BCHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1425, 20 August 1881, Page 4

BCHOES FROM T HE CAFE.

,I'ViiVt^ -Mr Barstow, our Resi<l<nt Mugi-tr.ito, bat bei'ii having a very lively timo of ir lii^r wt'uk mi 1 this, in connection with the -ra-hdirui.' -.f , the " Wiide Smutfghbg ciW lOf the actual, facts of the <;^e- it is almost impossible to iorin an iipi»iion t so vj'uminous and so eontmlieroiy is tin evidence*, That .smujr-rliujr, »md thf*t<on an extensive ,>ciile, hun ben aimed on at the Wade, thero can 1>" no doubt, but whether the men now nccu-ed were guilty of it .it the<tiulo at, which th«y<ai<i accused of smugvluig/or wHother'tlifey'fcfe jruilty at all, iiro points which are involved in mystery. ( ffo what decision ,Mr Barstow '• will come will not be known for some time, and whether -that decision is the ! correct one will probably never be known to the general public, pne thing ia vejy certain, and' that is that there has been a great deal cf hard swearing, and someone whom the deponent aayeth not, should be tried for perjury. Almost evpry male resident of 1 the Wade seems to have been called as a witness for the prosecution or the defence, so the case will probably • be more costly than the Te Wheoro bull case. The Auckland theatre-goers are not to be congratulated on their good taste, Chaplin and Carden, both, good aotors. played td" wretched houses, and now Marshall, one of the best actors who has appeared in the colonies, is playing to very moderate houses, though he is supported by a very good company. On the other hand* the Victoria Loftus Blondes, whose performance consisted maiuly of an indelicate, not to say indecent, exhibition of legs, drew houses so crowded that thero was hardly standing room in tho theatre. People, whoso taste is so depraved in matters theatrical, deserve to fall an easy prey to humbug* of the Gruy type in matters politic.il. In the course of his speech, when conferring the degree* won by students of the New Zealand University nt Christchurch, Mr Tanored, the Chancellor said th<tt before long the light to elect a member of Parliament must be conferred on the University. Considering tbe ,idiriirable way in which the Senate of (the University exercised the fraucbisn conferred on them in connection with the Auckland College and Gtammar School, it is to be hoped that it will bo a long time before they will obtain any other franchise. Of the personal character of their elect I will say nothing, but there can be no doubt the members of the Senate allowed themselves to be u->ed as tools for the pm pose of carrying out a scheme of personal revenge. There is much indignation in the city, as a consequence of the Hon. John Hull's reply to Mr Speight's question whether the Government proposed to oany out the reclamation for the Auckland Railway Station The Premier said that if the work were done it must be out of the fund voted for loads and bridges in the provincial district. Was thero ever anything moie outiagfous 1 If work, in connection with the main line of 1 ail ways is completed, it must be at the expense of the roads and budges in the countiy districts ! The answer is, hovvevei, just what might have been expected when the question was asked by such a man as Speight. A district winch returns men who are not worth having for friends, and ;ne not to be feared as enemies, deserves to be snubbpd, and tlieie need be no surprise if it is defrauded of its just lights. If the clcctois of City East luid returned Clark instead ot Speight, I ■venture to say that the question -would have received a very different answer. Southern people must foiin a, very exalted opinion of those eicctois when they see the man whom they chose to repiesent them. Whatever Auckland may do in the way of repiescntativcs, "lie holds her own in respect to authors Another name is shortly to be ndded to the list — that of Sir George Grey's tnend and admirer, Dick Feltus. The title of the book which is to be edited (inaik the modesty of the man) will be "How the rich diive their carnages and the poor man cannot get an acre." I am very sorry for the poor man. AVhat is to pievent him taking up land under the deferred payment system ? Nothing except that lie does not want the land, and would not know how to farm it if lie had it Mr Swanson silunced one of Mi Feltus's stamp when ho was aildiesain? his constituents befoie the last General Election. He was asked \\ liether he would endeavour to get " the land for the people," when ho leplied that the people did not want the land. In order to test the matter, ho said he would give fifty acres of land, or nr.oie if they wished it, to any man in the room who would undertake to work it. Neither '"the land for the people," man, nor anyone else in the room, applied for that land. It is not land which requires working that people of that stamp want. They would like to have fifty acres of city propel ty, but they would put up with a thousand acres of the best Waikato land, with good houses and out-buildincs erected on it. Even if they got that they would, in all probability sell it as soon as they got the title completed. I ace by the telegrams from Wellington that a number of ladies have formed themselves into a Land Loasruc, and have determined to collect funds for the dissemination of treason and the proposition of murder in Ireland. The objects of the meeting which was called were explained by Miss Lundon, daughter of that noble and loyal geutlenun who said that only twenty landlords had been bhof, and expressed his ie»ret that one had escaped. I wonder if, in the course of her leniark", she read to the ladies pio>.eiit the repoit of the speech of her noble father-— the future member for Wai pa. I wonder, also, how much that patriotic gentleman, Sir George Groy, contiibutedto the fund.s of the Land League. He is always ready to make a speech if it will gain hun political influence, for a speech costs nothing, but touch not his pocket, as th.it ib his vulnerable part. I ventuie to say that I will contribute as much to the funds as he will, and I will give nothing:. Two friends of mine have a very lively recollection of Sir George Grey'b liberality. They were collecting subscriptions for the Auckland Dispen^aiy, so they called on Sir George Grey who was then Superintendent. Knowing his gieaf love for the people, and as the Dispensary is maintained for the benefit of the deseiving poor, they naturally expected to receive a hindsome subscription from him. They were admitted to the great man's presence, explained the object of their vis,"t and told him that the institution was .sadly in need of funds. The good man said that the Dispensary was undoubtedly very deherviug ot suppoit, and that it gave him much pleasmo to see two of tho busiest men in the city spending their valuable time in buoh it laudable manner, but he was extremely sorry that he had ho lnanv calls on his pmse that he could not affoid to give as liberally as ho would wish. He took the Mibsciiption lint and put down his name for one guinea. The Dispensary obtained the autograph of this nobleminded man, and that was all, for that' guinea has not been paid up to tho present day. Such is Sir George jGreyJs liberality, and Bu<di is hi* love for the people. Happy Thames', which has sue!/, a noble ni.m to reprt sent it ! Happ's Auckland, which has such a generous man as the leader of its members ! Happy Ireland, which has such a man to proclaim her yrrongs ! i ™ ■ 1