The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1871.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 379, 28 March 1871, Page 2

The Evening Star. TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1871.

It is not often that the Police Court is filled with such a throng as it was to-day, while, as well remarked by a learned counsel, the City Board was engaged in " wa-li-ing its dirty linen" in public. The Board-room amenities which have for such a lengtVi of time afforded theme for current gossip and newspaper comment, were brought up to-day for judgment, and the value of " pig" and " big elephant," as applied by one corunoissi&ner to another, was weighed in the balance with " dirty hound" ai,d " low scoundi-el," and in the opinion of the Bench was adjudged to be so nearly equivalent that the Court, deemed it advisable to protect the Board and the public against both litigants. The incidents that came to light during the progress of this interesting investigation was such as must tend (o raise this community in the estimation of all the other districts of New Zealand. The effect of such incidents was not in the least impaired by the further investigation regarding the personal chastisement of one member of the City Board by another ; and altogether our Police Court report, as furnished in another column, is worthy of perusal.

May we once again endeavour to urge the negligent to the duty of registering their names on the Elecloial Roll of the colony. Three days still remain, during which citizens otherwise qualified will have an opportunity of fitting themselves for taking part in political elections; and after Friday evening next we do not doubt that a very large number of people will find themselves disfranchised, not by reason of any difficulty imposed by legislation, but solely because of their own indifference. We have exhausted all our arguments in the endeavour to urge on the negligent the duty of registering; and during any election that may occur, we only hope that the neglectful of this duty will enjoy that self-condemna-tion and that contempt from others which they will certainly deserve.

We observe that the North Shore ferryboats are altering their hours for the winter, the latest trip of the Enterprise from Auckland being at 6 p.m. on and after this evening.

Tenders are required by the Chairman of the City Board for the construction of small sewers in Edwardes and "Wakefield-streets, and in the lane between Fort and Custom-hooee-streets.

A dividend of ten shillings per share will be payable to the shareholders of the All Nations Gold Mining Company on Thursday next.

The p. s. Royal Alfred leaves for Wangiirei this afternoon, at 6 p.m., in place of the p.s. Duke of Edinburgh (for this trip only).

In order to meet the times, the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co.'s directors have graciously reduced the rate of passagemoney by one-third. The drop from £125 to £85 will probably be found to signify, when fuller information is received that the ad libitum wine allowaiice has also been dropped. The competition of the Californian lines, and the prospect of more steamers of the Queen of the Thames class, have probably awakened the company to tlie risk they run of further diverting passenger trade from this line.