ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2055, 8 September 1885, Page 3

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

AVhlili, we have had another no confidence division, and again the Govunniniit lia\e pulled tlnongli by tlie skin of their teeth, their saviours this tune lining been thp four Mjoii membeis, who gave a block vote m iavoui of Mr Billance and his wondeiful pi onuses of local self government and immunity fiom taxation ; so that the system of dealing with native lands which will piovo such a hiudiancc to the piospenty of this pait of the colonj' has heen the means of prolonging the existence of the most objec tionable Mimstiy we have had foi years. Despite all that has been said to the conti.uy, it is almost univeisally l)ehevcd that Sir Julius Vogel was In ought back to the colony for the expiess pin po->e oi constructing the East and West Coast Hallway, so as to cause a " boom " of prosperity in Canterbury instead of the existing depicssion, and almost without exception, the constituencies in that Provincial Distnct elected lepiesentatives pledged to snppoit him. If Sn Jul'us Vogel has any political faith, which I doubt, he is a Couseivative, and certainly the Canterbury people aie the mo3t inclined to conservatism, but yet what did we see? In ordei to obtain office, Sir Julius Vogel, with the concurrence of his Canterbury supporters, formed an alliance with Mr Stout and Mr Ballanc.two ultta Radicals, and Mr Tole, who is a Radical if he is anything. Such a combination could not possibly have a beneficial result, and the sooner it is dissolved the better. * But for an unfortunate enor of judg ment, then would have been one sup potter the less of the Stout- Vogel Minibtiy in the Ho ise at the pi cent tune. After the death of Mr Sheeh-in, the Rev David Bruce went to Tauranga to coiiMilt some of his friends as to his prospects of success should he oppose Mi Kelly. They were all personally anxious to see him elected as their representative, but believed that lie would not be able to win the seat. Mr Bruce, much against his own judgment, accepted theii opinion and did not offer himself as a candidate. Mr CJrace was In ought out, ami, as wo know, w.is elected. From all I can leain I believe that h.id Mr Bruce been proposed instead of Mr Grace, he would have been elected, rts a very large number of the voters were, anxious, not to put MrGracu in but to keep Mr Kellyout, while theiewereinanyof the Tawanga people, who voted for Mr Krlly amply because he was the local man, who would have voted for Mr Bitice. It is a great pity that the latter gentleman was not elected, as he would have made an excellent member, being endowed with more than the usual amount of ability, ha\mg had a first-iato education, and being thoio'ighly conversant with .ill political and social questions. I believe the man who was most disappointed at the result of the election was the successful candidate. He hid no wish for the position and was anything but jubilant when he learned that he had heen elected. It is exfciemely piobable that, after next session, he will ictire again to that private life fro n which he had no wish to emeige. After all the talk abottr the incapacity of our city councillors, five of the six who retired by efHuxion of time have been reelected without opposition, and it seems tolerably ceitain that the sixtli also would have been re elected had he wished it. It was intended to have a contest in the North Waul, as Mi A. Bell was nominated in opposition to Ci. Montague, but the candidate had omitted to sign the nomination paper, which was, therefore, informal, and could not be received. This was a fortunate omission for Mr Bell and his fiiends, as it saved them the tiouble and expense of contesting the election, and the lesult is just the same as it would have been had the noinuution paper been duly signed. Cr. Montague has pioved hmself too useful a member tor the bmgevses to t eject him (iii'es-. for some \ciy much betta nun, and that very much better nun is not to be found in the peison of Mr A. Bell, w ho w as in the conned for a shot t tune at a representative of (iiafton Waid, but when his teim of olh'cc expired, was not ie-electtd. * i Up to the piesent time th-ic is no solution of the question, Who is to be Mayor? The icqm-ition to Ci. Upton vvas very numeioush Mgned, but, unfoi tunately, lua niedieil adv lsei foi bade him entertaining the idea Then a dejjuta tion waited on Mi A. Boaidmau to ask him if he would bj di-.povd to allow iVm pelf to be nominated 11 a ie(|iiiiition weie got up. He declined for the same reason that compelled him to resign Ins seat in tho Council some time ago — the evening sittings had an m|uiious effect on his health. Two attempts to obtain a mayor fiom the We^t having proved failiuee, it was mxt pioposed to seek for one in the Ki^t, a id Mr R C Barstow, formerly Resident Magistrate, was spoken of as a trood man. A good man he undoubtedly is, and would make an excellent major, but I am afiaidhe is not likely to accept the position, and Ido not know h li>nn we can get. Theie are plenty of men most anxious to obtain the office, but, generally speaking, those aie just the irn-jj we do not want, while those whom we would like we cannot get. I think this would be a good opportunity for your Hamilton folk to display that excellent \iitue, self saciilice, which we all admire so much in otheis. I believe yon have a \eiy good mayor. Now do you not think it would be a geiu-i-ons act on youi pai t to lend him to us for a >ear? By the end of that time we might be able to find a good man and true among our own citizens who would be willing to fill the office. There is givat consternation among the cats of the city, and, although Laterwauling is louder than ever "pto trurnpeiy" as Mrs Malaprop would say, their \oices will soon be .succeeded by the silence of death. The cause of the tiouble is that an cnteipiising firm of butchers has got an cnteipiising sausage making machine capable of i making two hundicd pounds weight of sausages per dirun The consequence is that soon we shall havo to sing, "Oh for tho Hight of a vanished cat And the bound of a mew that h dumb !" There is some consolation in the knowledge that the supply of cats cannot last very long, and, in older to satisfy the enormous appetite of that sau=age machine all the stray cims will suddenly and mysteriously disappear. This will be an unmixed blessing, as those mongiel cms aie good for nothing while they aie alive, and it will be a substantial gain to the community to have them utilised in the manufacture of sausages. When the local curs have been all disposed of, the blessing will probably be tiansfeired to the country districts. The sausage machine will become peripatetic, and the Maori curs and the dogs, that woiry the sheep and the owneis thereof, will be rendered •'fit for human consumption." Of comae some of the owneis of the cms will be angry, and some will sing the lament of the Dutchman for his lost dog, one verse of which shows that he blamed a sausage machine for hi« loss. If I remember aright it was something like this :— " Der sausage in goot, der Bolngny, of course, Oh ! where can my leodle dog be ? Dey makes 'em of dog, and dey makes 'cm of horso, I guess dot dey makes 'em of he." The Salvation Army have been having a great time of it lately, in consequence of the arrival of Mamhal Booth, son of the founder of the army. He is evidently a man of considerable ability and of better education than the usual inn of the oitieers of the aimy. However, it would seem that want of education is not a bar to usefulness in the w oik done by the Army, and I believe that much good work is done by them. More especi lly is this the case with the I'nson gate Biigades. Otcoutse, it cannot be but that these organisations

aie imposed upon occasionally, but this holds good with, legaid to almost evety chaiitihle institution, and I believe that it is the exception not the rule. If oven one u limn. tl is icclaiined and induced to lead an honest and i expectable life, that compensates for a gieatdeal of imposition, and theie is good leason for believing tli.it icfoimation lias taken place in a eonsideiable number of instances. Kven those least in sympathy w lth the methods of the Salvation Army, are compelled to admit that they ha\e done much good heic, and to condone their offences for the sake of their merits. Talking about impositions on chant able institution^, I hcaul ot a disgraceful casein connection with that almost, if not quite, difunct chanty, the Auckland Dispensaiy. One pooi man, who was ill, got the benefit of gutmtous medical at tendance and medicines for some conside)able time. He was so poor that he could not gi»e e\en the meiest tnQe in 1 c tin n for what he received. Aftei he had ieeo\eied from his illness I was mfoimed on good authouty that the poor man had a ci edit balance lepresented by three liguus in the Auckland Savings Hank. lam soiry to say Ido not know the name of the man or I should ceitainly publish it, as the miscieant who would take advantage ot such .in institution when he was well able to pay a doctoi and buy medicine deserves to be exposed. Sr. Mum.v,