ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1869, 28 June 1884, Page 2

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The session of Parliament has come to an end, and the majority of our members have returned to spend their hard-earned honorarium in securing their re-election. We have heard before of barren sessions, but this has been the most barren of them all. Fortunately it has been very short, so our representatives have not spent time in doing nothing. By far the hiost impoitant business done has been the voting of the full lionor.at ium tor a session which did not last three weeks. We have long known that our Representatives were extiemely valuable men, but we had no idea that they were worth upwards of £70 per weak, until they showed us that 1 hat was the value they set on themselves by voting themselves £'210 for less than three weeks' work. I bet; pinion for having used an improper word, tor w ork they have not done, and yet for not doing it they have voted themselves £43,000. The thing is a crying sh \me, rind I sincerely hope that the electors of the colony will show their appreciation of the action of those tnembeis who voted for the full honoiarium by rejecting every one of them next month. Pailiament was opened on June sth, and prorogued on June 24th, so that the s-ession lasted only twenty days, including Sundays ; and yet the majoiity of the members had the cool cheek to vote themselves £210 each out of the public funds — to assess the value of their serv ices at upwards of £3800 per annum. Vogel has been well abused for the large amount he made the colony pay for Ins sci vices, but not even he made pay him at such a frightfully exoibitaut rate, and yet that is the pi ice wo have to pay foi such men as ILiri is, Moss, Fish ct ho oiwi; qcnrn, Even the wealthy Sir George Gtey was to Le tound voting for the full " pound of flesh." •* i On the honorarium question I am " in sympathetic accord" with Mr Swanson. (By the way the picsent dissolution will be a sid blow to Mr Laishley, the coiner of that wondeiful phrase, as he fully intended to icturn to Auckland, coveted with the honour and nlory gained by him in his educational resuai olios in Europe, and enter Paihamont at the general election in Decombei, but lie will on his tutu rn find that "the potato is cooked.") However, to return to Mr Swausou and the honoraiium question His opinion is that each member should be paid by his ov\n constituents — that the people who want a certain man to repiesent them should pay him tor his services. The objection uiged against this plan is that the tendency would be for constituencies to elect we Uthy men who would not icquiie payment, but this is all moonshine, as the amount to be paid by each individual would be so small that it would not be worth while to refuse it, and certainly no one would be sufficiently a&binme as to accept as lus iepreacntativo a man whom he did not want rather than pay a few shillings per annum to a man whom he did want. Whether Mr Swanson's plan is adopted or not (I am pretty certain that it will not be), 1 think that some change should be made. If nothing batter can bo done, the honor uiuin should bo made animal instead of sessional. Had that been the rule, the extieinely interesting and valuable session ]ust brought to a close would have cost the county only £21,300 instead of £43,000 Of course, it would still be dear at the price, but then the price would not have been so hit(h as it is. ■* * I think that the City and Suburban Licensing Committees have at last concluded their annual meetings, which have, in most cases, been delayed by adjournments applied for by publican's threatened with the refusal of thoir licenses. One of the fast cases disposed of was that of the Swan Inn, the scene of the " lambing-down " exploit mentioned in the "Echoes " last weak. The license was renewed only with tho provision that Adams should immediately transfer il to some oue more fit to hold it. The " lamb-liig-doww " case was bi ought on again at tho Police Court last Satin day, and adjourned for a week. What the result will be lemains to be seen, but, as Mr Theo Cooper, one of our ablest young solicitois, has been engaged by the " Alliance" to conduit the piosecution, Ido not think it is likely that it will he dismissed oa a technical point. However, theie is no knowing what that very able Resident Magisttale of ours will do. As I have said befoie, he is too good a lawyer to sit in the Police Court, prefeiring to dispense law rather than justice. Well, perhaps that is putting it a little two strongly, but he certainly does ssem determined that, whatever the merits of the case, he will not give a decision that can be upset on technical grounds. * * * The Licensing Committees having all held their annual meetings and disposed of the applications brought befoie them, the question naturally arises, What is the general opinion as to the way in which they discharged their duties ? I think it is that they have acted with commendable moderation. They have insisted on all the houses being closed at 10 p.m., have warned the publicans not to have upstairs bars and to obey the law with reference to Sunday trading, and have closed a number of houses which were obviously unfit to be licensed. They might have closed two or three more without incurring the displeasure of anyone except those directly interested in those houses, but they decided, and I think wisely, to close only the worst houses in the first instance and to give the proprietors of the otheis an opportunity of mending their ways and improving their houses. Of course, it must be remembered that, though the annual meetings are over, the committees are still in office and will hold quarterly meetings in September and December, at either of which they can cancel licenses now granted, and I doubt not they will do so should they deem that there is sufficient reason for so doing. Some of those interested in the liquor traffic will endeavour to secure the election to the General Assembly of members pledged to endeavour to have an alteration made in the Licensing Act, so as to have the Commissioners nominated instead of elected, but I do not think they will be succesful. As a rule people are not fond of nominated bodies and there are few who believe in giving up a privilege they now possess. Besides that, the Blue Ribbon Army is so strong, here at any rate, that their block vote can turn almost any election. „ * * With the return of the members, the electioneering campaign may ba said to have* begin in earnest, , Tbe.re has ijeen a ' gQpd de*l of inferot syjaced;.

sonic time past and a large number of those entitled to \ote have registered them claims. a It is, too soon to say who will contest the various seats, but I think that all the city and suburban seats will be keenly contested, with the exception ot City Hast, where ifc is probable that Sir George Grey will have a " walk over." During the recess Mr Sw.wson stated that lie would not stand ag.iin for Newton, so Mr Peacock canvassed that constituency, for which he is pretty nearly certain to be elected. There is some talk of Mr Swanson coming out for City West ag.iinst Mr Dargaville, in which case the "great financier"? would be " left out iv the cold." If Mr George opposes Mr Moss for Pdrnell, a supporter of the Government will have a splendid chance of slipping in between them. It is said that Mr Shoehan will be a candidate for City North. If so, he will take a lot of beating, but a really good man ' could do it. For Eden, Mr Allen O'Neill, a son of •' Doctor" O'Neill, one of the directors of the ill-fated Batik of Auckland, has announced his intentiou of opposing Mr T ole, but lie is an unknown man, and would have no chance of success. If Mr Edwin Hesketh could be induced to stand for this constituency, Sir George Grey's youi.g friend would loose bia seat, but lam afraid tnat he will not allow himself to be persuaded, so someone else must be obtained. It is very certain that the majority of the electors are incensed at the action of tho3e who are to blame for the defeat of a Government pledged to the construction of the Wat-kato-Taranaki Railway, and against those who, in the face of a deficiency in the revenue, voted themselves the full honorarium of two hundred guineas for a session which did not last three weeks, and in which no work was done. Let good, honest, capable men come out in opposition to those who have considered themselves rather thin their country, and they will be elected. St. Mungo.