ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1965, 10 February 1885, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

As, I suppose, everybody knows, we have in Auckland just now, a distinguished visitor in the person of Mr R. T. Booth, the Bine Ribbon lecturer, who hits benn address-ing laige and enthusiastic audiences at the Theatre Royal every eveuing during the past week or two. Though not an educated man lie i>.i pood speaker, and, as he evidently believer what he say.*, he canies comiction to his audiences, hundicds, e\en thousands, of whom have donned the blue übbou. On Monday evening the subject ot his 'ccture was Local Option, which lie, as a m.ittei of course, eulogised ns giv ititr the people themselves the virtual control of the liquor traflic. He icferied to the statement that the publicans did not intend to oppose the re flection of the present licensing committees, provided that the public houses should be allowed to remain open until ten o'clock, and he strongly rcco.nmcndcd his beams not to accede to any such propo-.il. In this I feel cony iuced that he is quite right, and I believe that it is the opinion of the respectable hotelkeeper3, that ten o'clock is quite late enough for the hotels to be open. What is wanted is the election of committees pledged to early closing in Parnell and Graf ton, the two districts in which ele\cn o'clock licenses ;ue now granted, and then next year a move should be made in the direction of altering the closing hour to nine o'clock. Personally I should not object to that move being made this year, as I am satisfied tliat no one would lose any tiling by it, except those connected with the liquor traffic, while many would gain by it in both health and pocket. lii a recent number of Blacks ood's Magazine there was a very amusing article, with jl good deal of pathos in it, called the "Last words of Joseph Barrable," who endured many troubles through Act of Parliament. Jlio father had a small market garden and used to send oia vegetables to London in a gocart drawn by a dog, but an Act of Parliament was passed, forbidding the use of dogs for di awing carts, so the dog had to be destroyed and a donkey bought to do his woik. Of course, the " cuddy could not be kept in the garden, so he was tethered on the road. This was against the provisions of another Act of Parliament, so old Barrable was fined fordoing it. As he had no other means of keeping the donkey he had to sell him and Joseph had to carry the vegetables to market. As he was a growing boy, carrying a heavy load injured his spine, and he was made hump-backed by Act of Parliament. Another Act of Parliament required children to be vacciuated, and so hi 3 little sister had to sub niit to the operation, fiom the effects of which she died. His mother used to set fire to the soot in liei chimney to clean it, but this was foi bidden liy another act of Parliament. As she could not aiFord to pay for having it cleaned the soot accumulated, and one day it caught file, and she was burnt to death. When Joseph grew up he manieda hardworking woman, who, unfortunately, was subject to fits. He had to go away to his work, so his daughter looked after her mother, but another act of Parliament was passed, which required that the daughter should be sent to school. One day while the child was at school, and the mother was at homo alone, she had a fit, fell forward with her mouth and nose in a tub, and was drowned. Poor Joseph himself fell a victim, not to an act of Pailiament, but to the love of cleanliness of a clergyman's wife. Slip insisted on having him washed, hhe had her wish, but when the coating of diit which had kept him warm for so many years was removed lie caught cold and died. • * The Hospital Committee, before holding an enquiry into the circumstances attending the death of the unfortunate man Patterson, have commenced the in vestigation of certain seiious charges made against Dr. Bond, the house surgeon, by a patient named .Smith. By-the-byc, it seeniS lather serious that the committee should decline to hold an enquiry in the one case, and decide to hold one in the other. Howevct, I suppose they know what they are doing, and ■Smith's charges arc of so grave a natuie that the sooner they are sifted the better. Smith accuses Dr. Bond of having systematically neglected him, of having failed to put a splint on his leg w hen he should have done so, and of having compelled him to sleep on the floor to the serious detriment of his health. Judging fiom the report given of his statement aud examination before the committee I should be inclined to think that Smith i.s what sailors call a "sea-lawyer," and that he has been a great nui.-unue during the time that he has been in the hospital, but, even if this is the case, the mau should not have been neglected, as [he says that he has been, in which statement he has been supported by that of Dr. Richardson, one of the honorary staff, whose pttient Smith was. So far as the enquiry ha? gone, we have only the written and oral statements of Smith and the written statement of Dr. Richardson, as Dr. Bond has not yet been culled on for his defence, but. unless lie can put a very different complexion on aflairs, there seems to be every probability that we will soon we an advertisement for a new house surgeon. By-the-byp, I think it must be about time for the Harbour Board to advertise for a new engineer, as some time has elapsed since they gave the gentleman holding that position six month's notice that they would not require his service*. I do not like to do anything that has the appearance of kicking a man when he is down, but most people seem to be of opinion that the Harbour Uo.'id should have taken this btep a long time ago During the tenure of othce of the piesent enginier there have been a gieat nutnbei of blunders made, for which hi' must be held accountable. One of the worst was in connection with the lailway wluif. It was built in con«cquence of the engineer's statement that it Mould uCoid berthing room for a number of laige ships and steamers, but \flicn it was finished it wns found that the water at the end of it was several feet .shallower than the engineer stated it would be. The explanation he nave was that he had made a mistake in the sounding*. At the meeting of the Harbour Bonid on Tuesday a rcpoit wai received fiom the engineer to the effect that the water at the end was so shallow as to render it unsifc for large steamers like the Doric and the Ruapehu to be bci tiied time; that to obtain a depth of '23 feet it would be necessary to carry the wharf out l-."i feet, but that he recommended that the bed rock at the cud of the wharf should be blasted. It is to be hoped that the Harbour Board *ill do nothing further in the matter until they have got a new engineer, as they may find out when it is too late that there has been another mistake made in the soundings. The shareholders of the New Zealand Timber Company are greatly to be pitied, though matten are not so bad as they might hive been. The result of the company's business for 1881 was a profit of £18,000, which would have enabled the directors to add considerably to the reserve fund and pay a very handsome dividend, but, unfoitunately, between the cud of the year and the date of holding the annual meeting (\Vedmsday last) the fire which destroyed the companj's mill took place, and it will take the whole of the £18,0<M) tore instate matters on their former baci.s Both directors and shaieholdcis deserve great cicdit foi the plucky way in which the} have met their misfortune, and it is to be hoped that they will meet their due reward in increased prosperity in the future. What will bo (she rr«ult of the murder of the murder of O'Donovan Roisn. ? Will liifi place be at onro filled by another in\e«tigator of murder and onti age, or will it tnulto convinep people who wish to benefit Iroland that they have been \\o\k-

ing on the wrong plan and lu\e befit doing harm instead of good ? If the Homo Rule party would endeavour by ah fair and Itw fill means to attain then object they would hue the support of tin* l.irije majority of the people of England and .Scotland .md of the Kn«iishspeaking ia.ce thioui^hout the uoild, hut iiitiidcia, outiagos and djn.unitc ox plosions will estrange those who would wi^h to help tliuu .Hid defu the tmuwhin Home llul^will he given to Ireland. Foi the of the Irish tlicinsel\ cs», to say uothinc of the inuoeent \iotima of the dv,nnmite outiages, it is to be hopul that the death of O'Donovan liosa.i will calico the break up ot the dynamite party. Sr. MrM.n.