ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1508, 4 March 1882, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Poor dear Sir George Grey ! In spite of his protest and that of the fag-end of his tail, the leases of the Otagan runs have been sold, without Parliament having been summoned to consider the matter. In spite of the before-mentioned protest, some hundreds of people attended the sale in Dunedin, and, regardless of the injury they were doing to the "downtrodden serfs," men were found who were so wicked as to buy the leases of those runs. The purchasers were, however, compelled by the pressure of legitimate competition to pay much higher rentals than those paid hitherto. Most of the land leased on Monday and Tuesday is totally unfit for agricultural piuyos^Si and is fit for nothing except sheeptfrffis. It has been let for the sole purposegfor which it is suitable, it has been let by public auction, due notice of such auction haviug been give by advertisements in newspapers and otherwise, and it has been let at very satisfactory rates, the prices realised being in almost every instance, tar higher than the upset prices. Had Sir George Grey and his friends succeeded in getting the sale postponed, it is very doubtful if such excellent prices would have been obtained, and it is quite certain that, had the Grey Government remained in office until the present time, the prices realised would not have been at all satisfactory. However, "all's well that ends well." The Grey Ministry were ousted from office and were succeeded by an Administration which placed the finances of the colony on a satisfactory footing and so restored public confidence ; the protest of Sir George Grey and the few remaining joints of his tail against the sale of the Otagan runs was clis- [ regarded ; faith was kept with the public by the sale taking place at the advertised tune ; and such prices were realised as will not only add considerably to the revenue of the colony but also demonstrate to people elsewhere the state of piosperity which exista in New Zealand. I was sorry to see by the telegrams from Napier that, in spite of the objection of the Roman Catholic clergy, a branch of the Irish Land League has been formed in that town. lam not going to say that the Irish Land League, if properly formed and carried on in a legal manner for the purpose of attaining a legal object, is to be condemned, but I do most strongly deprecate the introduction into New Zealand of any movement which has a tendency to cause discord and to keep a live old- country animosities. Without forgetting the ties of allegiance and kindred which bind to us the land whence we came, let us remember that, whether we come from England, Scotland or Ireland, we are now New Zealanders, and have nothing to do with the internal quarrels which may be going on in any portion of the United Kingdom. We want neither Orangism, Ribbonism, nor Irish Land Leagues here, but to live at peace with each other, doing our best to piomote the prosperity of our adopted country. The "Zealaudia," which took away the Frisco mail on Tuesday, had a very narrow escape from wreck on her voyage hither. When she was off the Poor Knight's there was so dense a fog that the look-out could see almost nothing. Suddenly there was the terrible cry of " breakers a-heacl." The engines were immediately reversed and the steamer began to go astern. In another minute she would have struck, aud, in all probability would have gone down, -with what loss of human life no-one can tell. It has often been asserted by nautical men that our pilots are of little or no use, as they do not board a vessel until all danger is past. They say that the pilot boats should be on the look-out for vessels off the North Cape, and should there board them and bring them down the coast. I am not an authority on nautical matters, but it seems absurd to a land-lubber like me that the ; captain of a ship should have to find his own way clown the coast, and, when he lias got into Kangitoto Channel, and all danger is past, he should be compelled to take a pilot on board, and pay pilotage fees. The Ster, in a leading article on the necessity for establishing a branch of the New Zealand University in Auckland, advocates the using of Government House for the purpose. There is no probability that Auckland will ever again be the seat of the Governments Since the time of Sir George Bowen, none of the Governors have stayed in Auckland long, and, in all probability, no Governor will stay long here. What then is the use of keeping up a Government House for no-one to live in •? There is no use, and the soouer the building is utilised for some practical purpose the better. There is probably no purpose foi 1 which it is better fitted, and no way in which it would bo more useful, than a University College, so it is to bo hoped that .steps will be taken the next session of Parliament to make the necessary alteration. A great deal of scandal has been caused by the S. Thomas's row. Some few years ago it was decided by S. Matthew's parishioners to build a school-room in Union-street, to be used as a Sundayschool and mission-chapel. As they had not the requisite funds, the money was borrowed by the vestry of S. Matthew's church, and S. Thomas' school-room was built. A Sunday-school was opened and was soon well attended, and Sunday services were held there. As the incumbent of S. Matthew's could not preach in both places and attend to his other clerical duties — baptism, funerals, &c, — a curate was engaged and paid by the Vestry of S. Matthew's. This curate was very well liked by the congregation at S. Thomas's, especially by some of the ladies. After a while he was removed to another portion of the diocese by the Bishop, and another curate was appointed in his stead. Then the trouble began. The people attending S. Thomas's considered that they had been badly treated, and there has been no peace in that portion of S. Matthew's Parish since. Matters reached a crisis on Sunday last, when a notice was read, intimating that the services in S. Thomas's would be discontinued. One of the congregation read and lodged a formal protest against the discontinuance of the services. A meeting was called for Monday evening to consider the matter. Owing to the evening being wet there was but a arnall attendance, but those who were present made up in noise what they lacked in numbers. One or two of them so far forgot themselves as to use language which was totally unfit to be used in a school-room, much less in, what they claimed S. Thomas's to be— a church. After a disgraceful exhibition it was decided that a deputation should wait on the Rev. W. Tebbs, Incumbent of S. Matthew's, to lay their grievances before him. This course , should have been adopted in the first instance, Jnstead of the disgraceful proceedings^wiigh. have brought contumely on thosegMlioXtook part in them, and have given' tnos£v'who are always ready "'to cast obloquy on religion the opportunity of saying, " See how these Christians love one another 1" It is to be hoped that: the matter will be amicably arranged, ttad that there will be no more such, scandalous proceedings as those in S. Thomas's on Monday evening- * " y*^" v '-i -T r - - ; , :?S $y ;,Bt; -Muhgo.

Said a wild B^atonlboy .bo a. lecturer—; "You'd m%e r ia c ;g6'd^!.;^artyr. You' 4 burn weU-ry^e^diy/ ' ; w