SCRATCHINGS FROM THE CITY.
BY TIMOLEON.
So Mr. Kingston goes to London and will get £1,000 from the public Treasury for his trouble! And for what? Nobody knows. Ask the first politician that you come across to explain what the federal delegates will have to do when they get to London, and he will not be able to satisfy you. There is no necessity to plead for the passing of the Commonwealth Bill. It requires no recommendation from anybody. It recommends itself, and has already been received by the Imperial authorities with unqualified approval. There are no amendments suggested. There has not been the slightest hint of any opposition likely to be shown in the Commons or in the Lords. On the contrary, the assurance has been given that the measure will be enthusiastically approved both by Parliament and Queen. All that the delegation can say could have been said on a sheet of notepaper. The Federal agreement is the work of a popularly-appointed convention which sat in Adelaide, then in Sydney, then in Melbourne. By referendum it received the approval of an overwhelming vote of the people of four colonies. In deference to the wish of New South Wales a meeting of Premiers took place in Melbourne at which certain more or less important amendments were suggested. These were embodied in the Bill and for the second time it was submitted to the people, and on that occasion accepted by still greater majorities, Queensland being the fifth colony to come into line. It represents the compact under which the people of Australia desire to federate. What more can the delegates say if they remain in London twelve months? What more should they say? And of what use are our official representatives in London—the Agents-General—if they are not capable of doing all that is necessary? Surely these are pertinent questions for taxpayers to ask? The whole thing is a scandalous waste of public money.
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One can hardly blame the ex-Premier for jumping at the chance of a grand trip and £1,000 for his exertions. There is no such thing as patriotism in politics anymore than there are snakes in Ireland. But what becomes of Mr. Kingston’s high-falutin’ promises to “stand by” household suffrage—to sacrifice his federal asperations (sic) in order to be in the province at the forthcoming campaign for the Council elections! This bold Horatius has forsaken the bridge before even the enemy came in sight. True the Government are trying to postpone the general elections to suit the convenience of Mr. Kingston—how thoughtful and how patriotic! But even then most of the fight will be over before he can get back. Very considerate, is it not, to delay a general election for Mr. Kingston? The convenience of electors and of other candidates do not count of course. In a vain search for suitable excuse the Government point to the 1897 elections having been held in May, but one swallow does not make a summer, and with the new approach of a federal campaign there are special reasons why the elections and the meeting of Parliament should be pushed forward this year.
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A pretentions looking volume—”The New Democracy”—has just been issued by the publishing firm of Macmillan & Co. London. It is by “W. Jethro Brown, M.A., L.L.D., Late Scholar and McMahon Student of St. John’s College, Cambridge; Barrister-at-law of the Middle Temple; Professor of Law and Modern History in the University of Tasmania; Author of “Why Federate?” &c. You would never suspect, after perusing these impressive qualifications that ‘W. Jethro Brown’ is a South Australian, but such is the case. He was born at Mintaro, where his father was a sheepfarmer, and where his mother and sisters still live. In his boyhood days the professor attended the Stanley Grammar School at Watervale, where he received a good grounding at the hands of that excellent scholar, Mr. J. S. St Carleon Cole, who, if it had not been for his hermit-like disposition and his horror of pushing him self forward, would unquestionably have taken a front rank amongst educationists in South Australia. The learned author in those days was a diminutive country youth, with an average amount of self assertiveness, of studious habits, and a plodding way of tackling his lessons which spelt success. He used to walk five miles to school in the morning, and five miles back in the evening, without making any fuss about it. In later years Mr. Brown, in company with Dr Torr, now of Way College, went to England to continue his studies, and after some years of hard work he blossomed out into a full-fledged Professor of Law. Returning to the scenes of his boyhood days a few years ago, he greatly amused some of his old friends and schoolmates by assuming a very lofty manner and a style of speech which his old schoolmaster was fond of characterising as “Haw-baw-yaw.” He mouthed all his words in a most unpleasant fashion, and gave one the impression that he had his mouth full of cherry stones. He had little recollection of his school days, and had evidently forgotten several incidents which were fresh in the memory of others, and which they, therefore, took a fiendish delight in reviving. During his visit home he accepted an invitation to a tennis party one afternoon, and was unspeakably shocked when in the presence of other guests one of his old schoolmates came up and roughly bawled out in true Australian style—”Hullo Bill, old man! How are you?” and with that he seized the hand of the horror stricken-professor and shook it as he would a pump handle. “Bill” did not appreciate the warmth of the greeting, but all the other guests did.
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An attempt has been made during the last few days to revive the miserable hospital trouble. “Waving the Old Hospital Flag,” as Sir John Cockburn is credited by a correspondent in the Advertiser with having said, when explaining how he was accustomed to “fetch” the Labor Party when they showed signs of revolt. Whether or not he made use of such an expression I cannot say, but it exactly represents what some politicians, have been in the habit of doing for some time past. The Hospital Board, with indecent haste appointed Dr. Ramsay Smith, who is essentially a physician, to occupy the place rendered vacant owing to the unfortunate accident to Dr. Napier, who is a surgeon. Had the board stopped to consider for one moment they must have recognised the strange anomaly of appointing a gentleman who is City Coroner to fill such an office. It was not at all improbable that as coroner Dr. Smith would have to adjudicate upon matters in which he was personally concerned and he must either have temporarily resigned his position as coroner or else discontinued his work at the hospital. Even the Government, ever ready to back up their own particular hospital board, recognised this and refused to approve of the appointment. Mr. Kingston must needs jump into the breach, ostensibly to defend Dr. Ramsay Smith, but in reailty (sic) to stir up strife by abusing some medical men in the other colonies and medical men in general. Indeed, it is not at all unlikely that some politicians will be so hard pressed in the near future that they will have to hoist the “Hospital Flag” in order to help their political claims. Meantime Mr. Kingston, by reviving his choicest Billingsgate frequently employed when he referred to a leading doctor as ” Jack-the-Kipper,” and was forced by his own colleagues to withdraw the remark, has gone the right way to work to prevent a settlement of the hospital trouble when negotiations are just on the point of concluding.
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It is rumored in the city, that political wire-pullers are attempting to raise side issues in other directions, one being to promote discord between the German and the English. It is even said that a certain country gentleman has been actively propagating the rumor that a possible German candidate is not a loyal subject of Her Majesty. This is too despicable, if true. The fact that a few persons, whether German, Scotch, English, or any other nationality have expressed varying opinions concerning the present war, does not justify the branding of everybody as disloyal subject—a point put very clearly in your excellent leading article last week. But this is precisely what some people seem anxious to do. Because one, or a dozen, or a hundred Germans are not as patriotic as we could all wish and a few might even desire to see Great Britain humiliated, is no justification for believing that all Germans are equally disloyal. Take for example the speeches made in the Assembly and in the Council at the time when it was proposed to send the first contingent to South Africa. Are all the men who made foolish statements on that occasion to be bound down to a literal interpretation of their words? If so, then some very pretty extracts could be used against these politicians when next they come before their constituents. Instead of promoting discords, the effort of every loyal subject of the Queen in South Australia should be devoted towards the lessening of any ill-feeling which might have arisen owing to the unwise utterances of a few silly people.
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Unfortunately the latest reports concerning Dr. Napier are by no means re-assuring. Although the genial medico with his iron constitution has been able to battle against a severe fracture to his skull, it is now stated that he is far from rational in his speech and his actions. Too much significance, however, ought not to be attached to that condition, because medical men assert it is not at all unusual in the circumstances in which he is laboring. But the worst feature of the case is complete blindness, and I am told by an attendant that it is most painful to watch his attempts to discern those about him and his inability to comprehend why it is that he cannot see. “Have you seen my right eye anywhere,” he asked the other, day, groping about as in search of it. Time, however, works wonders in such cases, and it is sincerely to be hoped that his life is not going to be spared in order for him to suffer the terrible affliction of blindness.
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Private reports to hand from the Northern Copper Mines are of a more encouraging character than those made public. Some of the properties are going down well, and returning high grade ores at good depths. Mr. Brookman is well satisfied with reports coming to hand from Weedna and Leigh’s Creek, and if copper prices only keep up he looks for considerable activity in that direction. He has shown his faith by laying out £3,000 at Weedna, and he has just given an order for an extensive concentrating plant for the Leigh’s Creek properties.
