"Pars ABOUT PEOPLE

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 911, 13 June 1896, Page 18

"Pars ABOUT PEOPLE

Sib Maubice O'Rorke has been defeated in the election by gradnatea of a member of the local University College Council. This is retaliation for the attitude adopted by Sir Maurice O'Rorke towards Professor Aldis. But it is a poor spite after all, seeing that the local University largely owes its birth and growth to the persistent efforts and fostering care of Sir Maurice O'Rorke. But the gradaates are young people, and possibly none of them remember the time when there was no University in Auckland, and when the establishment of one was the constant aim and object of Sir Maurice O'Rorke's life.

Bey. Canon Haselden, who has done excellent work for the Church of England in Auckland as diocesan missionary, is to be the new incumbent of St. Peter's at Onehunga. Mr Haselden has been on the road for many years now, and it is time he settled down to a fixed charge ; but nevertheless, his familiar face and kindly ministrations will be sadly missed from many a country home for the future.

Mr Herbert Jones is the new organist of St. Matthew's.

The late Mr C. H. Mathiesen, who was killed by a fall from the roof of a building in Chancery-street, was a gifted musician, and played first violin for the Choral Society.

Captain Rusaeli is a trifle droll when he chooses. He has been telling the people of Cbriafcchnrch that the Government have lived entirely on the frugality of previous administrations. If so, they have lived on something less than the smell of an oiled rag. There was nothing frugal about the last Government, or any previous^Tory Government that we are aware of, for there record shows that they were continually going on the London, market to raise loans, and they pledged the credit of the country up to its eyes. They certainly were not frugal in borrowing, and in this respect they contrast very unfavourably with Seddon and party.

Samuel Vaiie, the inventor of the ' Vaile system ' of railway" management, is a very little man who wears a black frock-coat ana a pathetic smile. He was formerly a draper. He has heaps of patience and perseverance, and his efforts to get Government to give his ' system ' a show have subjected him to snubs and rebuffs that would have crushed many men to the earth. But Samuel is not built that way. He means to get his ' system ' tried, or perish in the attempt. Well, it's about time somebody's system waa substituted for the muddle-headed one now in force. — Spectator.

A bogus doctor has just been run down at Eketahuna. Bather more than a month ago a middle-aged gentleman, in a good state of preservation, made his appearance m "Wellington, and, intimating that he was a doctor attached to the British Army, and had been in India, prescribed privately in a few cases, and, among other things, secured from one of the city chemists an ont-of date flfateria Medica, and also some medicines, for all of which he forgot to pay. He gave out that it was his intention of going up country and revolutionising the medical charges there by treating all patients at a uniform rate of 2s 6d. A few days later a strange medical man arrived at Eketahuna, and commenced operations among the country patients, much to the alarm and trepidation of the local medico, who has been in practice there for some time* He had a consulting room and a pharmacy fitted up at Carter's Temperance Hotel, and soon worked up a good practice. But the game was suddenly played oat. Two detectives arrived from the Empire City and took charge of the bogus medico on a charge of issuing a valueless cheque at Christchurch. He left behind him a considerable number of creditors, part of his practice apparently having been to pay nobody. J

The choice of a Labour candidate for Auckland City is a very limited one indeed. There are four nominations, and of these Mr Bosser is the Prohibitionist choice. Mr Patterson is a master blacksmith, and therefore hardly comes within the usually understood definition of a Labour candidate . Mr Fawcus was the Trades Unionists' nominee at the recent by-election, arid is now one of the chief officers of tne Trades and Labour Council. Mr Regan, the fourth . candidate, has identified himself with Labour matters in Auckland for a considerable time. The final choice is t xpected to narrow itself down •to Messrs 1-awcus and Regan, and of the two Mr Kegan can certainly claim that he is the one who has done most in Auckland to redress the grievances of the employed class. He has repeatedly approached employers for the purpose of representing the wrongs under which their employees believed themselves to be suffering. And in not a few instances has Mr Regan been successf al in putting things right. For this reason alone he has claims upon his party which cannot be easily ignored.

Tom Mackenzie, M.H.R.has been.exploiting the Sounds region in the guise of a swagman, and has been having heaps of fan. One country railway station-master supposed, so realistic was Tom's get-up, that he was a veritable 'sundowner,' and when he arrived with his mates at the station, a few minutes prior to the departure of the train, &nd aßked for second-class tickets, the official mind was upset at stich presumption on the part of ' common swaggers.' ' Why didn't yon come earlier ?' demanded the station-master. Humbly the M.H.R. replied they had ' come earlier,! and had. looked for the stationmaster, but had failed to find him. * You are impertinent,' said the angry official, 'I am not going to be at the beck and call of every swagger who chooses to arrive late.' Mr Mackenzie ventured to suggest that one of the duties of a stationmaster was to civilly supply the public with tickets, and that there were still three minutes to spare before the tr&in left. The station-master, his dignity outraged, banged down the slide and refused to issue any tickets to the insolent swagmen. A day or two later the eccentric Mackenzie, got up to kijl, and in his character of M.H.R., visited that railway station again, and the kindness and civility of the station-master knew no bounds. ' This,' said Mr Mackenzie, ' appeared to be strange to me, for my secretary did not ask for what he required in half so civil a tone as I employed when soliciting our humble second-claes tickets. — Spectator.

Eev. W. £. Lush opineß that if inquiries were made from all the rescue workers in Auckland, it would be found that, the evening out, under shadow of religion, has been a factor in the fall of many. Therefore, he asks this question : 'Do bands of hope, Christian endeavour societies, and so on, tend to build up family life, or do they disintegrate the family ?' The question is a poser.

Sir Henry Parkeß had no love for the lrißh, and yet at the last it was Irish people who had to tend and to care for him. Thus the Freeman's Journal: — 'It was poetic justice that this man, once the bitterest enemy of Irishmen and Catholics in New South Wales, should have had the last kindly offices performed for him by a Catholic Irishwoman, his wife, and an Irish-Catholic Australian, Manrice O'Con nor, his doctor. Of all his personal friends, a Catholic, Mr Hugh Taylor, proved the truest and the best.'

Mr "Warden Kenny catches it hot from a Sydney paper for tne punishment meted out at the Thameß recently to Patrick Fennell and Mary Hornibrook, for procuring liquor for a prohihited person. It is cited as ' a charming case of 17th century Bench-brutality,' and the Sydney journal remarks: 'What with idiotic, purblind police, woman in politics, puritanical legislation and drastic Dogberries, Maoriland is rapidly becoming a most excellent place to stop away from.'

Mr Mangakabia, a very intelligent Maori, belonging to tbe Thames, was Premier in the Native Parliament which has just closed its session at Tokaanu, Lake Tanpo. People may langh at the Maoris for imitating our Parliamentary methods, but there is a great deal of sturdy common -sense about their proceedings. Take, for instance, their plan of making the Upper House keep up to concert pitch with its work, i.e., putting the members' on one meal a day until all bills sent up to them were put through. And some of these bills were very sensible, too.

Let Mr Mangakahia speak : —

' One of the mea-

aures passed by us

had for its object the protection of our women from pakeha men. If I were to take yon through this pah I could point you out upwards of twenty half-caste boys and girls, many of whose fathers are in good positions in your cities, some of them high officials under your Government. More than one stipendiary magistrate that sits in your Temples of Justice has children here amongst the Maoris. Do they evtr think of them ? Do they ever make inquiries as to their condition? Do they ever remember that those children are their flesh and blood, and that they are being brought up in blind ignorance — withont a name, without hope, without anything except God's free air? Is it any wonder, then, if some of us,

in the discussion of this measure, used burning words ? I think you will admit that there is some canse."

Charles Cameron Kingston, Premier of South Australia, like Premier Seddon, whom in many respects he resembles, is a glutton for work. He begins every morning at nine, seldom leaves his office until six, and invariably has a portfolio full of work sent to his house. Occasionally he takes a long walk on Sundays, but oftener he works with a clerk at his elbow air day and far into the night.

The commercial travellers in this district tell a good Btory about one of their number, Wigg by name, who does the road on behalf of an ironmongery firm. He had got out at an up-country railway station, and when the whistle blew, he didn't trouble to get in again. And so the train started without him. However, Wigg was fleet of foot, and overtook his carriage before the train had gone many yards. And, as he took his seat, he made a jocular remark about the speed of a train that could be so easily overtaken. ' Oh,' said a little mat) in the corner, ' you caught the train, did you ?' ' Caught it ? Rather think I did. Why, a boy could have caught it.' And Wigg laughed heartily. ' And what might be your name ?' mildly inquired the little man. * Wigg, at your service, sir ; I travel for So-and-So,' was the reply. ' Well, my name is" Hudson, and I am traffic manager on this line.' ' And the little man laughed, too. ' I travel myself sometimes to see that the law isn't broken.'

And sure enough it cost Mr Wigg a fiver for getting on a train while it was in motion.

The familiar face and figure of Mr P. A.. Philips, the Town Clerk of Auckland, are again t o b c seen daily at the City Council offices. Mr Philips has recently suffered from a severe affect i o n of the eye, but, as a re9nlt o f a n operation and a subsequent course of carefu 1 nursing, he is once w , .„ A p.... o more restored Mr P. A. Philips. t0 g oo d health and improved eyesight. Mr Philips is a capable and efficient officer, and one whose services would be sadly missed by the corporation if his retirement had become necessary. We join with his friends in wishing him an early and complete recovery.

A Napier young man made a slight mistake quite recently. He had been irrigating his throat rather considerable, and in going home after hotel-closing hours he lost count of the houses and strolled up to that of a neighbour. Finding the door locked, he calmly burst it open, and leisurely proceeded to undress and put himself to bed. The good lady was alone, and was, of course, nearly frightened out of her wits. But she had wit enough left to rush out and summon assistance. The result was a police court case, and the young man, having a good character, waa discharged with a reprimand. He hasliow sworn off.