ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1265, 7 August 1880, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Me Lundox was very hard, and properly so, ou the other members of the socalled Liberal Party. When the House were in Committee of Supply the other night, Mr Macandrew expressed au opinion that half the Constabulary at Pavihaka should be disbanded. Mr Lundon said there was no use in objecting, as the Opposition benches were almost empty. Some men of his party asked a few bogus questions, and moved a few bogus motion », for the purpose of blinding their constituents — the silly fools who sent them there — but when real work was tD be done, they went eway leaving the leaders of their party unsupported. Quite right, Mr London, especially in the description of the constituents, and yourself and other members of your party. " A bird in the hand is worth two in. the bush," says an old provevb. 'A policeman in one of the suburban districts discovered two horses roaming about on the road. After a good deal of exertion he succeeded in getting them into the pound, but, while he was putting them in, he let out a cow which had- been impounded for damages done to a girden. He did not discover ' the lo^s until next morniug, when the owner of -the cow demanded the animal, and the owner of the garden claimed los, for the damage done by the cow. The University of New Zealand has conferred the de^rea of B.A. on two more young ladies — Misses Anne Bolton and Helen Connon, both of whom belong to Christchurch. The " City of the Plain*/' has thus gone ahead of the " Athens of the South J^eai," but still our city has the honor of having furnished the first lady JB.A. in the world. I am rather puzzled about these lady JB.A's. In the Hrbt placn, I cannot understand how a lady can be a bachelor. In the second place, when a man gets married he ceases to bo a bachelor, though he may still have the lettei'd, " 8.A.," after his name, and I want to know if these ladies, never having been bachelors, except by winning the title of B A., will btill retain the title after they are married. The thing is awfully mixed ; it is too much for me. I give it up. Ask me something easy. So the " Marriage with Deceased Wife's Sister Bill" has passed. I am very sorry for my poor friend Brown. He has a delic.ito wife and a very strongminded sister-in-law, of whom he is very much afraid, and whom he hates as a certain individual, who &hall be nameless, is isiippo&ed to hate holy water. Mrs Brown cannot live very long, and I am sure that her strong-miaded sister will marry Brown, whether he will or no, now that the Bill has passed. Brown always comforted himself with the belief that the " Lords " were too conservative to pass the Bill, but the advocates of the measure carried the war into the en> my's camp by iutroduoiug it in the Upper House. It was passed there, sent down to the Lower House and passed there, and now wants nothing bub the Royal assent to make it the law of the land. Poor old Brown is " euchred." The nows from Afghanistan is very unsatisfactory, but nviny thiuk it is a natural result of the change iv the foreign policy, consequent on the change of Ministry in England. No doubt the disaster is due in pait to this change ; but I think th.it it U also partly due to the proueivws of our officers to underestimate their enemies. After the I^andula disaster, Punch contained a cartoon, represont-i ing Cetewayo as a schoolmaster and John Bull as a schoolboy, and a blackboard ou which was the lesson, "Thou shalt not despise thine enemy. It would seem as if the cartoon might be repioduced, with Ayoub Khan as the schoolmaster. The Auckland Club, called by iuiterani people who are not members, the "baby club or the " larrikin club," continues to increase in numbers, in spite of a free use of the black ball by some of its .members, It seems, however, that some are blackballed who ought not to be, while others arc not black-balled who ought to be. One of the members, Mr X, a\ as playing " Napoleon the other evening with a party of friends. After they had been playing for some time and the pool had become a large one, V, one of the party said he would "go Nap." He had four high spades and a seven of diamonds. He won the four tricks with his spades, on the last of which X threw an ace of hearts. Ihen he played the seven of diamonds. No one had kept a diamond except X, a\ ho played an eujht. Y said not a word, but paid his losses and left the table. Of course, it might happen that a player might throw away an ace and keep an eight, but I know that, if anyone who had done so, -were proposed in a club of which I were a member, I would give him the benefit, not of the doubt, but of the black-ball. Mr Lawson, in his reply to the condemnation of his railway management by the Railway Commissioners, lays the blame of the expense of working the railway from Kiverhsad to Helensville on the Public Works Department, as the gi-a-dients on the line are so steep and the construction so faulty, that a constant outlay for repairs is required, which adds very greatly to tho working expenses. The Star, in a sub -leader the other evening, suggested that th 3 best plan that could be adopted would be to abandon the present line and construct another through level country, which can easily be done. I fully approve of the suggestion, provided it is not done under the direction of an engineer whosp sole aim is " how not to do it ;" but, unle-s som.e change in the engineering skill (f) is made, it will ju^t be a c isc? of " out at iho frying-pan. ' intotlwfi...." J i | The City Father* aro about to <fivo iuj ;

additional ufobf of their paternal affecft«b_bjr. xdfftfging thos3 who do not use w.ilernalf the rates chargeable to Consumers, and by raising the charges to the lattf-r This is in the face of the fact th.it the waterworks have paid a fair profit, over and above interest, for the past year. Their action does not compare favorably with that of the Gas Comjjghy, who have decided to reduce the charge "for gas on and after the Ist of September. If a.*£G(lu<*tieft-of -price ia good-polioy-f »r -the Gas Company it surely cannot be very bad • policy for the Porpsoratiou7 / I see that the 'report oil the Lunatic A*ylum& oiUiUe-Golony -contains a high econium on Dr Young and his management of the Auckland Lunatic Asylum. 1 his is. very satisfactory for,us living here for we never know when we may require to be sent out there, for "genius is akm to madness," and it is pleasant for us to know while we are sane that we will receive skilful treatment if we become non compos menkis. I was very glad to read the interesting account of the laying of .the foundationstone of the Truro Cathedral, in the supplement to the Waikato Times last Saturday, as it is the fullest report of the proceedings I have seen. I saw a* picture of the imposing ceremony in the Illustrated London News. The Prince of Wales was the only one present who wore ! his hat. Some of the Masonic readers of the Times may, perliaps, be unaware that a Master wears his hat when at work. St. Muxgo.