ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1535, 6 May 1882, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Mrr-j — 7? — r*r tMany people are'df opinion that tin opening of Parliament will be , speedily followeil by &■ re-construction of th< Ministry, and that Mr Macamlrew wil obtain a>eat in th£ Cabinet. Whethc these two events, or either of them, wil occur, it is impossible to say at present Ifi the Ministry rind that the acceptance of Mr Macandrow as a colleague is essen tial for their continuance in office, '. think that the majority of their sup porters will be content to see it tak< place We know 'what Mr Macandrev is — a, ehrewed, determined Scotchman the sole object of whose political existence is to enrich and aggrandise Otago, even though the colony as a whole shoulc suffer on account of that enrichment am aggrandisement. We know that, whei he was a member of the Grey Ministry, he allowed Mr Sheehan to manage nativt affairs in his own way, and Sir George Grey.to devote his attention and wonder ful tftlenlfS to "burning questions," while he, being Minister for Public Works, took great care that the public works should* be carHed on m Ofcago. However , there would riot be the. same danger oJ his being allowed to -carry out public works according to his own sweet will were he to be adcepted as a member oi the present Ministry. The whole colony demands that, whoever may be in power, the railway shall be constructed from Te Awamutu to New Plymouth, as the only effectual means of disposing of the native difficulty, at once and forever. Besides tlils, so long as Mr Whitaker retains a seat' ln the Ministry, we need have no fear but that Atipkland will receive her fair share of the public expenditure. Tinder these circumstances, people say, "by all means let the Ministry accept Mr Macaudrew as a colleague, if it is an essential of their continuance in ■-** 1 Out gay and festive aboriginal fellowcolonists, residing at the Bay of Islands and other places in the north, have allowed themselves to be induced by Sydney Taiwhanga and a few kindred spirits to sign a petition to the Queen, and to send home that worthy and two other natives to present it. The petition is a lengthy and rather amusing document. The framer of it, persumably Taiwhanga himself, must suiely have kissed the blarney stone, judging by the way in which he "soft-soaps" the Queen. The petition is addressed to "Her Majesty Victoria, the good Queen of England and the Empress of India," and begins, "Go forth, 0, our messenger on the soft airs of affection, to remote lands across the ocean that was trodden by Tawhaki, to Victoria, the Queen of England, whose fame for graciousness has extended to all the kingdoms of the world, including New Zealand. 0, mother, the receiver of the sentiments of thp great peoplss and the small peoples under the shade of your authority. Salutations ! May the Almighty preserve you on your throne, and may men applaud you for your goodness to your people living in these islands, who are continually directing their eyes towards you — the mother who is venerated by them." How is that for high? So long as the petition confines itself to " high-falutin ', it is a grand success, but, as soon as it descends to what purport to be facts, it becomes a lamentable failure. It asserts that Governor Hobson was sent hither by the Queen's father, whereas Her Majesty was hei&elf on the throne at the time (1840), her father, who did not occupy the throne, having died somo years previously. It then goe& on to relate how the Maoiis have been robbed of their land and goaded to rebellion by the Euiopeans. Of course, the latter are always to blame, anrl, equally of course, there is no reference to the bloody murders and cruel massacres committed b# the Maoris. However, the Aboriginces Protection Society and the Exeter H.ill people will, doubtless, take Taiwhanga and his companions by the hand, lionise them, and piesent them to the Queen. It is to be hoped that someone will inform Her Majesty what a model husband Sydney Taiwhanga proved himself, and how well he treated the poor foolish white woman, who was so infatuated as to marry him. The reason why I cannot tell, but a number of people have suddenly left here lately without saying good-bye to their friends. Perhaps they thought that Sydney Taiwhanga and his fiiends would induce Her Majesty to inflict condign punishment on the residents here for the wrongs perpetuated on the Maori lace, or that Sir George Grey was to return to office, or that the Aurora which recently appeared was an omen of impending evil, or that this colony had too large a public debt, or that they had as much money belonging to other people as they weie ever likely to handle, and deemed it advisable to go elsewhere to spend it. Whatever the reason, it is currently reported that at least three of our quondam citizens have " cleaml out for Guam," leaving their respective crcditois, like the father of Lord Ullin's daughter, lamenting. Ido not care to mention their names, as one of the three might return and prosecute me libel, and I might find myself studying geology at the base of Mount Eden, protected from harm by a substantial stone wall, built, as a labour of love, by a number of gentlemen who were staying there a few years ago, some ot whom are so fond of their suburban residence that they do not lcinaiu away from it long. " Handsome is that handsome does," says the homely old proveib, Assuming its truth, the Messrs Ireland ought to be considered the most handsome men in Auckland. On Good Friday, a man named Lee, who was in their employment as clerk, was di owned. Ho left a widow and family unpiovided for, so some sympathising friends sought to raise subscriptions on their behalf. Messrs Ireland Brothers, being wealthy men, and Lee having been in their employment at the time of his death, of course headed the subscription list with a handsome donation. No ! they certainly did not. They gave the sum of .£3 — £1 from each member of the firm, being the same amount as was given by their .stoieman. Surely this princely generosity descives to be chronicled, and entitles them to have their names written in letters of gold on the scroll of fame. Each of them I may say, in the words of Abou Ben Adhem, " Write me as one who loves his fellow men." Who wrote the advertisement, signed by the Returning Officer for Parnell, notifying the appointment of a substitute to conduct the polling on the subject of drainage ? Whoever wrote it, his wits must have been wool-gathering. The notice, which is dated 28th April, refers to " the Election or Roll to be taken on Jfche 2nd May, instant." This is not one of»the blunders which can bo laid to the uccouut of that usual scapegoat — the compositor. It is evidently a mistake of the writer, not of the printer, and I want to know who wrote out that advertisment. A' good deal of surprise was felt at the arrival of the P.M.S.S. Cos. s.s. Zealandia, on Monday morning, after a wonderfully quick run from 'Frisco, the time occupied on the voyage was- 18 days 18J hours. Seeing that the r.un from San Francisco can oe made in so phort a time, Parliament should insist' that, .when the contract is renewed, this, rate of speed should be kept up every trip, and be the rule, not the exception. If this "were (gone, and. steps takea ta facilitate

the transit of our mails across the Atlantic, we should probably have the time, occupied in the transmission of mails to and from London, reduced to 35 days, which would be a considerable change from the " good bid days," when a letter usually took six months to go hence to 'England. St. Mungo.

The new pure cash system now being initiated by G. and C. will certainly prove a benefit to the public. It has been a great success in, Sydney and Melbourne, and when strictly carried out the customer who buys at an establishment whero the gdods arc marked low to ensure a rapid sale must be a groat gainer. G. and C. sell their drapery, millinery, and clothing at such prices for cash as gives the buyer the advantages of a shareholder in a co-operative society, without the risk of being called upon to bear a portion of the loss should the j ear's business prove unsatisfactory. Garlick and Cramvell will aim to retain the confidence which the public have hitherto shown them, and are determined to give the pure cash system a fair trial; whether they gain or lose thefirstyear Country buyers on remitting cash with ordei will be supplied with goods at'Co-operatve prices ; just the same as though they made a personal selection. Furnishing goods, such as carp6ts_, floor cloths, bedsteads, bedding and general house furniture, the largest portion of which is turned out at our own factory, willbe marked at the lowest rcmunciathc prices, and a discount of five pet cent, will be allowed to those who pay at the time of purchase. G. and C. having realised the entire valuo of their stock during their late cash sale, the present stock is nkw and cheaply hough r. — An inspection invited. — Garmck and Ckanwkll, City Hall Furnishing Arcade Queen street, Auckland. •

'(For remainder of neivs see fourth jiage.)