ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2043, 11 August 1885, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

0\ Tuesday et oning i\ meeting of the Auckland Liberal Association was held for the (isteiisiblc purpose of denying Means foi alleviating the disticss of the " iinom ployed" lv n\ This was tin* ostensible- object of the mo tuijx, hut, judging hv the outcome, the re il object was to ennblo Mr W. L. Ko>s, Mi |)u!fiw, and one or twoothus t> t iik a lot of hunkirii about en >>peiali'>n .aid the uneuni'd inclement. Ofcoiithe, w-e know t'nt the puuciple of co-operation N a most e\a.'ileut one, expect illy if i mMi lias a lot of hud to •>)!!, as Mr Il'-rs h.i-, and cm g.'t .i* co opt i.iti\o association to buy it. Alt'i iMSfh, a> soiiu- of tliuse who „ie ac'iully biitfeiiußf ihii wan!, of employment i.omted oat, t'us sp'tidmjf tlu* titiio 011 coiivdt'iim? a\> U.ict tlu'onps instead of clcMsini; .1 li'iiii-dv foi a r^nl and picscnt Riii'V.wice, is l ah i liki* ti'lluifr tin- li'ir-t; to wait until th>* Kia-^ t»i»wi, the mcnting parsed a voto of tli inks to Mr Rees. It seem.s to me that tint gi'iitlom.m istrjing; to kill two Imds « ith oiv) s>k)in\ to soil the land on tho East (3o.wt in which he. i-> interested, and to pa\o tho way for his return to Parliament at the ne\t general election. I do not know whether Mr Reel's Ri rat friend and quondam chk'f, Sn (Jo'.iL'e Grey, intends to ie tire from political lite and to allow Mi Kees to represent the deni/.ons of Ohancei y L me and the other luck-slums of City Kv-t, or whethei the champion of co-operation intends to mist one of tho othei Auckland members, but it corL unly looks as if lie w ere endeavouring to insatiate himself with the Auckland elector-!. Theio is one reason, and only one, why I should be disposed to wish to see Mr Roes in Parliament, and that h because ho once put Sir Julius Vogel to flight, and it is possible that he might be able to do «o again.

There has just been another proof given of the folly of people in England sending their " black hheep " to Mew Zealand Some tune ago a young man named Caspar «ii lived heie. He was well connected, aud li.v! a good appeal ance and plea-ing nianii'H, and ,<i >n obtained employment 111 the office ot one of our much \nt>. A few weeks ago, Mi Cur, the e.nphner in question, had occasion tv go d »w n South. Before lei\ ing he instructed Casp tr to send a number of cablegiams and telegiains, gning him the money to p.iy for them, and to pay into the bank all monejs ho should tecene. Those cablegrams and t 'legranis were not despatched, because Caspar required the money for hi-, own u*e, anrl money he received on behalf of his employer was not banked for the same reason. Fortunately for Mr Carr, 0m 1 of hn friend ascertained that Caspar was li\mg a. fast life, and .so tiled to piotect the interests of his absent fnend. He learned that a considerable .sum had been paid by cheque, so he called and asked the sweet youth whether he had banked it. He said ho had, but he cnild not pvoduc" the bank slip, which ho said he had mislaid. The gentleman went to the In 11k on which the cheque was drawn and found that it had been Cached, not paid through Mr Cur's bank account. He then went to the bink at which Mr Can has his account, and discovered that Cispai had just paid 111 the amount of the cheque in cash, cwdently fcaimg th.it, if ho did 11 it do so his little game would be slopped before he had timo to play it on 1 '. The gentleman thought it was full time that Mr Carr returned, so he telegraphed to him, withth? result that he u 11110 luck a day or two afterward", and succeeded in arresting Cwpar, who now awaits his trial for emb'JiiloiiiGnt.

I think it is full time that wo had a law to prevent outrageous usury bting dinged. It may be said tii.it this would b» iutei fui - ing with the liberty of the subject, ami that if a mm is such a fool as to pay exorbitant usury he should be allowed to do so. ]3ut we already have m.wy laws which intoifere with pcr-onal liberty ; tho>o punishing peopl«3 who attempt suicide or who get dcuuk, as instances ; and I believe it would be well if our legislators would pa*s a law to piotect those who, through their iiii-for-tunes or their follies are driven to munoy lender-, for temporary accommoda tion. f i oin being robbed us they now sue. I h.ue before me a record of a nill of sale '{iven by one of the great Smith family ((Justavus Alexander is the high-sounding name of this member) to Thomas Slator. The security is Smith's furnituie, tlio con•.idei.itton is £10 10s, and 25* per veekin-toie--t—upwards of six bundled pm cont pet 21 nun in ! If Smith keeps up Ins pi>monts for one year, as I Rincpioly hope lie « ill not do, ho will have p.ud Sl.itor the iikiih'v lit 1 .idvaiu'ed tohim six times o\ei, with two pounds in ivddition, and will still owe the sum of ton guinea'-. Well ! all I can is that Smith must bo a fnol, and that Sl.itor is— something else. I Know nothing about this paiticular ca*e, but if, as seems prob.iblc, Smith is in difficulties, and required tho sum of £10 ]0« to meet piessing claims tho result will piob.ibly bo that he will have to seek the protection of the lUnkiuptcy Court, and his credttois will then find f .hat his furniture, probablj' his only asset, has been seized by Sl.itor undei his lull of sale.

Mr I'yke treated the House t<> some \eiy I'liim s|ie.tkntii on Tuesday night when tlio propi--.il to lcfer tlio E.ist and West Cn.i<<t R.iilwAy to a select conuniltee, lialf of tlii' members <if which haw; awmed themsehestobe in f.ivour of the scheme, was under consideration. Ho asked a ([nestion which iirmy people outride the House ha\e fie'iuently asked, and would like to g-t satisfactorily attsweicd. He *aid he wanted to know wh.it was to become of the itom in the cost of the line of i!37-">,000 foi uudei wilting. " Was it a f.ict, as ht.itej, lh.it some membeis of the (Jo\ eminent would p.irticip.ite in it?" A gtoit mitnbcr of the t.up.iyeid of the colony have been very much interested in that large item, and are nioit anxious to know wlnt it means, and who are to receive it. Some of them think that in this instance "underwiiring" means commission to those who engineer the subsidy of two rnilli-ms through the House. If that ia not what it me.vis, wh.it does it mean ? The word cannot be accepted in its ordinary sense, for the cost of underwriting or insuring the, l.iilw.iy plant when in course of tr.uisit to the colony would bo a more bagatelle in compaiisnn with this colossal sum of fc!Vr">,ooo. Theiefore it must be mcd in some other sense, and Mr Pyko did no mote th.vi his fluty to Ins constituents and the iest of the taxpayers in asking the meaning of the item.

Ono of my childhood* lneinoiies is a numery rhyme about a certain l.uly, named Mothei Hubbard, who, on returning to her homo after buying a p,iu of shoes for her dog found her canine pet reading a newspaper. Tins I used to consider nn improbable story, but someone evidently thinks that in thes>e days of education, free, secular and compulsory, dogs are ablo to read the newspaper, or he would hardly have inserted in tho Star the following advertisement : "A kind homo orloicd to a small Dog, either Skye Terrier, Cocker Spaniel or Pug." It is n wondor that tho adveitiser did not add, "Piincipals only dcilt with. Inspector Goldie neud not apply."

It is rcilly a difficult m.ittcr now a-days to decide who arc fit to bo placed in positions r»f tiust. A man named Holt was cloik of the Resident Magistrate's* Court at Helemvillp, secretary to the road boaid and tho school committee, and % church waul n. Now, could there bo a more suitable man for secretaiy of a Foresters' Lodge, to leceivo the money which provident men put by, as a provision against sickness and misfortune? One would naturally think not, and yet this is tho very man who now awaits his trial on three charges of embe/./le ment of money paid to him by members of the Lodge. Some time ago a tr.an named Crosbio, who hivd been managing a branch or agency of tho Bank of New Zeafand, sued an hotol-keeper, named Lynch, on a, promissory note for £1,000. Tho latter said that he h.vd not signed the bill, but a receipt for rent paid Co him by Crosbie, When asked why he had not been more careful to see what ho was signing, he naked, if a manager of tho Ban'; of New Zealand could not bo trusted, who could be ? Ho in this case tho membei s of tho Holcnsvillo Foresters Lodge may fairly ask who they can trtmt, if not n man who 11 clerk of the Resident Mngiatrato's (joint, secretary to the school comnitteo and tho rond board and aChiirchwaideai 1 It ie.Uly looks as it wo wero approaching the state of affairs referred to iv Punch Home time ago. An elderly gentleman told his son that he had decided to lea\o him his pro party, and asked him if ho had any suctf,'estion to make us to whom he should appoint us trustee. "Well," replied tho youth, "as you are so, kind a* to «sk my opinion, T would •vk you to consider w hether it uonld not be better, as things go now a(i.ivs to leave tlio money to the othei fellow and appoint mo trustee." Sf. Muncio