What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2147, 20 November 1875, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

" In multitude of counsellors there is safety." —Old Proverb,

The Melbourne Cup race has been run; the excitemtent and uncertainty which preyailßd-ajureek ago have been allayed or removed. ''A*Few persons suddenly fi^id themselves "in fot^a stroke of lucfc^ln the shape of sum's of money varying from *10 to £600, ,. Throughout New Zealand " »weeps " to the amount of £10,000 have been divided—a very good evidence of the interest .which^^ great race of the colonies. When so much interest it; felt by people at a distance it.is no^t.a]l^ in Victoria a very much greater interest is felt, as shown by the fact that from ninety to one hundred thousand people assembled to witness the cup run for. Every year th& numbers are on the increase; ; from Governors of 'Colonies to the street* Arabs, everybody seems to regard with interest the result of the Melbourne. Cup. As everybody could not i be lucky, no doubt some are now bewail^ ing their bad luck in not " drawing" a horse; but in subscribing by pounds to these monster sweeps, and apportioning them out in sums up to £500, it stands ■to reason that a great number of the poundajT .jappf be/ swallowed r ttp^sprshei largf rf sums 4 Bnfortunately: -ior' 'thibm/ selvesxt fs not always those who canl)est afford to lose their pounds who go in for monster sweeps.

There is now a fine show for a monster sweep of local interest. The great political race isjcotttingron shortly*,/ Entries are already 'being made/ and the acceptances will be numerous. There will be a good field at the start, and the winners will be many. A sweepstakes —or " soiree," to adopt the euphonioujs title assumed by f one enterprising sport |o !ievad(s Ifegfl consequences—on tile 'great political contest would"give an additional zest to the elections. Perhaps" some sporting politician, or political sportsman will organise it, and give a chance to some who have been disappointed by the result of the Cup race. While in the South the campaign has been opened, and hearer still, in Auckland, our local aspirants for place and power are very reticent. Wot one has made a decided move yet, so that there is every probability of some warm work when it begins. If one would only make a move, others would follow, but it looks as if they were just a trifle afraid, lest they might expose their hands too soon in the game. Everybody hopes to see a. good race and close; no walk over. The; stakes are worth a struggle, and the seats are good for five years. . : The Good Templars are " evidently carrying their crusade into the enemy's camp, as the) other day> it was recorded that a barmaid had joined the order. How this young lady—that she is young it:is fair to assume—can reconcile her position as a Templar with the occupation of a barmaid, puzzles everybody. That she does so seems to be the case, as a letter purporting to be from the Templar barmaid appeared in one of the Auckland papers avowing her intention of leaving her then occupation as soon as she had found some more congenial employment. Perhaps she has been granted an indulgence, as it is scarcely consistent with Templar principles for one of its members to be daily and hourly dispensing intoxicants. If this sister should ever fake the platform to relate her experiences she should be in a position to give some valuable information regarding the traffic, to suppress which Good Templary has i been organised. A Good Templar barmaid is one of those anomalies peculiar to Auckland; how she can serve two masters is best known to herself and the " orders " to which she belongs. ;. Everybody'hears now and then of railways being opened; of banquets and balls and free trains in honor thereof; of after dinner speeches and congratulations on the'accomplishment of these great works. Unfortunately no taste of these good things is permitted to us ; the public works policy has not conferred any great benefits on the people of the Thames. It may have been noticed, however, that almost before the "hurras" called forth by these railway openings have died away, complaints are heard of the high rates for passengers and goods charged on the railways, and forthwith representations are made for reductions. Where this is not the case there is almost invariably another cry—for further railway extension, and the people who are benefited at once raise a cry that the line completed is worse than useless; it is the usual cry of "give," and in some cases it appears the cry is not made in vain. It is evident that those who get most are loudest in their demands for more. Whoever our representatives may be in the next Parliament, everybody hopes they will open their mouths wide and often. Perhaps they may be successful in gathering a few of the crumbs before the loaf is altogether consumed.