ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1342, 5 February 1881, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The Auckland Regatta, 1881, took place on Friday and Monday last, and seems to have been very satisfactory t» most people, though, of course, there are Borne of the defeated candidates who are not Hatisfied. The result is that challenges have been sont and accepted, and there have been matches saied every day thin weetc, and "still there's more to follow." The result of the Champion Four«oared Outrigger Race caused much surprise and much disappointment to the backers of the Mercury Bay crow. The boat of the latter was swamped, and there is a great diversity of opinion as to what would have been the result of the race if the boat not been swamped. .Some people exprpss themselves as quite confident that, under no circumstances, could they have beaten the Auckland crew. It is a great pity that the swamping of the boat took place, for it would have been much more satisfactory had the crews rowed under more favorable circumstances, and the best crow won. A number of people are crumbling about the manner in which the Committee of the Regatta did thoir duty. The grumblers have the remedy in their own hands, and the remedy in a very simple oito, provided, of course, they subscribed to tho funde. AH they ha\ etodois to attend at the next meeting of subscribers, called for the purpose of electing a committee, prove the incompetency of the present committee, and their own fitness for the position, and get themselves elected. Anowjng some of the grumblers, I venture to hay that, if they do this, there •will be ten times as much grumbling next year. Old Johnston is the owner of some game-cocks. One day ho was showing them to a number of men, among whom was Lazy I'ick, a confirmed loafer. He •was particularly proud of one young cock, and he offered to bet anyone a case of gin that he could not bring a cock to beat him. Lazy Dick determined that he would win that case of gin, fo he stole one of Johnston's old game-cocks, pulled some of hio feathers out, painted him so that he would not be recognised, came back, and accepted Johnston's challenge. Tho cooks Jfought, and the old one was ■victorious, so Johnston handed over the case of ffin to La/y Dick. He put it on his shoulder, and as he went out of the door he turned round and told Johnston that he might keep the victorious cock, as it was his own property. The language used by Johnston was of such a nature that it cannot appear in the ! columns of a respectable newspaper like the Waix-ATO Times. The other day I read in the Australasian an account of the presentation of a silver p. (jalver and a purse containing two hundred sovereigns to the minister of a Preibyterian Church in Melbourne, on the occasion of his completing the fifteenth year of his paßtorate. Either Mr Strong, the recipient of the gifts, must be a much more able man than the majority of our Auckland ministers, or his people must be much more easily pleased than the majority of Auckland congregations, as I know of very few congregations here that would make A similar presentation to their minister, unless it were as a parting gift, with a full conviction that they would see his face no more. On Monday the half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of the Union Steam Sash and Door Company was held. The chairman of directors congratulated the shareholders on the success of the company, and proposed that a dividend at the rate of 10 per ceut. per annum be declared. The motion was seconded and carried. After reading the balance-sheet, I cannot see the grounds for congratulation. The profit* for the half-year just ended amount to, omitting shillings and pence, £3539, while the dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, absorbed £4885, the difference being made up out of the amount brought for* ward from tho previous half-year. No ! I cannot see the grounds for congratulation, and I think it would have been much better had the directors recommended a dividend at the rate of 7i per cent., which is just as much as the profits of the halfyear would suffice to pay. However, we will see the result of the operations of the company durinif^he'Tflßfflefltr 'half-year, ' and I hope that the" director* will have better, grounds for their congratulations at the next meeting. < » '• The Australian cricketers are having a victorious tovjtfcrwgb, ,s9l7 £§$}M wti

aWgradtoatly drawing near Auckland. In spite of their near approach, our cricketers do not seem to be having any systematic practises. Of,course they will be beaten, but 1 think* they ought, at any rate, to practice together, so that they may he able to make something like a respectable appearance. The Canterbury encketenj, who managed to beat the last Australian team, which contained almost the same .men as the present one, have suffered a most ignominious defeat. They elected to play only fifteen men against the Australians, and, considering the amount of tall talk in which they indulged, the only wonder is that they did not elect to play with only eleven men. , St. Muxgo.