CONCERNING CUCKOOS.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 117, 16 February 1881, Page 2

CONCERNING CUCKOOS.

Theiie have been many grievances in connection with the Melbourne Exhibition. The favoritism shown to certain official' employes ; the want of proper classification in various departments ; the inadequacy of ..the refreshment arrangements ; the partial failure of the great organ ; the hideous iriappropriateuess ot'.tlie fountain ; these are evils to which oar able Correspondent, Mr. Gaenett Waich has often alluded. But there is one literary crying shame, regarding which silence has been kept, uutit constantly recurring proofs have forced him to lay the matter before the public: We allude to the sale and removal of jewellery exhibits from the building to the great detriment of the trade generally, and the Melbourne jewellers in, particular, It appears then that the jewellers of Melbourne finding that their rights were being infringed by the number of small so?called exhibitors complained of this shortly after the opening of the Exhibition, and formed themselves into an association to endeavor to procure conjointly the justice denied to individuals. They ascertaiued beyond all doubt that large quantities of. jewellery, much of it of the Bruoimegein sort, were being foisted upon the public at prices higher than better articles could be procured for at Melbourne establishments, the buyers were being swamped with all kinds of inferior stuff, aud the sale of genuine goods materially interfered with. They had no objection to the sale in the building of first-class articles, or even of the less artistic, not to say semiworthless, stuff, provided the said articles remained in the Exhibition until its close. And here it is but right to say that the leading firms, British, German, American, French, and Colonial, have never given cause for complaint; but that a lot of pettv hucksters should drive a roaring trade, and be allowed to deliver their goods forth wi f h, was palpably . an injury to the local trade, a misapplication of the uses for which' the Exhibition is intended. A meeting of the leading jewellers of Melbourne was accordingly held, resolutions passed, and the Secretary, Mr. Vincent J. Willis, directed to write to the Commissioners. This he accordingly did, and eventually received a reply to the effect that licenses had been issued to certain exhibitors giving them the right of selling and delivering "souvenirs " of the Exhibition, such right being supposed to extend only to a few special articles not made or generally obtainable in Victoria. Some little show was made of restraining the hucksters in their traffic, but these wily gentlemen had not travelled fifteen thousand miles to be baulked of their prey. They incontinently set to work ; had boxes, made, . and each labelled "Souvenir of the Melbourne Exhibition," and thus set the injured jewellers at defiance. But we had better lot Mr. Walch tell his story in his. own style :— At the present time the "little .game " impudently is beirig-jaerrily carried on un» der fcho noses of the Commissioners, and, protected by the inertness — not to use a harsher terni-^— of the .authorities, the peddlers in mosaics, cameos, articles de Pans, and what not,-laugh at the remonstrances of legitimate traders. Now all this is surely very wrong. It is a grievance calling loudly for redress. Hero we have a number of respectable tradesmen, paying heavy rents, contributing their share ; to the by-no-means feather-light taxes of the colony, and employing a large number of hands both as artisans and shopmen, we find, I say, these good fellow citizens of ours, subjected to annoyance provocation, and. actual loss; while, on the other hand, a flock of bjrds-of-passage of somewhat doubtful . fealbfer are. picking up the crumbs fcuat go to promote the welfare, if not even to the necessary existence of the rightful tenants of the. homestead.. . Why we should import cuckoos to usurp our own nests is an qrnithological puszle which, I for one, can^ hot solve. . Is it possible that during his visits to Europe, the betitjed, indefatigable, urbane, all things- to-all- men, Secretary promised these objectionable privileges to these intelligent, not to say, astute, foreigner* ? Did he, in his anxiety to secure a goodly number of exhibitors, sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity ? Did he, in effect, sny to the curio-mongers to the Palais Royal of Florence, Venice. an:l olher hot beds of spurious art — " Come to Melbourne, gentlemen ; come to ourExhibitioii, and I promise you a fteH of operations wider than you have ever hitherto enjoyeJ. No more peec! to consign naiv^l? of goods f-o the anfcipoctes to be sold as ' Enormous Sacrifices ' in the colonial auction marts. We 71Q provide you customers jn. ?hoals, We iffM

round up the game j we will eet bait, and help you to spring your traps. You shall be rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Only come, do come, and help to make, the Exhibition a success, a stepping stone to still further successes in the same lsne< poms, -gentlemen, have no fear, I am $ha great I Am, 'and sit my beck all the Commisßionera obey;!" Is Jit possible that the C: M. Gh spoket' thus; or used words to that effect P I. -.trust' not. YelK hovv account for this fearful influx of hucksters ; this sorry tampering with legitimate .trade ? .. " : ; : ' t '_ [ It is not for me to peer behind the scenes, ". and- pr-y. into the. secrets connected with the " getting up "_pf such gigantic enterprises as National ExHibitions ; my province is to I criticise results, and, criticising results in the present instance, I can only say that a plwineful wrong has been perpetrated upon a particular class, and the sooner that wrong is righted the better, for all concerned. I watch and wait.