ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1933, 25 November 1884, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Oxce more Mr W. R. Waddell has been elected Mayor of the City of Auckland without opposition. Some people believe that, as a rule, no one should hold such an office for two consecutive years, but I think it is well, when any one has proved himself a capable Mayor, for the burettes to ie elect him. This Mr Waddell has done. Ido not mean to say that I endorse all his actions, because I think he was totally wrong in the matter of the Free Public Library, but I have no hesitatiou in saying that he has been a - capable and useful Mayor, devoting much time to his official duties and performing them very satisfactorily. He has not a splendid residence at Remuera, to which he could take visitors to Auckland, but he has done all that lay in his power to make their sojourn here pleasant. His treatment of that arrant humbug, •Jfairard, was a proof of the puictical common sense with which he is endowed, and tended lai gel y to show to outsiders how much of sham there is in the howl of the unemployed here. By the way, there was a very laughable incident in connec tion with the meeting of the " unemployed." (iarrard was asked where the man who had got up tho requisition to the Mayor was, and replied that unfoitunatcly he had got woi k on a steamer and gone away. To return to Mr Waddell, I Mill only say that I congratulate him anil the city on his re-election, and ho is imiiieasuiably superior to any other of the known asphants to the Mayoial chair. There are some people who are spoiled by success. Among these is not our worthy Mayor, but is Captain Fopham, the present commander of the U.S. S. Go's. " Ringarooma." When he occupied a subordinate position in the company's service, he bore the reputation of being " a very decent fellow," but since he has been piomotcd to the command of the "Ringarooma," which, by the way, is one of the dirtiest and most uncomfortable boats in the company's fket, he has, to use a common phras», "got two big for his boots. "' He gave a rathiT objectionable proof of his uppislmess> on Saturday afternoon. Whon it was found that the " City of Sydney " with the incoming San Francisco mail was signalled befoie the "Ringaiooma" left for the South, Captain Popham was in&tineted to get the mails for Gisborne and Napier ftom her and take them with him. The two steameis met outside Rangitoto Reef, and Cciptiin Popham asked Captain Doatbcnn toficndthe Gisboine and Napier malls on board the " Rmgaroomi." The lattei Captain expressed his w lllingness to do bo but said that he had not a boat ready and asked Captain Popham to send a boat for the mails. This l'Mionable request was met l>) a cnit lehisil, and SO the in vis «cio not bent by the " Riagaioom i," and tho people of Gisboine and X ipiui will have 10 w.al nearly a. uei'< !oiig< r than was iijcessaiy foi th< it English lettei .. LAo not know what action la to be taken in the matter, but it i^i to bo hoped thai the PoslmaileiOeueral will icpoit the afFiir to the Geaai.i] Manage! of t 1 " 1 Union Compmy. But foi the stupid MiobbiMiiu'ss, of Captain Poplmn, tlic English mail might- have been delneied at (wsboine on Snndu\ and at Napier on Monday. Talking about; the English mail, I am glad to see that the Government have notified their intention to cntoice the payment of a shilling per half ounce on all letters sent to or fiom the colony, via BiindiM. This action will propably have the effect ot inducing the English Postal Authoiities to abandon their absiud decision to send New Zealand letteib by the first steunor leaving England, lticspjctno of the direction on them, As Peikvn Middlcw ick, in " Our 330y5," said to pSu 1 (ieoOiey Cbampneys, " you may know all aboul billiaids and that sort ot thing, but, 'ang it all, let me know something' about butter," so we may faiily say to the English Postal Authorities, " you may know all about your own inland mails and all that &oifc of thing, but you might allow v-> to be the judge-, of the be->t and speediest jouto^ for our own kitm*. " Seeing that the Jit. lion 11, Fawcctt, the PostmasterGenci.il, is dead, tlicie mu&t nccessanly be a ehang ■ in tlie dopartment, and it ia to be hoped that the successor of that wondei fully able man -will signalise his accession to office by acceding to the le.i&onable lequest of the New Zeiland Government Yes, Mr Fawcett was a woiuLifuliy able man, one of the latest pi oofs, of hia ability bung the successful nutation of the parcel post. It is to be hoped that our Po-,tinaster-Gcneral will follow his example and institute a £>\s«tem hy which laigcr paicels than may now be sent bv post may be sent at a small cost. Oui pieseutpucel post is a gieat public convenience, but how much gieater would be the com enience if a parcel weighing fi\c pounds might be sent to any pai t of the colony for sixpence, which is, I think, the chaige in England. This would imolvc a small inciease in tlie cos.t of coin eying the mails to some of the outlying distiicts, but that would be far moie than compensated by the increased postal revenue, ■w here the mails aie earned by train, and, consequently, the cost of conveyance would be no moie. than it is at piesent. The ciime of wife de&eition seems to be, unfortunately, on Die meiea&e in the colony, baidly a week passing without some man appealing at the Police (Joint, toaiiawer to a oluuge of having left penniless the woman w horn he solemnly pio mised to "love and tocliensh " till death should them pait. Nor is the ciime confined to people living in the Colony, but Me not infrequently find that there aie men here who have left tJieit wives in England totally unpiovided foi and come out heie. The other day I he aid of a veiy bad case of this kind. An Auckland gentJeiiian lecunod a letter from a mend in England, asking him to make eiiijtuiics as to tlic whereabouts of a man who was believed to have conic out heie, leaving his wife and children in abject poveity at home. The gentleman complied with theiequeot, and ascertained that the man in question was living heie in veiy comfoi table circumstances. He had a good business, owned the house in which he lived, was believed to be a very good man, being a lay preacher and the supeiintendeut of a Sunday school, and he had a wife and two children, to whom he seemed to be an exemplary husband and father, The gentleman called on Inspector Thomson, told him the facts of the case, and asked him if anything could be done in tlie matter. The Inspector said that he feaied not, a=s, if the lawlul wife weie to come out here, the husband would be sine to get wind of the fact and decamp. The conectness of this surmise was proved, as the gentleman who had been making tlie enqumes ascertained two days aftei wauls that the scoundrel had disposed of his business sold his house, and gone no one knew •whither. # There seems to be reason to fear that, through the beggarly parsimoniousness of the General Government, Auckland Hospital, may lose the valuable services of Miss Crisp, the lady superintendent. That lady, who is particularly well fitted for the position she holds, has received some very tempting offers to induce her to return to England and accept a 'similar position there to that ■which she now has here. When the Hospital Committee learned this fact, they sent a letter to the Colonial Secretar}', asking him to increase by £25 Miss Crisp's salary, which would then be none too large, considering her qualifications and the onerous position she' holds. A reply has been received to the effect that, while he recognises that she is a lady of great ability, the Colonial Secretary regrets that he cannot make any change in the lady superintendsnt's salary at present. It is utter nonsense to Bay that he recognises her great ability %vbcq he will not authorise 'the payment ol a paltry sum of £25 to retain her survirea. If the result; ot this meanness

it may cost the colony two or three times £2."> to get a successor who, in all probability will not be nearly co capable as that lady. If it were a matter of losing a good cook from .Bellamy's, I venture to say that so small a sum would be imiiipdicitely foitlicoming, but as it 18 only a lady superintendent of the Auckland Hospital, the colonial revenue cannot be strained for such an object. " Will it evermore be thus ?" St. Mongo.