ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1380, 7 May 1881, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Of course, the principal topic of conversation, this -week, both at the Onfe and throughout the City, has been the terrible disaster which has resulted in so large a loss of hfe— the wreck of the Tararua. I believe the Star " puts the saddle on the right horse," when it said that the accident resulted from the incompetence of the captain. It must necessarily be very unpleasant for the friends of the late captain Garrard to read or hear of such an expression of opinion, but as that is the opinion of many, if not all of those who are qualified to judge in the matter, ie is but right that publioity should be given to it. The blame lies at the door of the mannger of the Union Steamship Company, if ho appointed a man incapable of performing the duties, to command a ship which carried so many passengers. A full and impartial inquiry will doubtless be held, and then the public will have an opportunity of judging the question of who was to blame. There are two matters which appear btrange to me. Perhaps they may be explained at the enquiry, but I doubt whether they will. One is, why, seeing that there is a hfe-beit under the pillow of each beith in the Union Company's ships, in only one case does a life- belt "eem to have been used by a passenger P The other is, why, the vessel being only half a mile from the shore and a number of the crew and passengers succeeded in landing, there was no attempt made to send a rope ashore, by means of which all the passengers might have been landed ? These two matters seem to me to require explanation, and I hope that some light will be thrown on them. I must now leave this very sad subject and proceed to a more pleasant one. That dear old man, Sir George Grey, has been addressing hin constituents at the Thames. I think I deserve a leathei medal or a piece of plate (the willowpattern would be appropriate), because I read the report of the speech from beginning to end. 1 might as well have contented myself with reading the headings of the various paiagraphs, because, after leading each heading I knew what was in the paragraph. The speech reminds me of the stoiy told of the nigger who was reproached by his master for being "drunk again."' "No, massa," was the reply, "same old drunk." Sir George Giey has not been making a fresh speech, but has merely been re-dehvering the same old speech. There was the usual attempt to set class | against class, and the " old, old story" about the land for the people. Both speaker and audience were well aware that the majority of the people know nothing about farming, and would simply staive if they were compelled to live by tilling the soil, but the theory is a very pretty piece of sentiment, and tickles the ears of those who attend public meetings, so the "saviour of the country" keeps it as one of hia stock subjects, and tiots it out on every occasion. We have had a visit from a " real live duke," the Duke of Manchester. When I say we, I speak as a citi/en, not as a elinor at the Cafe. Humble subjects of Her Majesty, like myself, may be content with the Cafe, but dukes must dine at the Northern Club, or at the house of His Worship the Mayor. What an awful blow it must have been to poor Hurst to learn thai the piesent Mayor had entertained His Giace, and to recollect that no such distinguished stranger vi&ited Auckland during his Mayoralty. His greatest achievement was receiving His Excellency Sir James Fergusson on his arm al here. A very good story was told about Hurst at that time, which, as it will probably be new to most of the readers of the Waikato Times, is worth repeating. A number of young gentlemen belonging to good English families came out with bir James Fergusson. One of them was introduced to Hurst at the citizens' ball given to the Governor. The latter impressed the stranger with a due sense of the honour of being introduced to the Mayor of Auckland, and then said, " Take my .arm and walk round the hall. It will do you good to be seen walking with me." The stranger accepted the invitation, and promenaded the room with His Worship. After doing 5.0 he went up on the d<cii> and told the story to the Governor and the rest of his party, who were, oi course, convulsed with laughter. The joke ran round the ballroom like wildfire, and, for the rest of the evening, when a gentleman wished a l.uly to promenade the room with him, the form of invitation was, "Take my arm and walk round the lull. It will do you good to be seen walking with me. '' There was a meeting of tho Governois of the Auckland College and Grammar School la>t Saturday, .it which the principal business was the conbidoration of the series of resolutions, condemnatory of the action* of tho Board, of which Mr. Hcsketh had given notice, No ono expected that the resolutions would be carried, as the Governors at whom they were levelled weie a majority, but no one expected that Colonel Haultain and Messrs. Clark, and Peacock would have declined tosuppoitthe resolutions, because they were too offensive. They were necesnaiily offensive, but not nearly so offensive as tho actions which made them necessary. What could be more offensive than for two out of seven mernbeus of a board to determine on a couise of action in opposition to the rest of their colleagues, and then, with the knowledge of ouly ono of their colleagues, to take steps in ucoveit manner to obtain the election of three new members of the Board who would enable them to out-vote their opponents. That such a thing has been done proves the absurdity of giving tho Senate of the University the right to elect three of the Governors of the Auckland College and Grammar School. Admitting that the members of the Senate were desirous of electing tho men most fitted for the position, most of them being resident in the South, they must necessarily be dependent on local people for information as to who were suitable ior the office, and when their votes weie solicited by Sir G. M. O'Rorke and Mr Teuton, they would naturally comply with tho request made to them and elect their nominees. Ido not blame the members of the Senate, but I say that it shows the absurdity of giving the power to elect Governors to those who aro strangers to tho place and the people. If three more Governors were required, why was the election of them not placed in the hande of those most intimately interested in the success of the school— the parents of the pupils P The reason is simply this —that tho majority of the parents were very well satisfied with the Lead master and the way in which he conducted the school, and" they would not have played into the hands of Sir G. M. O'Rorke and Mv Fenton. The R.M.S.S. City of New York arrived with tho 'Frisco mail on Monday afternoon, but it was not till Wednesday that the mails were delivered and the steamer took her departure for Sydney. The cause of tho delay was that four of the children had had measles. Measles are not by any means a dangerous disease, and, besides, there were not measles enough to supply all those on board the steamer, bo there could not have been sufficient to supply Auckland and its Bnburbs. The law which compels n vessel on which there are, measles to be sent to .quarantine is a piece of- humbug, and should be repealed. "We must see Sir George Grey on the euhject, for the, lawprevents the peeple' getting onto the land.