ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1634, 23 December 1882, Page 4

ECHOES FROM THE CAFE.

Thk uiwfc absorbing topic of conversation during the past -week lias' been the alleged; Hamilton murder. Tho .daily pjqiljVs h£ve been full of' it, sai*U t many people could talk of nothing else. I do not think that the accused have* been fairly treated in the matter. The sole object of the leporters of the daily journals seems to have. be-on to raku up every jot ami tittle of evidence that coiiid' be 'found to point towards, the gttiJt of Mrs Hamilton and Piiestley, the natural consequence being that the minds ot those who will form the jury have been prejudiced against them. One man, mho may 'possibly be on the jury (though not if lcanpment it) told me that if he were on the jury, h<> would sit in the box until he became glued to it, lather than not bung in a verdict of guilty. It was of bo a% ail that 1 told him that jurymen were sworn to decide a case according to the evidence adduced at the trial, unbiassed by anything they might previously have heard or read on the subject, and that lie should consider the prisoners, innocent until they were proved guilty. He calmly told me that he had heard and read sufficient to satisfy him that both prisoner were guilty, and that no evidence that might, be produced would satisfy him that they were innocent. That is a splendid proof of the value of that safeguard of our liberties,— the jury system. Of course, it is a natural consequence of the publication of damaging statements in the newspaper, but so long as tae public demand that their morbid curiosity shall be gratified, s>o long will the newspapers continue to give publicity to any information or any rumours bearing on the eubo that may come to the knowledge of their reporters.

There was much rejoicing in the city and suburbs on Monday c\ening w hen a gentle vain began to i.ill, especially in those suburbs where there is no water .supply, and wheic people had been compelled to buy water. The dust which had bcun blown about in eloudb on Monday was turned into mud on Tuesday, only to become dual once moie on Wednesday. Those who wcie .I'.sthetieally uud poetically inclined ya\o vent to their feelings in a parody of one ol the beautiful poems of Bunthorne, thus— " Oil to b< u.iflcil jiau> 1 rom tins black Aii.ld.uiia ol sonov., \\ lieic tin* mud of a r,mi> to-d.iy U the duU ol u wmdy to-imnrow. Theio have been. some very forcible lettei is in the Th nd'l lately, pointing out the utter folly of the J Labour J>oaid more money in constructing wooden wliarveb and wooden tutb. iJauy thousands of pounds have been spent in this manner in Lhc past, and the question now aiiscs —how much longci is this tolly to b<* indulged in.' When tlie Harbour IJoavd was poor, wooden m har\ es were all that weie within its means, but now that < it hat, become a wealthy corpoiation with a Kipidly-iriereasing rcciiuc, tins wasteful policy ought to be di.seontinued. j Those bebt (|iialiHed to dorm an opinion | on the subject ai c unanimous in .saying that all wharves constructed in the future should be of a pel tnancnt character. The Harbour Board should decide as- speedily as possible on a comprchcnsi\e scheme of permanent woiks- and then work accoid111? to that plan. It lias been stated, ami the statement has not been challenged, that the Queen-stteet Wharf has cost upw.inls of l!.") 0,000 and the Kailway Wh.uf £-20,000, makinu a grand (a very grand) total el £70,000 spent on tcinpoiary stiucfciucs. The sooner a radical change is made in the mode of procedure the better for the poit of Auckland.

Talking of niaiiiic matteis reminds me that mc luul si wvy nauow escape fiom a casualty on the West Coast last \\ pek. On Friday ks.t thu Lalla Jlookh left Waitaia iov the MauaU.ui, having on board, besides her captain and crew, lialf-a dozen passengeis, one ot whom gave me an account ot her perilous voyage. He is one of our leading meichants, whose veracity is beyond all doubt, so that I am quite sure that his statement is tine in every particular. As I have already stated the Lalla llookh left Waitaia on Friday last. After she had been at sea about six hours it was discovered that the norm had been completely worn oil' some of the bolts of the machinery. The vessel was hove to ioi some how % and the defect was remedied by tying string (sic) round the bolts, and she pioceeded on her voyage. The same night the engineer reported to the captain that the supply ot cojl Mas exhausted. The captain immediately alteied his couisc, and uui into Kaglan. Tlieiowis not much i mining ibout it. how l\ or, as the boat did not go at a much greater t-peed that a knot an hour. However, Kaglan wii-j icached. Ot course, theiu Mas no ujal piocmable, so some Inewoud Mas taken on boaid and a fiesh -)tait Mas made lor the Manukau. L'niortunatcly, the wood Mas too gieen to bum, soinatteiawereiiotmuchiinpioved. On hatnulay ni<;ht the Matgregor, which lutt WaUaia UM.nty-ioui liouis after the Lalla Rookh, passed her. Those on board the latter \cssd saw the lights ot the funnel, I ul those on tin fonuei could not M t the lights ot tlie latter, because tlieie ucienuiiL. Theic was no oil on board Uic Lalla ivookh. Alter n calm voyage ot forl> -eight hours, tliis beautiful vessel n ached the-Manukau, eight hours after the xMacgiegor. Mill'h had left Waitaia Iwcnh -tmii" houis attu liei. All on bouid'weio thiuiklul to mieli hrr" Jirma diici) mou. as, had a gale arisen, the \cs-cl Mould ha\e been i|iute helpless, iiiid, in all piobabilify, ■'lie Avould have gone down ,iud all on boaid would luue buui lost. Jtis to be hoped thai this disgiocrtul «ii)air Mill be repuited to the Customs authoiities and that an enquhy will be held On Wednesday the annual meeting of the City Council took place. The Mayor took the otatutoiy declaialion for the Ihiid time, and then made a shoit practical speuJi, refeuing to the work that h\xd ficc'u (ioue <ft«i'ng the pint i cat .aid to \>\\\\\> lie hoped would be done m the next. Of couiac, tho most important event in the past year has been the enlargement of Hie city, and the Mayor gave expression to what is a very general feeling when ho s>uid that he legietted that Paniell, Newmarket and the Domain had not been added to the city. • There is another matter which I think is quite as much to be regretted—that the council did not see their way to purchase the iSinrey Hills estate on the very advantageous term* on which it was offered to them by the If on. J. Williamson. These were that the price was to be £100,000, and that the whole of the money might remain on mortgage, the city paying one per cent the iirst year, two per cent the htcond, thru" per cent the third, four per cent tho fomth, and five per cent thereafter until the money was paid oft". However, 1 eg. ets are now useless, as the property has been sold to pi ivate individuals. I was glad to learn from the Mayor's speech that tho council has -decided to build the Town Hall, &c, at the apex of Grey and Upper Queen streets, and that the work is to be proceeded with at once. This is undoubtedly the best and most central site for the purpose, and the council and citizens are to be congratulated ou the decision. * .* As thejoyoifs Christmas season will come befQt:^-.J4'wjjte again, I wish all the readers' of The Waikato Times ",A Merry, Christmas and a Happy New Yearr^ ,'' _ __! * St. Mongo.

Mexico had no Banks until last Pebmy.vyffflken'9, concession' was given to a • «afM I'of:l!jrenclVcapifcal^ts, with a ,capi.tel'of^OOO.OOO^A^second Bank has ijAreeenfly Men.MJabli^hod^t/Sonota by a