THEY SAY

Observer, Volume XXII, Issue 3, 19 April 1902, Page 7

THEY SAY

— That, if bread continues to rise in price as it is doing now, it will soon be beyond the reach of the poorer classes. — That there will be some uneasiness on the Exchange if Tairua Broken Hill shares continue to rise. Selling on time is a risky business. — That a proposal to give Hannan a requisition for the Mayoralty found no seconder. Mr David Goldie is suspected of being the father of the idea. We smile. — That a feature of a recent Presbyterian meeting down South was the reading of fourteen chapters of the Bible in Syriac by a lady missioner. Delightful evening ! — That J King Edward having declaimed against the pernicious practice of giving wedding presents, a recent fashionable English bride got but a paltry £20,000 worth. — That the inclusion of several Aucklanders in the Coronation contingent has caused a great deal of surprise. What have we done that we should be remembered at last ? — That Archdeacon C alder had to be restrained from ottering himself as a chaplain for the front. An unnecessary sacrifice. There are plenty of chaplains who can be spared. — That the Wellington warriors are rather tender - footed. The route inarch knocked up thirteen of them so badly that they had to go into the Greytown Hospital for treatment. --That, although G rattan Grey is returning to Melbourne, it is unlikely lie will leave London until Mr Seddon arrives. He is planning a little picnic for " Our Dick" on neutral territory. — That there are more lawyers in Auckland in proportion to its population than in any other town in the colonies. And vet there are very few who can decently argue a case at the bar. —That Mr Dacre wants the Harbour Board to advertise the hour at which the " time ball" will drop. Wouldn't it be better to get Captain (Edwin to include the event in his daily prophecies. —That several members of the Harbour Board are anxiously hoping against hope that the Admiral will give a return ball to His Excellency the Governor in the new Admiralty House. No such luck ! —That Dick Seddon's last official business in the colony before his departure for the Coronation was to agree to the ultimatum that all civil servants over 65 should retire. Won<ler if Dick will be willing to retire at 65. —That at a recent small craft fishing excursion, where two at least of the party were ladies, fighting whisky was so freely indulged in that one of the party stripped and wanted to jump overboard or fight the crowd. It sobered a few. — That it is indiscreet to leave one's private correspondence lying about. The careful perusal by a barmaid of the private letters of two paying guests in an aristocratic boarding-house led to the closing of the doors of the establishment on the couple. They were not what they pretended to be. —That the Hon. William Jennings deserves a complimentary dance, at least, from the Auckland tailoresses for his advocacy of their cause before the Arbitration Court in Wellington. They say the Hon. William was especially strong in repelling the slanders on the reputation of the Auckland tailoresses, and it goes without saying that Mr Justice Cooper lent a sympathetic ear to his sentiments.

— That there was a small tidal wave in Auckland shortly after Diok Seddon embarked on that troopship in Wellington. —That Onehunga is looking for a big tire just now, and that Councillor Shaldrick will not be satisfied unless there are plenty of tragic surroundings. — That some of the people who sold out of Tairua Broken Hills on Mining Expert Shepherd's report must be blowing their fingers now to keep them cool. —That the Albert Hotel flagstaffs have been running under bare poles since Lindsay Cooke finally undressed them months ago. Not pro-Boers there, we hope. —That the Rev. De Witt "Talmage, whose death is reported this week, paid a lecturing visit to Auckland several years ago. He was a intrvellous word painter. — That several covetous pairs of eyes are intently fixed on the Mayoralty of Auckland. But that big requisition, with the signatures of two Bishops, have frightened them off. — That the pedagogue courts trouble when he and his cane leave the school precincts and embark upon the moral improvement of the rising generation. Hikutaia papers please copy. — That it is a pity a few of those nasty things about Pastor Collins were not said before he left Auckland. He can talk back quite as effectively as any of his behind-the-hedge detractors. —That another of the overlooked senior teachers has succeeded to the position of mistress. Miss Mcllhone, who is one of the most capable teachers in the service, becomes mistress at Beresf ord - street. — That the retiring of the aged civil servants is going to startle citizens by the fresh appointments. Now we'll see what all the blare of trumpets and shouting was about when Dick passed through. Pocket love ! — That there is the deuce to pay between two society ladies of the same name over an invitation to the Governor's ball which they both claimed. The strained relations arc likely to be widely felt. — That the Devonport policemen now make a show of counting the passengers in a Takapuna 'bus when it is half-filled, but if an overcrowded 'bus makes its appearance " there ain't no policeman." He's busy then. — That the citizens of Hamilton have been figuring up their bank balances since the insurance companies refused to lend the local borough a paltry £4000. And yet most people would think this a gilt-edged security. — That the spectacle of Sir John Hall presenting the Christchurch testimonial to Dick Seddon, and supported by Sir James Prendergast and Gee Gee Stead, ought to convince the working men of New Zealand which side Mr Seddon has taken in politics, — That an awkward discovery by a Ponsonby man last week was hushed up by the' payment of a paltry £28, and things go on in the household as quietly as before. The shop assistant who was struck is scratching his head and wondering whether he was the victim of a little family conspiracy. — That the promoters of a certain mining property in the Waihi district declare that Mr Seddon has taken it Home with him in order to float it. By the way, his Imperialism ought to place him closely in touch with the South African mining magnates. —That a certain paper down South has excited the 'wrath of Society. Among the head-lines to a fashionable ball, the editor had given prominence to "A Scene of Rare Beauty." The compositor, as usual, thought he knew better, and made it " A Scene of Bare S Beauty." —That Wairarapa Hornsby, M. H. R. , has committed a great act of selfdenial.- Actually shaved off his silken, sable beard — so much admired from the Ladies' Gallery — in order to play a part in " The Merchant's Widow," at the Carterton Town Hall, to raise ths. wind for the local brass band.