PASSING NOTES.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 51, 3 December 1892, Page 9

PASSING NOTES.

The "Wellington spielers refesei i3hj doing time at the jail vs that breezy district. Some of 'em gpperted that they would prefer leaving the prison to picking oakum. They now dine on bread and OHj.

The mfiyoral and other elections-are now in full swing "Vote for S'mifh, ■Jherenl orie-inal working rr a r'p friend." So Fa^pfKiifb.- ""'Vote -for Jorep—fhe 'only Jones; Jones, the tired politicians' sweet restorer; Jones the great. Up with Jones and down with ereTything," remarks /<Jone*; vvhile Brown nnH TRbbinPor\ stoutly maintain that by their personal • and individual appointment, •only, is true reform to!be carried. Fact is, that, rafepnyprs rmrl electors have no chotVe. Smith, Jones, Brown and IRobippon nn> a dead heat in horefcty ~roguery,and planpabi'itv. Electors have "no onpor-rnnify of really picking out a - good man. ' > A clique or cavicus brmgs - ont some'person^whose int.' rest i> theirs, and nnot ( her'clique or;cancus brings "nt another party who°e intjßrest is theirs: By little' rettyZroanoevr^fng perhaps a third or fourth party is brought out, not •with any intention or desire on the part •of the clique of electing him, but simply " to cut upisoxne. other, fellow* supporters J>'into:two f :::.;,o.(M )--.;U. ■■. ■' ' v '„ ;

Then the:election comes off.j Usually ' the' bijjsresfc; rogne gets elected, sonie--1 times the bierirest fool-—never the 'hest "roan, \»-ho never.stands. Temporarj 'electoral differences become permanent "and bitter;: fends-—'for polit-jcfil: .bias "> knocks the odium theolofficumonjt in one 'round—and the democracy, the local • self-srovernment, instpad of being" the blessing- it started off tj be, comes roostisoured into a curse.

Local' Boards, Committees, and CYmn-i • nils of all varieties—aye,' County Conn. ■ fiils — aye, Boirusli Councils — are, *Rbad'"Boards—-aye, Pcnool Oommitfief» —aye; all sorts and conditions of petty 'local governments, are a fr»nd and a 1 delusion, a corruption and a snare. They ■ are fleeted'on 'flnkv rolls—an electoral • roll (vve"!pay it plainly) is never a fair 1 representation ofihe wi'l; —bv biased • caucuses and" clique," by vested interests, 'by swindling arid fraud. "We r»o not ' believe that there was, or could he, ever " an election roll under any system (ex- ' eppi'thp'Hare system) of any local bndv, 1 but 'that in a very larj»e patt deception • and corruption had most to do with the ' re»nrn. Yes! this " free" conntry wants " about a year of Bismarck. In his present mood King Demos is as maVl and ' method less, as Otto of'Bftvaria, and ha«» " to be humoured in a sinarularlv foolish " manner by almost as mad subjects, th^t f hftren't the plnck to poison him for his • own good and theirs. So there !

It is amnpfno' to see the indig-natfor: of certain papers rpgardine *he s»n»e--I'went■..made'by'Lord Opblow as *o the an'erfdenfß of-members of the 'New • Zealand Government. Th*) ssmejonrnais ■ toadied and cawipd 'o the late Governor ' when 'be was "here in a dt^en^tinsr manner, an-i now rribitinto him t-oraiißp • a remote •an« >e«tto> rif his 'bought ar>d v sold 1 things "to' his own 'advantage. The :q«psHoTj i«, -was h« a [good ' tra'deTnan ? There vas a man of love 1 descent in ' the House of Commons once: 1 A haupfhty opponent «aid of him,, ■'/ I krrew fhe houorahle me»nW wKerr he rblaolred my fHther'a hootn." Tho honorable mptnbpr roso in rpplv, k "Did T not blaclc them well? Similarly.' if Lord Qnßlrrw's grandpa 8->ld pins and laces and pave moneys worth—' Wfll, what against him. Certainly,! ns well, if D'ck Seddon was a miner, Cadmnri a carpenter, and MnKenz'e a •shepherd, if Eichard didn't sleep on shift, or our own A. J.C. crib timber, or Jock collar his boss's mutton-^th*»re is- nothing bgainst them. Still, the fact remains that Lord Onflow is Lord 'Onslo\py a rich and successful peer of the realm, which we wish tot were. >S6 no doubt do the said toadying

journalist an 3 probably also the IJew I Zealand Ministry. j ; '■' "" V ■■■ ■.■■;;-l,'; I 'Edward Wa%efield, in andFEngiigh magazine': —"One-o.fifthe (largest Maoris living is the, .great Waikato chief, Wahantii, -who stands.-. six feet four. inches, and weighs 350 pounds. Yet. when -WahfHiui was attending Maoriland recently to uryo the claims of his tribe to the.possession of < their lands,! Saw Dick Saddon, a Lancashire lad who most fittingly sits for a rough mining 'constituency 3in it he House of Representatives, carry Wahanui the *whole length of the vestibule, over fifty yards;'the Maori attired in a gorgeous mat of;kiwi feathers, with a: laiaha or wooden battle-a^xe iu'his'hand and a cigar in h's imouth. A Maori, especially a chief,-considers it a point of honi'Br never to betray any emotion, •whatever happens; but when Mr Sertdon planted Wnlianui safely on a'bench at the end of the vestibule, the " bigfellow*' opened his black eyes very wide and solemly ejaculated p prolonged "Kapai! Good !" One day I invited to lunch, and knowingßomathing dFMacrr tnsteß, l"proyided,<fl«ion£St other thing's* a large piece of boiled po^k. W ahanui came punctually to time, accompanied by his interpreter—a superior-looking young native with a face like an Arab —a.-great? chief thinking it beneath him to sp r ak English,'even ■ though>he may know itHqiiite well. Tile two sat down to the table with, tbe calm self-possession and-.good.^tmfainers that distinguish the race ;. and;lhelped/Wabanui to:a round of the .pork, > bout an inch ihiek, the interpreter choosing some lesß substantial dish., TheconversHHon and wine 1 both flowed freely, and Wahft.nhi was soon in high spi' its. Three times his plate with a pound or two of boiled pork, to which he added every ■ conrl-i----tneiit'On.the table, not excepting gooseberry jam. .At length, on : passing plate for more, he said, through the interpreter: "il am afraid that yon will think me very rude to eat fo much; ha*.*! om a xbig man, and want a good deal of food?' "No, Wahanui," I replied, "you could not show me greater politeness thai) by eajirig ,beartily^-ije-canse that is a pf66f that you likie' what I have providerl for you. vlf I were to dine with you 1 am pure you • woiild ' be pleased to see me eat everything you 1 placed .'before me" At this'W«hanui heaved a deep sigh, something like the' blowing of a grampus, and said : " Ah, when I was a: young man I coiild eat a whale pig-as high as that,? iridicaiing an animal whii;h would take .first prize at an ayerace show. >;" Am I to take that literally?" I asked the interpreter, alluding to-, the wtl!-known custom of Maoris of nsinginetaphors or figures 'di ppeech. ..:-, "Oh, ; .yesT' -"he.'..answered,'" "'When Wahaniii was a'young man'he could' eat a fat; pig aud a kit of kum&ras besides." ; . , , ; .