, » the journalist quotes Hayter, « Proportion per 100,000 persons living, Scotland ·1; Ireland, 1·7 »; and adds; « Here is a fine booby, who takes the decimal point for a speck in his eye, and does not know the meaning of five noughts ! » Now we would not be so rude as to call any one « a fine booby, » least of all an editor; but if the term has an application, it is surely to the arithmetical critic who has not learned simple proportion, is ignorant of the value of the decimal point, and is incapable of multiplying by ten. The reference to the speck (κάρφος) in the eye is good. It is suggestive of a warning in Holy Writ, which rash and dogmatic censors would do well to heed.

The Wellington Press, 27th October, says: It is with very great regret that we record the death of Mr Hiram Hart, which occurred at his mother's residence in Ghuznee-street at 6 o'clock this morning. Mr Hart was for many years with the late Mr Robert Burrett, printer and stationer, where his good business qualities and obliging disposition made him many friends, both in a business and a private sense. For the past six or seven years Mr Hart has held the position of accountant in the Evening Press office, in which position he always proved devoted to the interests of the business. He was a man of remarkably quick intelligence, and though not at any time enjoying robust health was always bright and cheerful, full of quaint humor, and characterized by a strong common sense which secured the respect of all who came in contact with him. The complaint was consumption, of which to all appearances he showed no symptoms until the last three months, when he suddenly lost his voice, and from that time the progress of the disease was extremely rapid. Mr Hart was in his 34th year, and not married.

The issue of the Tauranga Times of 2nd September is a little conspicuous, being printed in blue ink. The intention is to commemorate the completion of the paper's twentieth year. In the leading article, the editor gives a history of the paper, and a second article reviews some of the early numbers. The career of the journal has been a checkered one. It was started on the 4th September, 1872, by Messrs Penny & Langbridge, as a demy sheet; was shortly afterwards sold to Mr Edgcumbe, who in 1874 enlarged it to double crown. It next passed into the hands of Mr G. Vesey Stewart, who appointed Mr Beattie editor, and enlarged the sheet to double demy. In 1883 Mr Edgcumbe repurchased the paper; about 1885 it passed into the hands of Messrs Stewart and Bruce. The former soon retired, and in 1887 the paper was bought by Mr E. A. Haggen, who, in less than a year, had sunk in it all the money he had made from the Woodville Examiner. Early in 1888 Mr James Galbraith purchased the paper, and carried it on for three years, when he sold it to Mr Buchanan, who in his turn quickly tired of the business, and disposed of it some two months ago, as our readers are aware, to Messrs Ward and Elliot. The amount of money lost in the concern during the past twenty years must have been very large — in fact it seems to have pretty well emptied the pockets of some half-a-score of successive proprietors. The editor, reviewing the past, says that it « has sown a heavy crop of wild oats, and cost a pile of money; » but he makes some good birthday resolutions, and promises to turn over a new leaf now that the journal has entered upon its twenty-first year. The paper has since come out in a new dress of brevier, and is decidedly improved in appearance.

The New Zealand press. « liberal » or otherwise, has no sympathy for « Labby » in his disappointment, but treat him with unkind derision. The noisiest democrats are the readiest to snap at titles, from « hon. » to « K.C.M.G.; » but they heartily despise the weakness in others. It is rather funny to find that Mr Labouchere considers the vitriolic cartoons of his Christmas numbers to be « genial satire. »

The Bay of Plenty Times gives a list of the Tauranga papers that have waxed and waned during its twenty years of life. They are eight in number, as follows: the Guardian; the Telegraph; the Little Un (the name alone was enough to kill it); the Advertiser; the Evening News; the Mail; the Evening Star; and the Evening News.

The Wairarapa Observer is epigrammatic. It says that the Public Works Statement « contains very much of statement and very little of public works, » and adds, « The virtue of the man whose credit has been stopped and who is obliged to live on what ready money he has, is once more claimed as the virtue of the Government, and is glorified under the high-sounding name of self-reliant policy. »

The New Zealand Wheelman (Christchurch) is the name of a new fortnightly devoted to the cycling pursuit. It is a well-edited and well got-up quarto of sixteen pages, the good proportion of seven-and-a-half being devoted to advertisements. As the editor is made to expect the support of « the notaries of cycling in the colony, » and has something to say about « the 'bookie and the toat,' » we think his proof-reader must have been napping when he read the leader. A former cycling organ, the N.Z. Wheelman's Gazette, was not a success; but this one has a healthy appearance.

The Waipawa Mail newspaper, and stationery business in connexion therewith, is being taken over by a new company with a capital of £5000. Mr Ellison, late editor and manager, retired at the end of September, and has been succeeded by Mr C. M. Whittington. Several changes besides those of editor have taken place. It explains that it « is now placed on a wider financial basis than has ever been the case before, and the directors propose to take advantage of this fact by making it the journalistic medium between Napier on the one side, and Wellington on the other. » The price is reduced to a penny.

Mr R. L. Stevenson will probably be appointed British consul in Samoa.

The Northern Territory Times, Port Darwin, has on its composing staff a Chinaman and an aboriginal.

News comes from Melbourne of the death of Mr R. D. Bond, who for many years was sporting editor of the Leader.

A Victorian country editor finds the village settlement scheme unsatisfactory. In his village, the subscribers all want to settle with firewood and onions.

A grotesque mistake appeared in the Sydney Herald's obituary notice of Tennyson. In quoting the poem « Crossing the Bar, » one of the most expressive lines was made to read: « But such a tide as snoring seems asleep. » The comp who set that must surely have been « too full » for anything; and the reader dozing, if not snoring.

Sir Henry Parkes having instructed his solicitors to issue a writ against the Sydney Evening News for asserting that he had made overtures to the Government for a substantial allowance in consideration of his retiring from political life, the newspaper has withdrawn the statement and apologised.

The Melbourne Age exposes a new swindle, which may find its way here. A man went round soliciting orders for a picture, to be paid for on delivery, and obtained numerous signatures. In due course a second person appeared with the picture, and received payment. Soon after comes a third with the picture for delivery. He is amazed to find that he has been forestalled; but produces the signed order, and insists on fulfilment of agreement. One of the intended victims called in a policeman, with the result that Fiends Nos. 1 and 3 are in custody, and No. 2 is badly wanted.

The intended tour round the world of Mr and Mrs Rudyard Kipling has been postponed on account of the collapse of the New Oriental Bank, in which Mr Kipling was a large depositor.

The Standard, Henry George's paper, New York, discontinued on 5th September. Its Progress (a contemporary remarks) had gradually been towards Poverty for a year past.

The firm of Farmer, Little, & Co., New York, has dissolved partnership, and in future the business will be carried on by Messrs A. W. and W. W. Farmer. Mr A. W. Farmer (says the Chicago Specimen) is the oldest living practical typefounder, having been actively engaged in the business for nearly half a century.