ECHOES FROM THE CAVE.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1553, 17 June 1882, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAVE.

ijAsr^ridiy a^pbUMf'the ouvgesse's of Auckland was taken, to .ascertain whethersthey., wished the present Jimits of the 6ity to be* 'continued or 5 whether they wished an .pxtensipn, which would make Auckland one of the largest cites in tlie colony, as regards both aiea and population. The result w*a an p^eiv whelming majority of nearly ! ten t6 bne in favor of extending the boundaries, pi t oyided"Hh'e)r J esi<le'nts Of, the suburbs wish to join the city." The majority is, in reality, larger than it appears, as it ia well- known that all; who objected to the extension' would "record their votes, while many who i were in favor of it would not take the trouble to go to the polling place/ asthoy ; knew . that the result was a foregone conclusion. Those who are mopt. completely tV f?old" by the result of the polling »re some of the city councillors, who were so narrow-minded as to object to .the extension of the city, on the-gr'ounds that the suburbs would participate in our splendid and valuable oity' endowments, but dare not express their opinions, because they feared that public- opinion was/agafinst, them. s At the meetings qf the council they expressed themselves in favor of the entension. but their secret hope was that the poll of the burgesses would result in the defeat of the.project., Fortunately for the future prosperity of Auckland, the majority of the Auckland ratepayers took a broader and more liberal view .of the subject, and nothing is now wanting to make Auckland a large and populous city, except the petitions from the ratepayers in the suburbs, praying to have their districts included in the city. These will soon come, and Auckland will once more be one of the largest and most populous cities in the colony, a credit to it and to the large and important Provincial District of which it is the capital. Amen ! So let it be 1 There seems to be every probability of our city being chosen as the Naval Depot of the Australian Squadron, a consummation devoutly to be wished, as it must necessarily add'greatly to our importance and prosperity. It is a matter of much moment to the country districts, whose principal market is Auckland, as not only will there be a greater demand for country produce for the use of the officers and crews of the men-o'-war on the station, but it will cause an increase in our population and our prosperity which must prove beneficial to all producers. It will be a great advantage also, from a social point of view, as our ladies have latterly complained of the paucity of dancing men, whereas, if we have a large influx of the wearers of the " brass coats and blue buttons," the black-coated civilians will have to look to their laurels, and the ladies will be masters of the situation. (Perhaps mistresses of the situation would be more correct, but it would not sound so well.) From the latest reports it would appear that Commpdore Erskine has to decide between Auckland and Wellington. If that is the case, I think we need not fear the result, as, though ( Wellington harbour U undoubtedly a good one, it is not neai ly so easy of access nor so well protected .is ours. In addition to that, Wellington has no dock, whereas, we. have one ciji able of taking in gunboats and the sm.illoi men-o'war, and we have already begun to construct a dock large enough to 1 c ceivc the biggest vessels kx the British Navy. Sir Arthur Gordon lias obtained mk months' leave of absence, and is going to England on private business. Bless him ! By all means let him go, and let him stay iv England, or anywhere else lie pleases, until the people of this colony ask him to come back. We can do remarkably well without a Governor who disapproves of Mr Bryce's native policy. We can even do without the glorious pageant to which lie treats the assembled multitudes when he opens Parliament. We can do without the spectacle of that -dear little boy, gorgeously apparelled in a page's suit, to match the train of his august father, which ho holds up. Let Sir Arthur Gordon go to Exeter Hall and deliver speeches to the members of the Aborigines' Protection .Society. They may appreciate him. We do not, but hope that when he says farewell, "it may be for years or it may be for ever," with a decided preference for the latter term. The residents of Fiji are to be treated to a visit fi-om His Excellency, before be leaves the colonies. How hearty a reception he will receive there we may judge from' the rejoicings which took place immediately after his departure from that place. Simon Peter Harjcs is doing a sort of preliminary canter in Adelaide gaol before starting for Auckland, where he will probably spend a longer period studying geology under the care of Mr OBrien, the courteous manager of the Government Hotel at Mount Eden. A cablegram from Adelaide contains the interesting information tlwifc Harjcs has been sentenced to a fortnight's imprisonment, for fraudulent insolvency, previous to his extradition to Ttiew Zealand. The sentence seems absurdly light, but it was probably made so to suit the convenience of Inspector Thomson, who would not wish to be Kept too long in Adelaide. One of the worst features in Harjes' case is his treatment of his former employer, Mr Rummer, whom he robbed most shamefully while that \\nfortunate gentleman was incapacicated by illness from protecting his own interests and those of his motherless children. Mr Rummer placed the most implict trust in the integrity of Harjes, and gave him the sole management of his affairs. He {>roved how worthy he was of the trust >y disposing of all Mr Rummer's property and appropriating the proceeds of the sale. It is reported that he did so in such a way that he cannot be punished for his misdeeds in that respect. However, he will probably meet with his deserts for misappropriating the funds of Messes Haege and Co., tor whom he acted as agent. „ That is the offence for which he has been arrested, and I believi that the evidence is most conclusive, but that is a point on which the opinion of "twelve good men and true" must; be taken, " Scraps" has been "run in," charged with vagrancy, and sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour. Who is "Scraps?" you will probably ask. He is a poor, miserable man, who lias been going about Symonds-Btreet, Grafton road and the Domain for some years— ill-fed, ill-clothed, unwashed, and with " long, unkempt hair a la Robinson Crusoe — a most pitiable object. As he subsisted mainly on scraps given to him by the. boys attending the Grammar School and by other charitable people, he was generally known has " Scraps," though sometimes called " Razor-back" (why I know not), or' the " Domain Boarder," on account of his choice of the Domain as a sleeping-place. - He was arrested by the police, because it waa feared that he would be found deaid'some .morning, in consequence of exposure to the weather. His story, as told to me, is' a 1 rathe r r j romantic one, though he ceitainlywaVnot ?'a /very' romantic-looking, person. '/^His namf>ji^nry I B.Jimfqr4 r^ivd"ilie .was, I am told, a well-to-do farmer in the Wax- : u kato. 1 . He 'fell in love with a/,wpman (a „ woman seems.to have been the^causet of r/ftll men's ills, from -the- dayjs,,of r-Adanu udownwards), who^promised to-h)airy,,him Jt he would make( oyer, all M* puopertyftp her?/jffe ,did soU&fd, she , requited ,h£ lov^.anftfrust.by marrying another, irian,

"Scraps" couldnhT' brook 1 to live longer ,in the same place as the fair but false ■one, so lie came to ! tbwn| and lias> dragged 'out a miserable existence, subsisting on : what was given 1 to" Bun byl'tue;'6havit:\ble. It was said that he carried about u ith ;him a deed which 'proved hinvUo be> ! possessed of sufficient property to projtdct'liim from arrest under .the "Vagrant j Act, but either he must, .have loft his deed, behind him, pr it did < not, exist, as I' lie >\as proved tojha^e no 'la>vfvUt yi,oible ['means of support,/&nd wasisent. to Mount I'Eden-ior tiu-ea , months, -w.iih'.hard ■ labour. He is sure "to hayq, /sufficient food and clothing, and a roof , ,to^ shelter him for the next three mopths,, anil the "hard labour" will be only enough to keep him in health:,, soj he is better off than when he was at large. % < ! , , |•, / ! S;r. > Mungo.