AUCKLAND NOTES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Auckland,Monday.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2031, 14 July 1885, Page 2

AUCKLAND NOTES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Auckland, Monda y.

Ml CH satisfaction was expiessed heie when it -was he.iul tint the tanff proposals of the < id\ei nnient had tn be subjected to amend mont. Even then it is quite ceitain they will meet with consuleiable opposition, but whether such opposition will after all be effectual is not altof^otlict ceitain. A strong disinclination seems to bo exhibited tow.uds any increa&e of the Customs taxation, but theie is no denying that 111010 levenue is wanted, and it will bo for those who object to any incioaso in the existing tanff to point out how the needful is to be l.iispd. Sii f.n no moiiilipi has pointed out 01 e\en attempt* d to indicate tins. Fiee tridii-> ,n,' jubilant o\lv the tuin tilings hive tikcii, iiut it is questionable whethei, aft-i all, then opposition to the piotoction pioposds of the Government ■imn^ fi Mil phd.mthiopic 01 uiiseltish motives. As I h.iw lip.idy said, I feel no sympathy with tins fiee tiade howl, and am of opinion that, with some modifications, the t.uilf pioposed by Sn Julius would bo pioductivc ot pood to' the colony. It is evidmt that the Ministry will requite skilful pilotage to guide them through the political brenkpis which are even now mound them, r.uVed by the boldness and comprehensiveness of their proposals, but with adioit management, I expect to hear of them cauying most of their measures befoie the session is over. The attitude assumed by Lmd Sahsbuiy since he secured the loins of the linpenal ( } overnment has also been freely commented upon in political circles. It will bo remembei edth.it when out of office he denounced in unmeasined teinis the weakness of the foreign policy of the Gladstone Ministiy, and how both he and L >ul Ran dolph Chin chill spoke of the insult which was being offered to the honour of English men by the way in which then predecessors were dealing with the Kusso Afghan Anglo difficulty is not yet forgotten. It i.s passing stiange then that when the oppoitunity is presented to them to reverse the pioceduie of Mi Gladstone, or to .substitute something bettei, advantage is not taken of it. On the contraiy, they appeal to be following out implicitily the foieign policy of the Gladstone Administration, and ha\e piovod bejond doubt that they ha\o no nieisiucs in this lOspect to substitute for those, they .so sttongly opposed. As I bef.ue wiote, Lord Sahsbuiy and his colleignps will not attempt to alter the foieign policy of their predecessors in its moip cist nti.d p.uts, and we will yet see them gii ing effect to the lccomniendation of Loid Xoithbiook, tli.it the Suit m of Tinkey should be asked to undeitiko the pacific ition of the Solid in. .md then h"iimg as mild tow.uds Russia , i, tint of tho-o men whom they m> fieely denounced. The attempt made hv the Piemier Lust week to pio\ent the employ 1 1 >• nt of women in h )tels in tin evt niiis found little favoiu in the c>es of the. public hoie, and geneial satisf u tioii wa~ p\p.cs,i'd when tliey weie made avvaie that tl,o attempt had vat defeat by tlie House of Repiesent.itiU's. In ni}' humbleness, J m i! y e hold to s.ty the House was light. At piesput, inoie especi ally in questions lelatmg to the dunk tiafhc, tlieie spenis to be a glowing tendency t" deal with them in a uaaow spnit: and peisonal freedom seenis to be in gM.il danger of being intei feied with, \\hen t ln liquor question comes undei consideiation The evil, leal o' 1 supposed, which the lie miei and the suppoiteis of his motion athimed as having their someo fnun the institution of bai maids, was evidence which, if caiefully analysed, would be found to be weak indeed. Women have a ntd't to then peison.d fieedoiu quite as much as men li iv c, and if they earn an horn -,t hy ehhood, hivmg the moial coinage to do so without degiadation, they should not be inteileied with. Oui teinpei mci fi it nds seem to have little faith in then stnngtli of eh.uaetei, but foi my own put I hue a notion that in mniy e.isps they nnj b" mote safely ti listed with hbeity than the n.ajonty of young men of the same age. If our Government, which hisems in thn instance tobeieiy piteinal, would piovide hettoi openings for bai maids to i.i n nhne t — >r in then opinion a moie honest -living than seiving ii liotels, then as a lido we should m>i\ soon hnd the m.i]oiity of thorn adopting the oppoitunity. Until then, have they am light to depiive 100 yung women m this cit\ alone, of the means by vvhuh thej i'.u n then biead '! Youi moining coiitempoiary, the Xevv Zetlmd Heiald, has been diavvmg atton tion "to tho slovenly and disitputihlc pi act iee engaged in by men, women and childien alike of lounging in tiie p.uk ;.t midday foi the |>uiposo of eating then lunch." T cannot help recalling to my mind the lines — " Alas ' foi the l.uity Of Chiistian chanty Under the sun. ' I have always till this been given to undei - standthattlipp.uk was a le-eive foi the people, but the Heiald would almost lead one to mi igitie that till now he had been labouiing undei a delusion ; oi is it that t!ie oditoi would lather sue " the homy handed sons of toil ' (pudon the Gieyisin) munching then lunch in the stieet, in the confined office oi woikshop. Anyway, the asseition is not a plcising one, and exhibits but a small amount of chaiity towaids our industii.il population. The p.irk is the ppojile's, and it is put to a legitimate use when it is made a n-soit foi the woiking man oi woman to pass his or hoi dinuci horn in. The follow ing incident" of sh.up piactice is about as unique in its way as nii'v, thing I h.i\ c he.nd. A rei)iesentativo of one of our md tnnis of photogiapheis had occasion lately to visit a town in this colony, jcli'pt^New Plymouth. Fiuding business dull, he wended his way to a convent lately o-t iblishcd thcic by the Roman Catholic Chinch. An iv nig theie our adventurous ait Ist piefeued :i request to the lev. father to l)o shown over tho institution, "having heaul th it theio ■wcie wmio woiks of .lit within the holy walls." The good father, with his usual civility, expiessul Inmsilf as only too happy to cc.inply with the lequest. Indue cniisctlip artist expressed himself as nnnieiiselv ])leased with ev entiling he hid seen, and m n Inn at of artistic laptuie, piessed upon the loveiond host, "a donanation towaids the funds of the noble institution " Like tho lost of his piofession, tho lev. fathei was delighted with the jnoposal, and in duo time was m possession of a cheque toi t'lo, diawn by our geneious aitist, who shoitly took his leav(, bearing the blessing-, of his lev. guide. In a shoil tnno, howevei, the aitist ictuined m a state of gi eat mental excitement, aveiiing that since he had left he had found out th.it he was notable to give so laige a donation, md begjring to have half of it lefunded tho j^oo 1 father with becoming geucmsity Inixled linn five tl notes. Shoitly aftei w nds the ( lent, finding a tittmg oppinlii nity to visit the bank, piesented the t'lo cheipio acioss the eountei foi " casliment '' V big sm pi iso was, liowevei, the ])oition of thepiiest, foi the bank otlui.il i>ositivoly told linn tho cheque was valueless. Not to be outdone, our clencal fnend placed the matter in the hands of the police, who \eiy soon ai rested the oflVndei, who now stands committed to take his tual at the next sittings of the Supieme Couit ; when he will no doubt receive tho punishment ho richly de.sei yes. Regiet is felt that our connneicial men only gave tho Rimntaka five cases of sundnos as fi eight from thih noit. Not mncli encouragement foi the New Zealand Company to make Auckland the hist poit of call for direct .steameis ! Our streets are in a dreadfully muddy state just now, and the City Council aio tho objects of much abuse, as it is felt that they uio iv tho main rospousiblo for this nuisance,