ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2098, 17 December 1885, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Thk departure of th 1 "Maruoa" f>r .San Franci^c » with tlio X igli .li in til in nki rhe inauguration of .1 new ci 1111 tho ln*ton of No* Zetland. It h, comparitive'y xpmk nijj, only th ■ i-tli'r (1 ly sine 11 1 - firit Mteamu tuadoit* ippeiranc Mil our hail) "ir, ftul f »r mwiy yeirs Uie tiavelluif- public Hi'io entnely at t'»e mncvofths winds and Vtf wives, ■>- if th>y vvis'i-d to g,> fn>m mm > part of tlnolo-iy to an>th>r by th»y wre cmmlli'il to \oyag.« in a ruling \o-s-l, th' result being, th it though tli"y unit it k.i iw when t'l >y sUrt'id, they c mid m 1 >lv gu« s at the tuni at which t'tey would wich their j niriiey's end. Some little tnno igo I was travelling by <i'io of the ina^infici.'iit steamers belonging t • tiif AH mil 0 •'* fljet when ono of my fellow-pis-di«ers tol.i mo of a joipnev h<i Inr 1 in nli* To n Tainanjro. to Auckl «mi i.» the oailyd.us. He wished to attend a sale of Crown Lands in Auckland, ho staited a fortnight boforo tho date of it. When ho arm I'd hare hj found ho was a mouth too l.it» for tha s.»le, as tho "dug-out" in winch he had travelled had taken six weeks to do tho one hundred and thirty miles. Well! time* Invo clungfd «ince then, for now wo have one of tho host ap pointed coastal services (I believe tho very best) south of tho Line, and now tho locallydirected company which owns those steamer* has commenced to carry on our groat mail service, which not only gives us the fa«te*r mail route possible, but unites th with the great North American continent, inhabited by many millions of Eng-lish-speaking people. W« must all unito in wishing tho Union Company every success. t

It is most unfortun ifa fiat there seems to be a great probability that the Sun Francisco mail service will not pay the Union Company on account of the opposition srrrice from Sydney. It i« very curious that, kfter we were told that tho spiv ice did not pay tho Pacific Mail Company, and that, therefore, they were not disposed to tender for tho new service, we should see tho suno steamers running without tho subsidy given by tho Now Zetland Government, ;md the amount received for freight and p usage money, small though it may have been, to and from tho ports in this colony. If it did not pay one company to run from Sydney to Sin Kranciac", it certainly cannot pay two to do s>. However, it is gen >r.illy be lieved that it did piy th™ P.iuilic M ul Company, aaJ that they were in'rely holding off in thi' b'liof thit th°re vv is no other eonijn iy which could tike up the service, and tli it they would be able to renew tho conti ict on temis moie favourable to themselves. Whether this beh»f is well founded <>r not, it seems quite ceitain that, if we have one line subsidised by New .South Wales and carrying tho \«<tralhn pas,en gers and cirgo, and another subiidised by New Znland and carrying the pissriigors mid cargo to and from tho c >lony along, neither line cm piv. It h1 1 bo h >ped that th" Parliament of Xevv S >uth WalrM will r.itifv tbfl agreement mado l>y the Ministry of th it colony with the Union Company, and then wo shall hi mire of tho maintenance of the service and of the withdraw il of that jtut commenced by tho ow.iers of the steamships siding under tho fl.ig of the Pacific Mail Company, for we ccitamly do not wish to rel »p-ir> to the primitive pi in of getting inir mails by way of Australia or to be dependent on the duvet steamers.

As a mittor of course, tho American newspapers ,%'ul M i^,i/,inus h ive contained KCT'oddud abo-it (i n -ral (irant since hi < death. In ono ot n number of articles which appeared in the October number of "The Century," which w the Kngh-'h edition of Sjribnrr'*, there arc s nne capital anecdotes told of the great general, and mniio good stories told by him. One of thoso was in connection with gunpowder. Some was ohown him, and be said it reminded him of what occurred in iv nieetinghousj in the olden ti'ues when newspapers were fow and tho storekeepers took udvantage of a paiwe, occasioned by the lateness of the preacher, for instance, to notify the settlors of the arrival of new goods. One evening a man rose up 111 a meeting and said, "Brethren, lot me tikj ocei-Mon while we're awaiting to say that I have just recened a new iuv ice of hportin' powder. The grains are so small you kin ecirculysee 'em with the nakid eye, and polished ::p so fine you kin stand up .and comb your hair in front of one o' them erains je's like it was a looking glass. Hop? you'll come down to my storo and examine that powder for ynur-«el\e-." This splendid free ud.-ertisement riled an opposition powder merchant who was at tlio meeting, so he rose and said " Biethren, I hopo you'll not belie\e a single, word limther Jones had been siyin'about that powder. I've been down theie and «ion it for myself, and I pledge you »>y word, bretluen, th it the gmins is bigger than the liunpd id a cul pile, and any ono of you, in your future state, could put abir'l o' that powder on your shoulder and inarch squar' thiough the Hulphurious flames of the world below without the least danger of an explosion."

■+ There arc sometimes «om« very interpsting c«scs h«ard in the Police Court. For instance, two justices of the potce were occupied for a considerable time in listening to an important argument between a solicitor nrd a polico sergeant ai to whether a laundry, or, to use a more homely and ex-pre-i-ivo phrase, a w.ish-house was a workroom within the meaning of tho Factories Act. Tho "lady" who runs the show in question is a very respectable, knrd working woman, who does the washing for the Union Company and employs her own daughter and two other girls. Of course, the work inHst hi done while the steamers aro in port, and must bo returned before they leave, which sometimes necessitates lato work. Someone (probably the "curled darling" who " ma^heo " one of tho h"l|>s) gave the polico sorgeant a hint that work wan done after hours. Ho swoo|>ed down nn the wash-houso and made the alarming disco-, cry that there was no notice posted pmnx tho honrfl of woik. He therefore issued a summons against the laundress for this shocking otiiHsion. She, 111 the innocenco of her heart, had not supposed that her wash-house was a factory, and defended the case. After hearing evidence and the arguments pro nnd con, the justices! \ety wisely dismissed the cave. There is t<«> much polico protection whue it is n«t required and ton little where it 11. I think there is a lot of bunkum About that Factories Act, without dragging it in where it was never intended to apply. Girls who arc willing to do laundry work are quite ablo to t.iko care of themselves. If they find the woik* too bard, or tho hours too long, all they need to do is to Icaw;, an there are plenty of others ready to taku their plncrs, nnd they will h ivo no difficulty in getting other work. If, howevei, the police ni« determined to prevent guls doing laundry work, we shall ho in see the bu.smeas, as it is in Kan Francisco, in tho hands of John Chinaman. * •

In the same issue of thf Star which contained the report of the above case, thcro wis a paragraph giving an account of a large number of petty larcnies which are con-tantly being committed 011 the vvhnif or on voxels lying alongside, and we nre calmly informed that the police are unable to detect tho offenders. Now, as a taxpayer in this country, nnd, therefore «no of those who employ and »ay those policemen, I would iiHK them to bp so very kind us to devoto their attention to tho arrest of those wharf rats and petty thieves instead of worrying a respoctablo widow who his nlwayn worked hard to earn her own living. 1 am .if 1 aid that my request will be attended with no good result, as the policemen is proveibial for his absence when and where he is required, and I suppose it will bo so till the end of tho chapter. #

* Tho manifesto issued by Sir Julius Vogel is ve,ry interesting leading, as showing the policy he meant to adopt if he can obtun a majority in Parliament. His watcb-v\oid« Hre "Piotrerion"And "More Isonowing." With tegnrd to Protection, I should have thought that ho was taught very plainly dining last Hession that the majoiity of both the House and the country are opposed to it. Take the case of the farmers for instance. They certainly do not want protection, because we aro exporters, not importers of farm produce, and any addition to the Ciwtoms duties would simply me-m nn increase in the cost of agricultural implements, apparel, nnd all imported articles of food. It is very well to talk about fosterincr local industries, but the present duties are quite high enough, when added to freight, &c, to enable local manufacturers of our own products to compete ngainst foreign goods, and our population it too Kiuall and 100 neh to make it ponnihle for in to manufacture imported raw material. Then again, with regnul to moie borrovv'ing. Sir Julius Vogel was told most emphatically thtt we would not have it. It is veiy well to tnlk iibont our loans having been spent on reproductive work*, such aa nulnays, But aro our railways ropro-

ihutiti'? Aic tlii-y i Kit iM.ikinir .1 1 ug^ mil .mini illy uuii'ising I'M-? N-it .imitli-'i mile nf rulway i>lioiild Ik> c m-ttiucti'd \intil tliu pi< s'>nt lines uro |u\iiu'. They might t-i |ny li >i.iN(Mii"ly, Iml tin v «ill n«'t <l" -"• until tii 'if \* .1 c iniplcto cli.ni," in flu 1 iV'ti in nf m in ißomoiit— until tin- (lommiiiii"tit u'tili^e tli IS tiles' iiusrlit ti In Kill f>'l till' 1)>'I1 'lit, .111 I t'l Milt til" C >!l\l 111' IK I 1I 1 "f th » puldic, .'-tul »!•>* i»"u % h t> |iM\it!r -w\£ lullil-i fur .1 li'tlo iirmy of o'hVi i-«, w 'i ■ c >t\ h)(1 >l t!) it th "H C nnfi>rt .111.1 (' hi vein Mice arc of ti • hr-t impost nuv, .nul tint illji'ililic li >\ ) liot'iinic t > i ln l>ut |i iy f n uli »t Mii'V uli'inso tn Jjiwi t'lein, •uni I'iiik |ilf.isynt. i r MiN,o.