What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1844, 30 November 1874, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

"In multitude of counsellors there is safety." —Old PiiovKttii. , Ohinemuri is once more all the talk. It has been a proliGc theme. for over six years, and, in some people's opinion, will be for six j'ears more, although everybody but a i'aw disappointed landsharks fervently hopes that the present diplomatic visit of Mr Mackay will terminate more favourably that the attempts of those who have preceded him, or essayed to come between him and the work that he honestly (as many believe) undertook a very long time ago. The subject, just now is, undoubtedly, Ohinemuri. Since the days of the famous deputation, who went up to open the country by the aid of bot- ! tied beer and square gin, to the present time there has not been so much said about " the opening," nor has expectation been raised so high as to the probable achievement of the work, '.Ihere is one consolation which the least sanguine in tlie community have—that the opening is o-?ly a matter of time, 'j he " Tc's " can't live for ever ; and as all the oppositionists appear to be' Te something or the other, they must in the course of time go the way of all Maori human nature. There ■will, no doubt, be found plenty of strapping young natives anxious to inherit their " rights ;'' but it is certain that the conservative old bloods cmnot bequeath their conservatism. The young Maories are sensible of the advantages of possessing broad acres ; but they can appreciate the advantages which such possession confers in helping them to ready money, fine clothes and other " conveniences: " in their weakness lies a great deal of the success of purchasers of native land. ■ The Superintendent and Provincial Secretary have been amongst us ones more, and, as is customary, they have compared notes with their faithful' Provincial subjects. There is one thing the Super, appears to have made a mess of: that hospital business. This need not surprise anybody, although the course adopted disappointed everybody. Just when everybody thought the business done with, the Superintendent has imported a new element into the matter. The Committee cried with one voice, arrange'this matter for us as we can't do it. The Government accepted the responsibility— appointeda" Commission" —tookevidence, and then took a month or five weeks to consider the evidence ; after which they quietly say —or something very like it— we can't do anything in the matter. If the Super, had given them all a little fatherly advice and told them to behave better for the future, a great deal more satisfaction would have been felt than is at present, because now the question is shelved, and the Government have confessed that their inability to deal with a difficult question is as manifest as was the Hospital Committee's. Perhaps some may say—indeed do — that it is with both bodies more a question of inclination than ability. Where feeling is allowed to usurp the the place of judgment there is very little chance of arriving at a just deliberation on any question; and feeling has had more to' do with the hospital business tnan judgment, as everybody now admits. Everybody hag been sorely perplexed at the peremptory order to Sir James Fergusson to make himself scarce before his successor arrived, and conjecture was rife as to the meaning of the order. Some thought, and even said, that the retiring Governor and the incoming representative of Her Majesty were not on good terms. This was ridiculous, of course, and Sir James' eulogistic reference to his successor set that question at rest. Others thought it was a question of etiquette, that it would be iufru cliff, for a j mere Baronet to be on-the spot as Governor with a real live Marquis coming to tt.ke his place. It now appears that the latter is near the truth—the incoming Governor havingonly an actingeoirmission which he could not act upon while the one with the full powe?:s remained. Sir James made a hurried exit in order not to embarrass the Most .Noble who is tosiicceedhim. It will be a sore disappointment to some of the fair ladies who had hoped to sit at the same table and daace m the same " sets" with a Governor and two exgovernors, all three bearing high-sounding handles to their names. As it is, if the ball comes off very soon there will be a

fair assembly of IS ew Zealand's chivalry to welcome the Marquis and Marchioness of JN"ormanby, asd the loss occasioned by the absence of one baronet will surely be made up by the noble army of colonels and majors—to say nothing of the small fry of army men and honorable legislators who compose the elite of Auckland society. Mr Binney, auctioneer, (this is a gratuitous advertisement) announces, that- he will dispose of "thelast of the .bazaar" on an early date. The wool-work and the crochet—the ottomans and footstools will be submitted to the ruthless process of being put up and then—knocked down: The labors of fair fingers—whose owners may have constructed aerial castles of a certain amount- of flirtation to be eliminated from the process of disposal of their wares at the bazaar—will lose their romance amid the common-place atmosphere of an auction-room. But about " the last of the bazaar;." to dispose of that finally, the auctioneer should have advertised the sale of "a surplus store of I dissatisfaction engendered during three days' engagement in a good work ; " "a large amount of evil speaking, difficult to get at the bottom of, but damaging to the subjects against whom it is directed; " "certain malicious little slanders levelled at the honesty of ■ workers ;" "and a miscellaneous assortment of envy, hatred and malice and all uncharitableness, beginning nowhere and ending in an equally reliable source—generally supposed to be the work" 'of Dame Humour./' If Mr Einney could add these items to the catalogue of articles to "be disposed' of,

then everybody could say there goes " the last of the bazaar." j Did anybody go to fie flower show the other day. Day literally is meant, for a good many—everybody, in 'fact - went; at night. Wei!, if anybody went during the clay other than thosn who were obliged to go. thej' will have, a lively recollection (<• the attempt to combine a flower show wMi an exhibition of poultry. Some who went ni business have been deaf to everyfiiifig since Thursday but the crowing of deep-toned roosters and shrill-voiced ban lams. Their dreams are troubled with ooek.-crowing, and their wakinsr moments only bring more vividly to their senses the recollection of those prize fowls trying to out-do each other in coclc-a-dood'e-doo-iag. Flower shows are good, and roosters are good ; but the latter would be preferable trussed. Thnr only association with horticultural exhibits should be when stuffed with herbs of a pungent character—cold, and garnished with parsley. . ■■