ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1959, 27 January 1885, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

As the date of the Auckland Regatta appioachcs the-ro is the usual amount of inteiest evinced among tin 1 nautical men, both amateurs and professionals and the usual number of outsiders willing, and, thoy think, able to tench the committee of the Recitta Club how to manage matteia There seems to bo no possibility of doubting that those outsiders know all about it and that the committee know nothing at all They are certiinly | wise men, to whom the words of Job aie applicible, "No doubt but ye aie tin people, and wisdom shall die with you." What I cannot understand is what be comes of those wiseacres when the annual meeting of the Regatta Club is held, and the committee to manage the next regatta is elected. They do not attend the meeting and oiler themselves for election, as thoie who know so much certainly ought to do. Suicly it cannot be became there is such a demand foi the position of committee man, which imolvcs a good deal of work, a good deal of abuse, and a veiy small amount of thanks. Oh no, these good folks do not ask for thanks but aie actuated timplj by a desnc for the public weal, and they love hard work, when some one else docs it. However, despite the adverse criticism, I believe that the Regatta will be very successful and enjoyable, with the exception, perhaps, of the race for large trading vessels. As far as we can judge at present, there seems likely to be a paucity of entries for that race, through there being few of the right class of vessels in harbour or likely to arrhe within the next week. This is a pity, because the large trading vessels are just those who aie of most importance to the poit. However, a number of them may arrive before the 20th, and, at any rate, it is not a very interesting race, as far as spectators are concerned, as the competing vessels leave the harbour early in the morning, and do not return until the evening, or possibly the next day. * * The feature of this year's legatta will be the whale boat lace, for which a pri^e of £100 is offered, and about a dozen entries are expected. This should be -i most exciting contest, and a very iuteicsting sight tor the .spectators, as they will be able to watch it fiom t-tait to finish. lam rathtr doubtful whether the boats used would be veiy serviceable for whaling, but that does not really matter. They w ill be much more suit able for rowing on our hiubour than outnggcM, especially if the water is "lumpy," and will aMoul as good a test as la possible of the sttc-ngth of the thews anil sinews of the contestants and the mcl should be a most inteiesting one to the spectators. E\cn since the lelephone Exchange was unaiignratu'd in Auckland, it has bti.ii under the management of a young lady, who has won meat praise from the subscribers by her carefulness and promptness. They showed their appreciation of her good qualities by presenting her with a purse of sovereigns a foitnight ago, when ahe was leaving for the South, to spend a well earned holiday. The presentation of testimonial*) has been reduced to a mero faice, and in very many cases they mean nothing at all, but in tins instance the presentation represented a genuine feeling of gratitude te a young lady, none too well paid, who had performed her duty in a most satisfactory manner. How well she had pefoimed it piobibly few of the subscribers realised until after her dopaitme, when a young man was sent to j do the woik. What he is tit for Ido not ! know, but certainly not for managing the telephone exchange. He is both slow and stupid, and, like some other civil (') servants, the extia penny for inanneis was forgotten when he was sent to school. The other day one of the subscribers rang up the central otHce and asked to be connected with the Painell bureau. •• What," yelled the clerk. " Painell bureau," repeated the subset iber. " What," again yelled the civil seivnnt. " I'ar-nell bu icaii," more slowly and distinctly fiom the subset iher "(Jo to ," a place not mentioned in the revised version, said the gmllnnmi at the central office, and he cut oft the connection. Yes ! the subscribers to the telephone will be glad when MissStcwait returns from her holiday. * There is a mercantile firm heic doing a large business, one branch of which includes manufacturing. Some time ago they found it necessiiy to make a change in the management of theii factoiy, and offered the position of manager to a gentleman holding a similar post in iUpdpUhureh. As the salary offered was not as good as he was receiving, he did not feel disposed to accept the offer, but when he was promised an advance of £50 per annum each half year for thiec /successive half years, he decided to accept as he was informed that the climate of Auckland waa much more healthy than that of Chiisichurch, and that the fit in who sought to engage him held a leading position here. He accordingly came to Auckland and entered on his new duties. At the end of the first and second halfyears he received the stipulated advance, but at the expiration of the third halfyear the firm declined to pay him the additional £50 per annum. He pointed out to them that under his management the output of the factoiy had been quadrupled, and that, therefore, they had no reason to be dissatisfied. They declined to perform their promise, but oflcied him other terms, which they said would be moiu advantageous to him. He told them that no terms they could offei would be sufficiently advantageous to in (luce him to remain in the service of a tii m which failed to keep their piomises, and that he would leave at once. This was precisely what they wanted. They appointed thcfoicman managei at £100 a ytar less salary than they had been paying. In this they ovei-ieached them Aches, as in six. months the output hid fallen oft more than one-halt, and they bail to engage a new manager at £100 a ye,ir moie salary than they should have gncii to tlic man with whom they brokr faith. It -itukes me that the Hi in now realiies that honesty is the best policy. • * In Hai pel's Miga/ine theie are gene rally «omo eipital httlo stoiie.s under the beading " Editoi\ Drawer." A veiy good one is told by a judge in the Noveinlx i" number. Many yeais ago he was judge of the Circuit Com t in one of the moiiiitiiii districts of Arkansas, when; the people were noted for their Aleutian implicity, sturdy honesty, and coiit'inpt for conventionalism. A man was being tried on a criminal chatgc, and in the course of the tnal it was ncct ssaiy to piove a fact of which the Keoids of .in adjoining county was by statute made the best evidence. As wai known to the judge, counsel and the public, those rccoidi had been burned, so th( M ite s Attorney proceeded to piove tin- fict by the evidence of a witness. To tins tlic piisoner's lawyer objected, a-. t!ic burning of the- lecoids had not ben piovul, and the judge supported the objection. The State's Attorney said that he presumed his Honour waa aw aie thit the i coords had been burned. "As apiivate citi/en I do know the fact," replied the ]udgc, " but as the com I I do not, and you must put the pioot of tlic fact into your case." " Well, your Honour," said the State's Attorney, " it strikes me your Honour knows somt thing off the bench, and don't know anything on it." » *■ In the tame number of Harper's theie is a most interesting account of the "Acadian Tragedy," the incident on which Longfellow's beautiful poem "Evangeline" was founded. From this it would appear that the English authoii ties were quito justified in deporting the Acadians from their own lands. Nominally liutiah subjects, they were French by descent and by their sympathies. Naturally of a quiet aud peaceful disposition they were invited to revolt by

their own priests and by tin- Fienoh authoiities. It was Known that, disguised as Indians, they had attacked nuinbeis of the English settlcis, and that they waited onl\ foi Fiance to drel.ue wai against England to break out into open ie\olt. 'I'lie Knirli-ii <!o* ernor in fonncd them that they nvist eithn take an oath of unqualified allegiar.ee to the King of Knglan 1, or leave then land* Despite the gicatest amount of pel -m mod they refustd to take the oath, so the (Jo\cnior sent ships to depoit them. Their lands wue confiscated, but the) weie allowed to take away their money, and so much of their poita'le propeif\ as tlic transports would hold. Not only weie families sent in the s.inie Miips, but as far a» possible all the inhabitants of a ullage or district were sent away together. Indeed, it appears certain that the English otliocis did their utmost to minimise the cml results of the eontn macy of the unfortunate people. One of the worst features in connection with the matter is that whereas they received kind tieatmcnt fiom the Enph-Oi colonist-, among whom they settled, the weie ciuclly lobbed by their own com patnots, the Ficnch-C'anadians. The aiticlc conclude*) thus :— " \Vliate\ei judgment may be p>s»ed on the cruel measure of w holesale t \patnation, it w,is not put in execution till every lesource of pitienco and peisuasiou hail been tried and failed. The agents of the Flench C'ouit had made some act of force a necessity. The <to\ci ninent of Louis XV. began with making the Acid in us its tool 5 ", and ended with making them its victims." I was very gl.ul to read this article, as I had always believed that the deportation of the Acadian? was as disgraceful a blot on the pages of English history as was the massacre of (Jlcueoe. St. Mum:o.