ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1897, 2 September 1884, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

The riot which took place on Saturday night was a disgrace to Auckland, and the only consolation we ha\e is that so many of the vuifians eouoorned in it weie arrested and brought to justice. It is really atrocious to think that, because a 'constable arrests a man using obscene > language in a public street, he is to be assaulted, kicked, beaten and hustled by larrikins. It was most fortunate that some of the members of the tire bugade and a few other respectable c'tizetH ass sted the police, or there is ically no knowing what might have been the result of the not. Possibly one or inoie of the police force might have been killed or maimed for life. At ony rate, it seems quite certain that, had not assistance been i endured the constables, they would have been unable to effect the arrest of the rioteis. Many people think that it I is fortunate that the larrikins were brought before the justices, instead of before the Resident Magisti.tte, a3 that gentleman, might have dismissed the cases on technical grounds. A fnond of mine was so fortunate as to be able to prevent such a riot as that which took place on Saturday night. It was on another Saturday night about two years ago. A policeman arrested a "drunk" near the old Waverly Hotel in Queen-street and attempted to take him to the station. The prisoner resisted, kicking, struggling and attempting to trip the constable. After a " rough and tumble " lastiug some minutes, the policeman managed to put the "bracelets" on ins prisoner, and started for High-street. By this time a crowd of larrikins had collected, aud some of them proposed a lescue. My friend asked them what good that would do, whereupon they said that the policeman had no right to anest the man, as he had done no harm. " Very well,'' said my friend, "if that be so, go to the Police Court on Monday morning and give your evidence. In that way you will help the man, but if you attempt a rescue, you will only make matters worse for him and get into trouble yourselves." Some of the ciowd proceeded to argue the point. The argument lasted for five or ten minutes, during which time the policeman had got his prisoner to the station. Then the crowd quietly dispersed without a row. A great deal of interest is being taken here just now in the question of life assurance, attention being particularly drawn to the subject by the rivalry between the Australian Mutual and Equitable Societies, the toimer being the oldest aud wealthiest colonial institution, having accumulated funds amounting to £4,000,000, and the latter the oldest and wealthiest American association, with accumulated funds to the amount ot £11,000,000. The bone of contention between the two societies is the " tontine ' system, which is ad\ocati'd and piactised by the Equitable while it is condemned by the Austialiin Mutual. The plan is l)f>st lllustiatcd by an example. A bun d red men agiee to lnsiue their lues foi £100 eaeli, tie amount to be paid in ten, fifteen or twenty years, whatever nay be the term of the tontine period selected by them. Dining the tontine peiiod ten of the number die and their lepresontatives receive the sum of £1000 m each cisc, and ten fail to complete their payments, thus leaving eighty to complete the time. At the e\pii.ition of the toutine peiiod those eighty iceene €1000 each and the profits made by the money of those who died and letired, or those eighty may each take a paid up poliej for about £2,000, payable at death. The great advantages of the tontine system aie that msuiors make their payments while they aie young and that they can neither botiou money on, nor get a surtender value for, their policies, and so are compelled to keep up their payments I think th.it the A M.P. Society, made a gieat mistake in not adopting the tontine system, instead of opposing it. Had they done so, they could ha\e olF'Mcd in suieis the option, and then they could have defied opposition. Being interested in the matter of tin Fiec Public Libiaiy, and devious of see what the majonty ot tlioso who fieqiient it are in the habit of leading, I called n> on Sunday afternoon. I found that tho libiaiy was comfoitably filled, thcie being veiy little unoccupied sitting-ioom Most of those present seemed to belong tothcaitisan class. I found that vei\ few of them weie leading either books ot reference or novels. In fact, tho \ast majoiity were leading newspapeis. Of com sc, I cannot say whether those who wcic in the hbiary on Sunday afternoon may bo taken as a fair sample of tlio^e who use it, but, judging by what I saw then, theie i^ not such a demand for novels as some ot the city couueillois seem to think. I notice that Councillor "Upton has given notice to mo\ c at the next meeting of the city council for the appointment of an advisoiy committee, to advise the libiaiy committee of the city council what books they should should oi du for the libiaiy. I do not think that this pi m would woik well, but would piefu to s-fa that which is in \ogue in the laige l'bianes in England. v hich is to lime a committee, composed paitly ot member of the tit} council and paitly of outsidei-,. If this plan weie adopted theic would he a piolabihty of a piopci system being inaugniatcd, wind) Mould icsult in oui obtaining a \aliuble and coinpiehcnsue l ( 'iee Public Libiary, which v. c ate not likely to do so long as the selection of books is left to a committee of the council, subject to fiequcnt changes. * Auckland is now the proud possessor ot a Libnal Association, which was foimed on Monday evening. I was not at the meeting, but as f.u as I can leain the ineiubeis consist of the least influential Gieyiteb. Their main object seems to be to shift as much ot the bin den ot taxation as possible fiom their own shoulder on to those of other people They aie mo«t anxious to be libeial with the money of othei people, like the famoni Artemu-. Waid, w ho evpiessed his willingmss to sin d the last diop of his biotheis' blood, and the last diop of hit. cousins' blood for the benefit of his count! y. Of couise they ciy out foi tho substitution of a land tax for a ptopcity tax-, though theic they make a mistake, as tho majority of them have no piopeity, and therefoio pay no piopeity tax, butSh George Gicy has told them time after time that tlicj have to pay the piopcity tax-, and they, believing him, wish it abolished. If they ba\e any sense at all they should ascer- I tain how much Sir George paid as land ta\, and how much as piopeity tax, and the} would immediately understand his objection to the latter. This gieat asso ciation has come to one impoitant decision— that the Atkinson Ministry were a bad lot, and that Major Atkinson must not be allowed to got into power again. Where they made a mistake was in not telegiaphing their decision to the GoVernor, tor had they done so his Excellency certainly would not have dared to send for Major Atkinson. Sir Henry Parkes, ex-Premier of New South Wales, who passed through here on Sunday, emoute for Sydney, by the " City of Sydney," seems to believe that the New South Wales Government aie not likely to abandon the San Francisco mail route, despite the fact that the United States has failed to contribute to the subsidy. He consideis that this can be tho shortest mail loute possible between England and the Australian aud points out that if, as I efc/ited some time ago. fast steamers were /employed on the Pacific, the mail could ,be delivered within thirty-tlnee days ii from London, which would mean that we would get our mails in less than thirty days. By no route could such a result be obtained, so it is to be hoped that the San Francisco mail service will be continued, but with faster boats on the Pacific. I believe that this will be done, aud that before very long, we will actually be within a month's communication with London. What a change from the " good old' days " when.

our letters took sijc months to co the distance. I must send a cablegram to T.iwhiao, to u.'e his influence with tha Imperial Government to get them to do ny hat they can in the matter. St. MrrNuo.