ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1512, 14 March 1882, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Last Saturday week there was a band contest at the North Shore. It was held in Messri Stark and Quick's gardens, or rather within the fence of what will be the gardens. At present the gardens do not exist, and there were no adequate preparations made for the convenience of the publio who were there to the number of two or three thousand. The beautiful parterres of flowers, the grassy lawns, smooth and level as a billiard-table, the comfortable garden-seats, the shady arbours, in which friends could do their billing and cooing, were all conspicuous by their absence. However, the bands performed their part of the business, and did it really well. Of course, the award of the judges, .who gave the prize to the band of the Thames Scottish Volunteers, gave dissatisfaction. A large number of those present had friend's in one ,or other, of the local bands, and thW'bad pre-judged the case, deciding that, the "band in which their friends were was 'the/best: '.IJdp not 'profess to be a judgc<msahd music, but 'l believe that the jMgeViolec id tfere'as oapable for the office 1 as any $ho 'could be found in Auckland, and I 'am quite sure that they Would act impartially, so, public opinion to the contrary uotwithotauding, I feel quite satisfied that the Thames Scottish Band deserved the prize. So the Gladstone Ministry are afraid to remonstrate with the Knssian Government for permitting the cruel outrages on the Jewish inhabitants of Russia. It is pitiable to observe how invariably the foreign policy of Liberal Governments brings the British Empire into contempt. Were a Conservative Ministry in power such a remonstrance would not only have the effectof ameliorating the condition of the Jews, but would also convince Russia ami the other continental powers that Britain has a, potential voice in the conduct of European politics. The open-air services in connection with St. Thomas's, last Sunday morning were a shocking travesty of religious worship. They •were conducted by Mr Cornish, the gentleman (?) who said at the meeting on the previous Monday evening that the incumbent and vestry of St. Matthew's appeared to consider it essential to have an organist, but " damn the parson.'* The lessons he read and the sermon he preached were evidently intended to be condemnatory of the incumbent. The subject of the sermon was nominally the life of Judas Iseariot, but it was very evident that it was intended to refer to the incumbent. Just fancy a professing Christian cHoosing as the text of a sermon, intended to refe^to his clergyman, ' ' this he said, ■riot that lie cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." It is not for me to judge a man, but I do think that, if Mr Cornish is a Christian, he has very peculiar ideas of his duties and responsibilities. Some of the readers of The Waikato Time«> may remember the case of a young man named Shepherd, who wan tried at the Criminal Sesbions of the Supreme Court about six months ago on several charges of larceny, was convicted and sentenced to a year's imprisonment. He was a member of the Auckland Rowing . Club, and, while other members were out in the boatb, he went into the dressingroom and stole their watches, chains, money, &c. It was known that he was .slowly, but none the less surely dying of consumption, and lie received a light sentence on account of the state of his health. Puspite the shortness of his sentence, he did not live to complete it, but died on Friday last of consumption. Her Most Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria seems to have had a remarkably .narrow escape from having her life and her reign biQught to an untimely end. Of couise, her would-be-assassin was a lunatic. No sane man would attempt to shoot a good and virtuous lady, who has done no harm co anybody, but, on the contrary, has proved herself, both publicly and privately, one of the best, if not the best so\eieign who has sat on the British throne. If the man felt impelled to shoot somebody he might have turned his attention to some of the wifebeaters, or burglars, or similar ruliians, whom he might have, "improved of the face of the eaith" Avith his revoher, and thereby done service to society at large, but instead of that he attempted the life ot our noble Queen. In the language of "Pinafore," I say, "damme ! its too bad." Of all the extraordinary letters I have seen, that of Garrard, the stump-orator, to the Minister of Justice, which appeared in Tuesday's Ihrald carries off the palm for evtraordinariness. (Dont try to pronounce this word in a hurry. It is easy enough if you take it quietly. Keep cool !) It may bo remembered that Garrard was committed for trial on a charge brought under the " Corrupt Practices Act, and that the case did not go to trial, being dismissed on technical grounds. Garrard then applied to Mr Cotter, the Returning Officer, for information as to whether he brought the charge against him of his own accord, or at the instance of some other poison. Mr Cotter replied that he could not give him the information he asked for. Thereupon Garrard wrote to the Minister of Justice on the subject, and that gentleman supported Mr Cotter. Then Garnil (I wrote the letter which appeared in the lit) aid, which is as follows :—: — rriO TIIK HON. THE MINISTER OF •*• JUSTICE.— Hon .Sir,— Rctnwnnf jour reply, without any insolence to j on, Sir, do I understand you to say th.it the Go\ eminent officials can do ,is they like ? Does the Government in.ike laws when their ofhu.ils do an) thing wrong th.it the Government b.ick them up in their wrong doings, to scheme them out ot their dirty .ictions f I ask a plain, straightforward question. Is an honest and upright nun to bo dragged through the street like a thief by .in order of any ot your stupid, blundering officials ? When the Government sees tli.it themselves and their officials are wrong, they will try a dirty scheme to get out of it ; but most probably that the present Government might be kicked out of office. If that be the case, it wtflbe dangerous foi any honest man to walk the streets that lias to work bard to support you all ; or is it because lam too able a card for you all, and an agitator > What will the Impcralist Government think of it when • the facts arc laid before them > Th.mk God that the colony has not claimed its independence yet to come undersuch deb.iui hery and tyranny, or slaver)'. Thank God lam glad to say that we ily the Imperialist flag. Your superiors to deal with the likes of you. Hoping no offence. Should be truly sorry. You reply at once.— Mr "W. Gko. G\krakd, the working man. Auckland, March 6th, 1882. That ten per cent, charged people who neglect to pay the Property Tax at the proper time is a pretty heavy impost. One man. who was three days late in paying his due, asked me what was the rate per annum when ten per cent was charged for three days. I told him that Ihadnot been at school lately, but that, as Nearly as I could reckon it without my slate and pencil, I believed it was twelve hundred per cent, per annum. He said he thought that was a pretty high rate of interest, aud I must admit that I agreed with him. However, some such impost is absolutely necessary, as there are some people who make a rule not to pay to-day what can be paid to-morrow, or left unpaid altogether. Our Town Clerk finds his • office anything but a bed of roses. There are two or three of the city councillors who take 1 every possible opportunity to make' maters unpleasant for him. (By the way, - why do we speak of the Town Clerk and the Oity Councillors ?) Many of his offences, so-called, , ai-e purely, imaginary ones. The latest one is in connection with the Albert Park .railings. Each post, aa it would be called in a wooden

fence, was to have a monogram composed of the letters ' ' A. P. " at the top. When the fence arrived it was found that, on account of the way in which the monogram was made, it appeared to consist of the letters "P. A. P. fl , the initials of the Town Clerk, who is to be persecuted for the way in which that monogram was made. There are some great minds in our City Council. At least, so thinks St. Mungo.