ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2049, 25 August 1885, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Thi: principal pvcntoftho week has been the ainv.il of the direct steamer " Kai kom.i,'' \v lnch took place on Wednesday morning. As the San Francisco mail due on Saturday ne\t left London a foitmght after that by the " Kaikmua, ' we ceitainly not leceive much benefit on this occas sion from the dncct mail service. I notice that the saloon pas>engt>is kept up the testimonial farce, having presented the captain with ah addict and a purse of soveioigns The ic.ism for this is not \ery evident, th > voyage ha\ing been almost throughout a fair weather one. I cau undei stand the action of passengers by a vpss?l which has encountered severe weather, 01 has caught me, or been {hemmed in by iceberg*, show ing their appreciation of a captain who has behaved iuin.uk.vbly well undei the tiying cucumstances, by presenting him with a testimonial, but why this course should be Adopted in the case of a well paid ofhcei who simply does his ordmaiy woik in ordinary weather I do not know, "in such a case it is meiely levying a ta\ on those who have already paid a large -sum for passage-money, and who \eiy often stand in a preater need of the so\ei eigns they give than does the recipient of the testimonial. I think it is .\ pity that Captain Crutchley did not thank the subscribers for the pioffored gift and say that, as he had mereh done his duty undei most favourable ciicunistanees, he must decline to accept it. * » Many ship captains have done heroic deeds which fanly entitled them to lecene testimoni ds, .is, for instance, the captain of the Aberdeen clipper, "Cairnbulg.' While on a voyage to Sydney, the ship encounteied a ternhc gale, during which the captain was severely injured. Despite his lnjuiies, he stuck to his post as a tiue Butish sail 01 always does, and succeeded in keeping the vessel afloat until the gale had blow n itself out. Then he found himself in mid ocean in a water-logged ship, and with himself, his officers and crew all niDiom less injured by the vyarwith the eltMiients. He set to work to lig juiy-'nast-. and succeeded in bringing his vessel in safety into Poit Jackson. That was i fitting occasion tor a testimonial, and I need hardly say thit it was foithcoimng. U'nfoituuately, the biave captain suffen-d sk> much fioni h's mjuiies and fiom neglect ing thorn that he did not live veiy long aftei his splendid achievement. One sea story reminds me of another, though a very different one. When Jeimv Lind w.is going fiom England to Aineiica, a number of her fellow passengers wished her to sing for them. She declared, as she was going to fulfil a long and Arduous engagement she required all the iest that she could obtain. Alter a good deal of impoi tuning, she said that if she leccived £'<iO she would comply with the request. A subscription list was staitcd and very soon the money was collected and placed on the saloon table. Jenny Lmd sang one song, then took up the money and handed it to the stewardess, telling her to keep t'4o, and to divide the leinaining t'2o among the stewards, at the same time remarking that she did not caio for the money, but meiely wished to remind her fellow passengers tliat, as singing was her profession, slip did not think she sho.ikl bo asked to sing when she had given satisfactory leasons for not doing so. * * A Mr John (Jifford has wnttcn a lettei to the " Herald " propounding a scheme to relieve the drpiession. He proposes that the \inemployed should be set to improve the Crown lands of the colony, and that they should be paid by debentuies bearing a fair rate of interest, tlioso deben tm es being redeemed with the pioceods of the land when sold. I think that the scheme has a good deal to recommend it, but am iiithei doubtful if the unemployed would be of the same opinion, as the mnjoiity of them would considei the woik too hard, and would object to going auaj from the towns. I believe that theie are a considei able nuinbei of those who are out of employment who are most anxious to get woik, provided it is at their own ti.ules, and in oi neai the cities, but going on to the Ciown lands and doing hard work, that would not be at .ill to then taste. Howevei, some of out legislator who are so fond ot the " 'oiny 'anded " (at election tune), might take up the matter and see if something could not bo done in this waj to affnid mnnneiative employment to those who .we able and willing to woik. At the same tune, Ido not see that it is necessary foi the (Joveinnient to pay inteiest foi the debentuies. The banks do not pay inteiest on theii notes, and 1 do not see any leason why the colony should not issue paper currency as well as the banks. Of couise, I know that tho reason alleged is that the banks undertake t" pay tho amount of their notes on demand, but this i» all moonshine, bee iuse the banks couH not give coin for their notes if they were all piescnted on a given day. At the end of June the note circu lation was upw.uds of t'!)00,000, while the amount of bullion was iH"),O0O. The banks aie perfectly solvent, but they could not pay all then notes if suddenly called upon to do so, and I do not see any luison why the colony should not issue notes ledeemable at par. * 'i Mr W. L. Rees will do fail ly well out of his co-operative land and labour company if the shaies aie tiken up, as I sec by the piospectus that he is to leceive 9000 out of the hist 100,000 shares taken up, on 3000 of which 9000 the company guarantees inteiest at the rate of 10 por cent, per annum. I was convinced from the hist that Ah Rees'n philanthiopie pioject for the amelioration of the condition of the human race w.i-> intended to improve the financial position of tint gentleman at the same true, but I do not see anything in the pio-pectus to mdioate whether trie philantluopist locoivos a handsome commission fiom tho vendoi-. of the luid. I fancy there will be a small item (yerhaps two or tluee tunes the \ ilue of the !)«jC<L shaies) foi commission, or, as Messrs Meigg-> and Co. call it, " undeiwilting, ' ho that Mr Hees is not likely to do badiy out of his philanthropic scheme. On the contrary, I should like to gnu up press correspondence and go in for philanthropy on tho s.imo teinis. However, tho shares have not been taken up yet, though they may Le, for the intelligent British public is veiy gullible, and dearly lovei that form of gambling known as speculation. Whether the shareholders will ever receive the handsome dividends they expect remains to be seen. I freely admit that I am \ery doubtful. * * * The political situation is pretty much the same as it was last week, and the w eek be fore and the week before that, and so on for several other weeks. In fact, if you will excuse the pun, I might say that there seems to be a considerable amount of •' weak "-ness. The Opposition aie anxious that someone should table a no confidence motion and have deputed one after auothet of their number to perform the task, but it seems to be a case of one's afraid and the other dare not. From present appearances, it is extremely probable that the end of the f>e«sion will come with thepiescnt Muiistiy still in possession of office, though they do not possess the confidence of the inajoi ity of the House. This is ceitainly not as it should be, but members are split up into so many different factions that nothing can I>e done. It really seems as if what membeis so much dread — a dissolution — were the only way out of the difficulty. If a general election wpie to take place now theie would be a distinct issue befoie the country— whether the Stout- Vogel Ministry was to bo kept in office— and it would be settled one way or the other at the ballot boxes. * * Some time ago a candidate for the legislature in one of the Australian colonies was addressing the " free and independent " whom ho wished to be his constituents. Afti'i he had been Hpeaking foi some time, someone at the back of the lin.ll called out "loudei." The speaker raised his voice, but again he lieoid the call "louder." Ho responded to the call, but it was appaiently of no avail, for the cry still was "loudei." He quietly lowered his voice to its noimal pitch and said, " When the end of tho world takes place, and the rocks are lent, and the mountains fall, and the \ngel (iabucl sounds the last tiump, some fool will call out ' loudei.' " There was no further intei ruption, the candidate finished his speech, and, when the election took place, he was at the head of the poll. It is the best as well as the fairest way to give a man a fan hold, even though you give him no favoui. Si.Mlmo,

"\ Al.h College h.\-. adopted tlio iMitne Kuvibwl Version of the Scupttuo-s fin dupe 1 mulinprAccoudino to tlie oflici.il Vuai Jiook of tin; riiuich of England and the last census, the number »f cleigytnen in London of the Established (Jhuich, not ieckouuiganytli.it might have been returned <v* teacherw, was 1,{M51 ; the number of dissenting ministfrs waa 788, and of Roman Catholic prio^ts, 340