ECHOES FROM THE CAFE

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1625, 2 December 1882, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE

Another step toward* the establishment of the sugar refinery was taken on Friday last, when the foreshore required by the company was leased to them for fifty years by the Harbour Board, who showed a very proper appreciation of their re« sponsibilities by leasing the foreshore on moat reasonable terms, viz., £/> ppr aunum for the first 21 years, and £7 10s per annum for the remainder of the term. The rental is a mere bagatelle, but the board will receive a splendid revenue from the pilotage fees and the harbour dues which will be received from the vessels which will be brought hither by the sugar refinery. Some people express the opinion that Auckland has been going ahead too fast, and that its present prosperity is fictitious, but, if the establishment of manufactories is continued at the rate which they have been established lately, there need not be the slightest fear about the prosperity of Auckland. Another important industry which is about to be started is the smelting of the iron-sand, which is in almost unlimited quantities on the West Coast. A great many attemps have been made to smelt the iron-sand, but hitherto they have been unsuccessful. If the secret has now been discovered a boundless source of wealth lies along our coasts, and the people who have now taken the matter up are not likely to bave gone to considerable expense unless they were tolerably confident of carrying their undertaking to a successful issue. Mr Harris, M.H.R. for North Franklin, addressed the electors at Otahuhu on Monday evening 1 , and succeeded in bluffing "the silly fools who sent him to Wellington," as Doctor Doublc'Sliuiiie called tlie electors of the colony, into giving him a vote of confidence. His .speech, as might have been expected, consisted of clap-tuap and something worse. His statement that he had fulfilled his promise to give the Whitaker Ministry a fair trial, was a deliberate falsehood. It is a fact which cannot be disputed that lie opposed the Government from the day that he reached Wellington to the day that lie left. It is rather curious that, though it is some months since his return from the seat of Government, Mr Harris was not able to select a suitable time to address his constituents until lie knew that his former opponent, Mr Bnckland, had left for the (South with the cricketing team. There can be little doubt that he was afraid that Mr Bnckl&nd might attend the meeting nml bowl him out, as he has been doing with the Southern cricketers. Never mind, JJnckland. It will not be long before the next general election will take place, and then you will have an opportunity of scattering Harris's bails, and I sincerely hope that you will be successsul in doing so. Apropos of the Auckland cricketing team, it is very satisfactory to know that they have been so successful hitherto. I sinceiely hope that their successes may continue, ,tml that they will come back here unbeaten. They bave all their work cut out 'or them at Chrisfcchurcl), where they will certainly meet with a very warm reception, but 1 do hope that they will win the match there. If they i)o there is no team in the colony which can beat them. The City of the Plains has for some years past held the premier position for cricket, and it remains to be seen whether our men can wrest our laurels from her and bring them to the Corinth of the South Seas. It was a very judicious decision to play the first match at Dunedin and to play Oamaru Stt<l Ttmara befoje Chmtcbmd), as Jt necessarily gave our men six days' splendid practice together before incutiiig their formidable opponents. Despite any mistakes made in the selection of our team I am sure that all Aueklanders will join me in wishing " our boys " every success. A wordy war has been cariied on in the newspapers during the past week or ten days with refeience to certain remarks made by Mr Spurgeon, the youthful pastor of the Welk'sley-street Baptist Church, concerning Bishop Cowie. The dully papers, in their account of the reception of Bishop Luck, the new Roman Catholic Bishop, stated that a bouquet had been presented to him \\ liicli had been sent by Bishop Co^ie, the said bouquet consisting of a cro^s made of scarlet and white ttoweis, those being the episcopal colors. On the following Sun day eveuiug, Mr Spurgeon, m the couise of his sermon, took it upon himself to censure Bishop Couie and to denounce him for forming "an unholy alliance " with the newly-an ived .Roman C itliolic Bishop. Many people resented Mr Spurgeon's conduct as unwarranted, and as a piece of gratuitous impertinence towards) a gentleman old enough to be bib father. It was also stated th.it the bouquet was sent, not by BUhop Cowie, but by two maidservants at Bishop's Court, who are Roman Catholics. Of course, Mr Hpurgeon's friends took up the cudgels on Ins behalt and gave some very nasty blows, but they got more than they gave, and have so far come off second be^t. Admitting

that Bishop Cowie did send the bouquet, I do not sec that there was any w rong in what was merely an act of courtesy towards a stranger, and I know of no right that MrSpurgcoti has to sot himself up as the reprover of an older, and many people think a better, man than himself. By the bye, 1 heaid a story about ji .Scotch minister the other day, which is worth repeating as it will probably be new to most of the readers of Tin Wui/iuto 2'mtii), and it may be of use to some of them. This minister lived in a country district in Scotland, a very different district from the Waikato, as the land was poor and the climate cold. Among his people was a very poor, but very worthy widow, who woiked hard to maintain herself and her fatherless children, fche lidd a small piece of land and one cow. One day she touml that her cow was sick, and her neighbours told her that they "were afraid it would die. .She had a hard struggle to keep herselt and her bairns, and she knew that if she lost her cow the struggle would be harder still. She went to the minister, told him her trouble, and asked him to i;o and bless the cow. He went with her, saw the poor beast, shook his head veiy gravely, and said, "00, coo, gin ye live, ye live, an' gin ye dee, ye dee." From that time the cow seemed to improve, and before long it was quite well again. Home time afterwards the minister was ill. He had au ulcer in his throat, and the doctor gave up his ea^e as hopeless. Not so the widow. She went to the manse and asked to be allowed to see the minister. She was taken to the room in which he lay. Her eyes full of tears, she looked at him and said "minister, minister, gin ye live, ye live, an' gin ye dee, ye dee." Despite the gravity of his case, the scene was so ludicrous that the minister burst yOf.it laughing. The laughter caused the ifflcer in his throat to burst, and he soon recovered. St. Mungo.

Mr George Aldmlge will lecture at Le (Juesne's Hall, to-morrow evening 1 , on the subject " Is life worth living 1 ." Notices by the poundkeepers of Te A-yamntu and Hautapu appear in our advertising 1 columns. Ureat changes are taking place in Auckand, new busings premises of various kinds are rapidly improving the .-mpeantnre ol the city; .srver.ll firm* arc pitondtng their premises, and llio keen competitive spirit of the Old Country is nmv app.irriit amongst the city tfadftrnrn ; the wholesale warehousemen, ironmongers, and banks, arc extending thVir boundaries • and not the least important amongst the local mdustn establishments is the completion of n large concrete building three storey* .high,' 70 feet long, and 50 wide.crcctcd in Lorae^streot, as, a cabinet factory for Messrs/ Garlick and Cr.mwell, who have erected machinefywith 'the luttit 1 improventents, enabling them to turn out thbif work economically and expeditiously. '1 hi*, firm arc now giving up their urapery and clothing business in order to secure' marc? space as show rooms for their furniture, and, to effect a speedy clearance. hnvj},aiiufgidjtUJtyiiKy low price all their drapery and clothing, which will be sold (for, cash only) for one^mftnthV 1 'This is a *plftndid ' opportunity for thrifty housewivtit not only t6 »equro cloth* inff but all kinds of 'ManchMter and' furni'hine foods at rates that will pay to lay goods by 'tin the y %« sf"^?»^4 , vj - . - ; it . . <t u ; ;• ,