A Quill for Everyone.

Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 950, 13 March 1897, Page 7

A Quill for Everyone.

.Last week, we made brief but pointed allusion to the exceptional severity with which certain Jai Pees had inflicted punishment upon a man who stole a coat while on a drunken carouse, and subsequently, gave himself up to the police, upon a woman, who had used naughty language in Queen-street, and upon another woman who stole a pair of three and-elevenpenny shoeß. They, each and all, were sent up to Mt. Eden for a month- hard. But the case of the man, who, while loaded up with drink, appropriated a macintosh that he hastened to restore when he got sober, demands some closer attention. We have reason to believe he is a respectable man, who, in his right senses, would not stoop to dishonesty. His name is Alfred G-. Weippert, and his occupation was that of a specialist in photo

enlargement. It seems reasonable to assume that necessity did not impel him to take what wasn't his'n, for in December last, his wife won the first prize in the Eight Hours Art Union — a house and allotment alleged to be worth £150. He called upon us at the time, and appeared to us to be a thoroughly respectable, and certainly well-dressed man — such a man, in fact, as would not ruin his character and prospects in life by the paltry theft of a coat valued at 30s.

At any rate there is the statement made in court by Sergeant Clarke that ' accused had been drinking very heavily lately,' and furthermore the admission that ' after he had committed the offence he gave himself up to the police.' And yet, in face of all this, those sapient justices were so impressed with the enormity of his offence against the sacred rights of property that they have sent him to Mount Eden to nndergo a month's imprisonment with hard labour. He is a stranger in the community and there is no one — save his wife — who is directly interested in his fate. Had his offence been graver and had he been committed for trial at the Supreme Court, the chances are he would have been released on probation. Bnt he has no influ-

ential friends, and no one Beeins to care a tinker's curse what becomes of him. All the same, one's sense of justice revoltß from the sentence passed upon him. "We invite the attention of the Minister of justice to this case.

The thirst for the almighty dollar appears to be the guiding principle in the establishment of the new Ohawles Chambers Comic Opera Company. From the circular issued by the promoters, we observe that it is proposed to form the company on the cooperative principle, giving all members — principals, chorus, orchestra and officers — an interest in the profits in proportion to the importance of the part taken by each. ISlow, then, here is a chance for the needy belles of Parnell and Ponsonby to earn an honest shilling by showing their pretty — ahem, well, ankles from the theatre stage. We can understand girls doing this sort of thing as amateurs. But to enter into competition with the regular stage ladies in the 'leg showing' line for the sake of a possible few shillings is a trifle degrading.

A correspondent favours us with an account of an incident that transpired at Swanaoa the other day. Some small children were playing at prisoners and policeman, when the one who was masquerading as the vigilant Bobby came to the door and in his gruffest tones said, ' I'm the bobby come to put yon in gaol.' ' Now,' replied the smallest of the prisoners,' look here, Mister Bobby, if you don't scoot out of this jolly quick I'll put you in the ' Obsebveb.' That youngster knew a thing or two although he does live out of town.

It is highly discreditable to the police that though the Takapuna Beach on Saturday waß crowded with women and children, half -a dozen hoodlums on horseback were allowed to race wildly up and down to the terror of all and sundry. On the motion of several gentlemen of standing in the city, the Waitemata County Council recently appointed a deputation to bring this crying abuse before the Harbour Board, with a view to its suppression, but the end in view has not been achieved. But why are the police so supine in this matter? Thiß beach is a public place, and this horse-racing is a breach of the Police Offences Act. Why is not this put down ? Probably the only effective means of suppression will be for those concerned to appeal direct to the Minister of Justice, and aßk him to instruct the police to do their duty.

They are telling a good joke just now against a well-known prospector, who waa recently one too many for the Kauri Timber Company, and an almost equally well* known friend of Mb. The prospector purpoaed going to the Thames on urgent busineaa one night last week, and the friend was proceeding to Ooromandel at the same hoar. Both steamers were

to leave the Northern Steamship .Company's.tee at midnight. An (hour before that time, the two men sauntered down to the wharf, and having Bhaken hands, each went on board his steamer and turned in. Next morning, the prospector who ought to have been at the Thames, awoke to find himself at Goromandel. He had taken the wrong boat. 'Ad d the only satisfaction I got,' he afterwards explained, was to know that my friend, who was bound for Coromandel, had been carried off at the Thames. Somehow, it looks as if they, will have to change their brand of whisky.

With regard to a- paragraph in our last issue, having reference to a Parnell young lady and her father, we are assured that the finder of the watch was amply rewarded, and also that the reference to the youn? lady's father was unjustified.

Here is_one of many choice specimens of the Qaeen'a English foully murdered in the cultured columns of the Star :—

The timber mills on" the Northern Wairoa was working as fast as their engines will drive them, and some of them both night and day.

This sample is quite equal to the price Mr Brett pays for it. But Henry is no judge of either literary style or correct grammar. He thinks it is right, and bo long as he gets his literary hacks cheaply, he doesn't worry himself about tbe results.

One sunny morning this week, six men, three backets, and two drays were engaged in the light and leisurely task of removing the loose stones that were strewn abont the upper part of College Road This spectacle is familiar on the highways andibyways of the city, and one would really like to know how many hundreds of pounds of the ratepayers' money is frittered away upon the picking up and removal of loose road metal. It strikes us very forcibly that the game is by no means worth the candle. In Sydney they employ boys to remove tbe loose stones and horse droppings, and for the life of us we cannot see that the work is of such a laborious nature, or necessitates such an amount of expert skill, that lads could not be utilised here for the same purpose. There are many youngsters who would only be too glad in the early daylight hours to earn a few shillings in such an easy way, and ratepayers' money would be conserved, while visitors would have less reason to marvel at our primitive style of doing our municipal cleaningup.

A sneak thief of the female persuasion —perhaps it would be more gallant to call her a kleptomaniac — was neatly bowled out in the tram car a few days since. A decent looking woman entered with a couple of children, and, as she adjusted them in their seats, she exposed to view the kind of pocket by which the fair sex make easy the operations of the lightfingered gentry. As she turned to take her own seat, a male passenger opposite pointed to the region of her pocket, and the woman at once plunged her hand in it, and immediately called out, 'Oh, my purse is gone.' At this remark, another and more stylishly dressed woman sitting beside her, fired up and said, with great asperity, 4 How dare you snggest that respectable people likens have robbed you ? What impudence !' ' Not so fast, my good lady,' said the man opposite, 'you've got it right enough. I saw you, and if you don't disgorge I'll stop the tram and call the policeman over there.' For a wonder there was a Bobby on the footpath, and as soon as Bhe perceived the uniform, she handed over the purse and got out. In half a minute she was out of sight.

The East Coast boasts an ingenious photographer who has just struck out for himself a new and brilliant way of enforcing the payment of old scores. His oldest and worst debtor was a cooper, and to repeated applications for payment he turned a deaf ear. Therefore, selecting one of his photos, enlarged to life-Bize, the artist stuck it np in his show-case, and pasted six slips of white paper across it, hiding entirely both face and figure. On the slips he wrote the . days of the week, beginning with Monday, which covered the feet, ana ending in Saturday, which hid the face. Beneath the card, he wrote that the individual depicted owed him 14s, and would be given a week wherein to make payment. Nobody realised the joke at firßt, not even the debtor. But when, by the gradual removal of the slips, the feet • were bared on Monday night, the knees on Tuesday, the entire legs on Wednesday, and the waist on Thursday, keen interest began to centre on the card, and speculation ran so high that, crowds gathered in front of the case. On Friday night the cooper's brother called round, arranged to pay off the debt by weekly instalments, and saved the credit of the family. But the town is disgusted because betting had been active during the week as to the identity of the hidden face, and now the wagers have to be declared off, although every man is sure he would have won.