Someone haß suggested to me that a butchering business is not altogether unsuited to the genius of the City Council. Let it be clearly shown that there is a profit which the citizens in their corporate capacity are likely to get hold of by becoming butchers, and the difficulty is half got over. Why not be butchers as well as gas-makers? None can say that light is more essential to health than food. The plea for the assumption of the lighting business was that good gas was a necessity, and that therefore, like water, it ought to be managed by the citizens as a whole. The lamentable results have not shaken the desires of the leaders of our Municipal Council to enter on fresh fields one whit. The gas is utterly, and we are beginning to think irretrievably, spoiled for ever. The flesh business is still good, and one can even get very good meat by paying for it. If the Corporation undertook to purvey meat I verily believe the quality (of course from unaccountable causes) would grow worse from that very day. Mr Header Wood certainly had his fling at the ex-Premier the other night. It will be remembered that the Premier in the early part of the session did a parody on Mr Wood, a la Clara Vere de Yere. The honourable gencleman had it out on Tuesday. For my part, I would rather have a good many parodies written on me, than have anyone say what Reader Wood said of Vo^el — i.e. that in any business the honourable gentleman trans acted, it was absolutely necessary to have everything in writing. It was not safe to trust to one who had so treacherous a memory. Now, I expect this is parlia mentary for the assertion that Sir Julius says the thing which is not. And how things change. Fancy the member for Timaru calling Yogel a liar in 1871. Now, that person is the sworn friend and wet nurse of the member for Wanganui.
