ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1392, 4 June 1881, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

There was some excitement among the residents of Ouchunga and the surrounding districts last Friday, when it was known that there was an escaped lunatic at large. I did not see any just grounds for alarm, a*» I am quite used to lunatics at large, who prove their insanity by the way in which they allow themselves to be humbugged by Sir George Grey. That great and good man has been having a rather lively time of it lately, as the Hon. John Hall, and Mr J. 0. Firth have both provedhim a . I beg pardon, I should say that they have shown that there were slight inaccuracies in some of his speeches. What a contrast there is between the Premier's address to his constituents at Leeston and Sir George Grey's speech at the Theatre Royal ! The one is a plain straightforward statement of what the Government has done and what it intends to do, while the other is a frothy string of words, calculated only to iniblead his audience, without anything practical about it, but with a number of (to put it mildly) mistatements, made for the purpose of damaging the reputations of honest men. Our old friend got a severe dressing down from the Wellington Evening Fast recently, for his flunkeyism in the anxiety he displayed in his speech at the Theatre Royal that the young PriDces should come here to allow him to kiss their toes, and for the inconsistency of that anxiety with the rest of his speech. The /W says that the Prince and Princess of Wales sent their sons to sea in order that they might grow up manly fellows, and that they might escape the adulations of courtiers and flunkeys. A proposal is on foot to ostablish a Coffee Palaco in Auckland. Many people think it will be a success and will be the means of diminishing the trad" of the public-houses. If it is conducted on the principles of a first-rate hotel it -will be an undoubted boon to visitors to Auckland, as there is a great lack of first-class hotel accommodation. Another project now before the public is a Supply Association, the object of which is to sell goods of all descriptions on the co-operative system, and to act as agents for the sale of produce. This will, it is expected, take away the business of most of the shopkeepers and produce merchants. The Gas Company have added a new branch to tbeii' business — tho supply and erection of gas-fittings, which will demolish the tiade of the gas-fitters. Altogether, it seems probable that there will soon be a large exodus of hotelkeopcrs, shopkeepers, pioduce merchants, gas-fitteis, and others, who will have to leave the country, crying, " Othello's occupation's gone." Another comet has made its appearance in the heavens, and it seems that, like a burglar, it is an unexpected vibitor. As n seems that Captain Farquhsr,of the s.s, Rotamaharia, was one of the first to notice it, the Herald suggested that it .should be called tho " Rotomahana Comet." In the name of suffering humanity I piotest. We residents in New Zealand, or, at any rate, some of us, can manage to pronounce maori names, but why should people elsewhere be asked to stiuggle with them? Of course, it is easy enough to tell people that maori words are pionounced exactly as they are spelled, but anyone who has heard new chums worrying at such names as Onehunga or Ngaruawahia, knows that it would be a cruel wrong to attach a maori name to an unoffending comet, which has done us no harm, and, so far as we Jcnow, will do us no injury. On the contrary, it may do good by bringing us muchneeded rain, in which case it might be called the " Aquarius Comet." The Grammar School Governors, at their meeting on Tuesday, gave another proof, though further proof was certainly not needed, of their remarkable fitness for the position they hold, Mr Macrae, the Head Master, wrote a letter to them, informing them that Mr Gulliver, the English master, was unfitted for his position, being unable to maintain discipline among the pupils supposed to be under his control, and Requesting them, to dispense with Mr Gulliver's services or to relieve him from his position. The governors decided not , to dismiss Mr Gulliver, but to allow Mr Macrae to leave at once, giving him. full salary for the four months remaining of his notice, and a bonus of £350 for his ' ' long and faithful services."' Could anything be more absurd than to dismiss a man because he has not discharged his duty properly, and then to give him a bonus for '•his long and faithful services?" Inconsistency could hardly be more glaring. There was one remark made by Mr Fenton with regard to Mr Macraes, letter, whioh particularly amused me. Ic J was to 'the effect that the language used in the letter was hot such as would* be tolerated in the Civil Service. Perhaps not, but I do not profess to know much about the Civil Service. What I do know is tliat a gentleman! who has* grown grey in Her -Majesty's service, told* me that he had never seen an' enquiry' in that service conducted in such a' manned as the'Purchas Inquiry was conducted, 1 the subalterns being ehcoiirag&r ttf find' fault with I the" sway in which the commanding officer conducted the campaign, I am glad to see that a pressman hW made a good thing out of the J Purchas ( enquiry, Mil JKinseila getting £1'42,f0s for h^s notes of ,the residence .t,aken. This isc raijherjbui^oj proportion, vifcb., tl\e f paHfry| Board's own secretary for the extra work cataUecLon him by the enquiry, I am

quite sure that the charge made by Mr, • Kiusella is a fair one, but it seems a j great deal of money, to, pay for notes which the Governors did not think worth reading. Altogethecthjis Purchas.enqjiiry has been a very' costly affair 1 'foV^ the Grammar School (Trust. , As. nearly as I can reckon it, the following is the little bill :— Secretary, ,for extra work £15 15s ; reporter, for notes of evidence £142 10b ; Head Master j salary and; bonus, ijsB3 6s 8d ; Mr. Sloman. for acting as head master, (probably for six mouths) £100; passage money of the new Head Master from England £150; Telegrams, ■ &c, say £8 8s 4d. Grand (very grand !) Total £750 ; What has been gained by this large expenditure ? Mr. Fenton has succeeded in getting rid of a Head Master, who, when he took office, found there ware about a score of pupils at the school, and who was dismissed, after about ten years' " long and faithful seivice,',' to use the Governor's own expression, leaving 1 about two hundred pupils to mourn his loss Is the result worth what it cost ? < The principal topic of conversation yesterday and to-day (Thursday), both at the Oafe and elsewhere, has been the disastrous fire at Tliuranga which resulted in the destruction of £30,000 of property. This is a terrible loss for a small community, like that of Taurauga, to sustain. Let tho people of Waikato be warmed by this catastrophe and organise fire brigades in all the principal towns, if they have not already done' so, and get efficient water supply, wherever practicable, so that a> similar fateiriay .not be theirs. If this is 1 done, Taurahga's /misfoi tune may prevent similar devestationb decuring in Hamilton, Cambridge dud other Waikato towns. It is very evident that the legitimate drama does not s.uit the taste of Auckland play-goers, as Her'r Bandmann, an actor of considerable ability, and who is aupr ported by a very fair company, has been playing to ,very poor houses. The Juvenile Pinafore Company are to commence a season at the Theatre Royal on Monday evening, and from ,what I have read about their performances in the Southern papers and in private letters, I have no doubt they will have crowded houses. " Pinafore" suits the Auckland taste much better'than the " legitimate." However, I, shall probably, have more to say about the juvenile "Ruler of the Queen's NaveeiV next week. How are you off for bricks in the 'Waikato ? Ido not mean good men and true, who are often spoken of as "bricks, "but the genuine baked clay article. They ate a very scarce- commodity t in Auckland just no\f ; so, if Any one Ixas, k, few thousands which he can send down, I believe that " there's money in it." If any of tho Waikato farmers can discover a pyramid on his farm, let him send it along, mummies and all. St. Mtjnoo.