ECHOES FROM THB CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1595, 23 September 1882, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THB CAFE.

I believr tnere is every probability of another important local industry being atarted hero shortly. A few days ago 5 man, rather past middle age, called on me, seeking a piece of information, which I was able to give him. Entering into conversation with him, he told me that he. was, the inventor and patentee of a patent fuel, to be made from coal-slack. He informed me that, at a very small expense, he could make from coal-slack, which is now of little value, a fuel which is much cheaper' than ordinary coal, which bums longer, weight for weight, and which gives out no smoke, and leaves no resdiuum. Some time ago he called upon some of the directors or managers of the local coal companies, and informed them of his invention, but none of them were disposed to incur the expense of making an experiment. As he had not the means to make a tost on a sufficiently large scale to be satisfactory, lie went away to the country, to work and to wait. Shortly before he called on me he received letters from the managers of some of the local coal companies, inviting liim to come to town and make exf>eriments at their expense. He came lere, and the trials will shortly be made. He has no doubt about the success of his invention, and I believe that the result will be, as I have already said, the initiation of another important local industry. So let it be. The more Me have the better for Auckland and the surrounding . Som&tpeople are very fond of indulging in practical jokes. They are very well in their way, providing they are not carried to far, but the jokers seldom stop to consider the effect of their pranks. Some time ago, a young man at Wanganui accosted a number of men in one of principal streets, and asked them if they could tell him where he would find a doctor. " Yes," replied one of them, "if you ring that bell a doctor \\ ill come to you." He rang the bell pointed out to him, ami it set the fire-bell ringing. Very soon a doctor came, as did sundry other persons, among them a policeman, who arrested the young man for giving a false alarm. Fortunately for him, the policeman believed his story, and released him, and he went away with a doctor. The New South Wales football team has been very successful at Wellington, beating both the local and the Wanganui team, though the weather was much against the visitors. As au Auckland man expressed it, the Wellington men had the choice of weather and they chose wet. I believe the Sydney men were all the better for the threshing they got here, as they were too confident of their own ability to " knock spots" out of any team in New Zealand, and overconfidence is not generally conducive of success. There seems to have been good ground for complaint about the way in which the selection committee performed their duty at Wellington, as they certainly did not select the best possible team. There were some people here who cavilled at the selection made by the committee here, but I do not think that a much better team could have been obtained. The man who was objected to most was Mr Henderson, and the rest of the team showed what they thought on the subject by electing him captain. Now that the Sydney men have beaten Wellington and Wanganui, I hope that their victories have come to an end, and that they will be beaten in every .other match they play in New Zealand. Mr J. M. Dargavillo has been distinguishing" himself again. A short time ago we saw him, in his character of M.H.R., voting against the Government when they staked their existence on the North Island Loan Bill, and after he found that Ins action had made him intensely unpopular among his constituents, expressing his- admiration of the Government for having introduced that bill and his regret that party ties had compelled him to vote against them. On Monday last, in his capacity of Justice of the Peace, we see him sentencing two little boys to two months' imprisonment with hard labour, for the heinous offence of sleeping under Mr Walker's gum store. If two months' imprisonment with hard labour, is a fit punishment for two unfortunate waifs— penniless, homeless, and friendless — who sleep under a gum store, what, I would ask Mr Dargaville, would be a meet penalty for an educated gentleman, placed in a position of great trust, who abuses the trust reposed in him and votes against the Ministry which is striving to benefit the people whom he is supposed to represent, at the bidding of a man who declares that his main objection to the Ministry's proposals is that they will benefit Auckland, the place that sent that educated gentleman to fight its battles. I wonder if Mr Dargaville nas ever read what a certain "good old book*' says about removing the beam out of our own eye before attempting to take the mote out of our bi other's eye. Our New Zealand Sir Wilfred Lawson has the credit of being a very mean man, and there are those who say that his advocacy of teetotal principals is due to the fact that water, tea, and coffee cost less thafl brandy, whiskey, and beer. On one occasion he went to au hotel and asked for a glass of milk and some bread and cheese. They were brought to him by the landlord, and he made a very hearty meal. After he had finished he asked the landlord how much there was to pay. " Nothing," was the reply. "I do not charge any thing for milk or bread and cheese." The knight insisted ou paying, so after some further talk the landlord told him he might pay what he thought right. He did so, putting down twopmce. "That is too much," said the landlord, and he gave him back a penny. The landlord had probably heard the story of the commercial traveller who, when a bottle or decanter of brandy was set before him, used to pour himself out three quarters of a glassful, and then fill his glass up with water. The landlord of an hotel at which he was staying determined to put a stop to this daylight robbery. One evening when the commercial room was full of travellers this man called as usual for " brandy," and nearly filled his glass. Our colonial system of "shouting" was not in vogue there, so each man paid for his own drink. The man in question laid down sixpence, and the landlord gave him back threepence. "How is this ?" he asked. "Do you not charge sixpence for a glass of brandy now ?" " Yes, " was the landlord's reply, "I do charge sixpence for a glass of brandy, but as you are a wholesale customer I charge yon only threepence." Of course there was a roar of laughter from the rest of the commercial travellers, and that man helped himself more .N<dioBerately. N <dio8erately in future. I ' The other day I "became seized or r possessed " of a florin, coined in the year 1849. It was somewhat smaller than the ordinary florin. While the reverse was the same as usual, the obverse had on it Merely the Queen's head and the iuscrip- ' tion " Victoria Regina, 1849." the letters •,"d.g." and "f.d.," meaning "Dei ''gratia" and' "Fidei defensbr" being omitted. These omißSJons'were believed by many people to have been the cause " the outbreak of cholera which occurred in England in 1850, and inco nsequence 'thVflbKns*S6ined"jri 184*9" were known as * the* " cholera florin's?', , Public feeling * rah so, high, that th 6 issue,', was stopped, '* and the old style of florinireverted to. I should like to send up that florin to

Hamilton to be inspected by any person interested, bnt, unfortunately, I have not got it. I- could not keep it for twenty-four hours. % It is a great pity that money is made round, for I find that it has a tendency to roll away very quickly. St. Mungo.