THE WAN ABOUT TOWN.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 470, 13 July 1871, Page 2

THE WAN ABOUT TOWN.

No. VI. So some of the so-called sliarebrokers of Auckland have been letting in their unfortunate clients to a very considerable tune. Messrs. Boss and Monson have suddenly left these gay and festive scenes, cam'ing in their pockets the fruits of their well directed industry, no doubt with the intention of commencing an honest career in another clime. Let us hope that they may be successful ; but I very much fear it, for they belong to that class of unprincipled scoundrels to which I referred in my opening remarks about sharcbrokers in the " Man about Town, No. 1." Forgei'j, however, is a very serious business, and I hope the offenders, if caught, will be sent for a term of several years to the suburban palace at Mount Eden. What have the poor unfortunate Maoris been doing, I should like to know, that the Harbour Board should come down so hot upon them. They ask for bread, and what do they get ?—why worse than the stone of old—for in lieu of having their market place improved, according to the prayer of their petition, the Board has absolutely decided to have it remodelled altogether. One honorable j gentleman even suggested that the fence ' should be pulled down peremptorily ; another suggested that it should be moved to the end of the Breakwater. This, no doubt, would be a healthy locality, but I fear the trade done there would bo by no means brisk. The resolution carried will have the effect of making; the lazy niggers hawk their goods about town while they are fresh, instead of, as formerly, gathering in crowds round their market place and smoking, and otherwise enjoying themselves all day long, while their goods rotted. I like Lewisson's.style of doing things. |I see he advertises for designs for a v"brooch, &c, the successful designer to receive a very handsome fee, the others coarse nothing. "No desigus will be Returned" —so says the advertisement: a ''"VLieap way of getting some hundred or so .Resigns. I don't for a moment say that *uy worthy fellow-citizen would make use any of these designs at a future period. ■sot at all. We are all just and honorable nen— Honi soit gui mat y pense, &c. My friend Mr. Beckhani was rather lard on Mr. Brodie, the Town Clerk, the other day. Mr. Brodie was summoned to act as a juryman, but, by virtue of his present high office, he did not attend, no doubt thinking that the business of the Borough Council was of more importance than that of one of the Courts of Justice of this glorious country. Mr. Beckham did'nt see it in that light, however, and fined the Town Clerk £5, saying that he at least ought to set the people a good example in this matter. • I siipposo it will make very little difference, as the Corporation will of course pay the fine. It would be most unkind 'o allow poor Brodie to suffer through Hs deep alleginnee to the Council. I should like to know what sort of a stone it was that fell into the harbour the other morning, or whether it was really a solid body nt a)l. I have heard a good deal of argument on this subject. But the question wi". shortly bo solved. A company is to bo formed, called the Sink-in-the-Mud Meteoric Recovery Company. By- them a number of experienced divers will be employed; the substance will be recovered and exhibited to the public for a few days, on payment of a stnnll fee. It will afterwards be sold to the New Zealand Government. There will be 20,000 shares, at five shillings a share, and thero can be no loss, for if the original stone cannot be found, one may be cast that will answer every purpose, and the public won't know the difference. Dick suggests that as this is about to become a whaling station, and there is a whaler in port, he thinks the whaleboats ought to be mannod and the treasure recovered by harpooning the " blow,", it would be an extraordinary one, however, before this could be done. Speaking of Dick, reminds me of his last anecdote about Highway Boards. The young fellow is evidently intended for a chairman of one of these great institutions, and I shall let him have his bent. it seems that some twelve months ago, a large block of land, thickly populated, and termed the Archill district; Avas tacked on to the Mount Albert district, at the request of tho Board of this latter district. The Archill folks, feeling that they had not been fairly treated, petitioned tho Superintendent to be divorced, but their prayer was not granted, i'or twelve months they paid taxes —if not willingiy, at least punctually—in the hope that at the next meeting of the Board they would have some influence in electing men who would look after the Archill district, over which it seems not a penny of their rates had been expended. Arrived at tho meeting, they were told that they could not vote, and were shown a gazette, whereby it appeared that the Superintendent, having without their consent tacked them on. to the JVlounfc Albert district tliua'd, 1 equally without their consent and without their knowledge, sliced them off again. •;o that for twelve months tho Albert Board has been getting the benefit of their funds, and without any intention whatever of returning them. This appears to Diek —and I think he is right— to be a most dishonest proceeding, but these little pleasantries in a country district no doubt helps to break the monotony of the settler's life. I am glad to welcome back those great favorites, Miss Florence Colville and Mr. Hoskins, who appear to have had an extraordinary run of luck at the Thames. I am equally glad to welcome Mr. and Mrs. Ste'.4e,,who will.commence their professional: duties at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening. We shall have three places of amusement going—tho town can't support them, and ono of them must go over the wall It appears lo me rather too bad for the Harbour Board to deprive the JN"orth Shore people of their fifty acres of gracing ground. If .you must not " rob a poor man of his beer;" why should the poor children be robbed of their milk, which will cerlainly be the case, according to Mr. 8. Cork-rain, if the land in question is taken away from them. But they bave'rit got. it yet, as that truly °;reat man observed ; and I admire him For the noble stand he made in defence of the poor children. Dick says that Oorkrain lives near to tbis piece of grazing ground, and keeps cows there j but

I believe this is. a base invention on my son's part. ■

I hear strange rumours from Dick, who occasionally attends the meetings of the City Council. He tells me that the Mayor offered to go to the expense of £100 in getting up a first class dinner, if the Councillors would r>ay the hnlf. But they did not see it in that light, and Sfainos, the " people's cbampion," declared it was " like asking a man to dinner and telling him to bringr his own grub. And wuss than that, for it would cost every member £5," besides the expense of new clothes. But if they would purchase at his establishment he had some second-hand coats be could sell cheap." (" Built in the year one, ejaculaled a certain member, who is no friend to Stiunes." ,:TJpon which, tho Mayor declared that he would'nt stand a feed to the Board until Staines had ceased to be a member of that body—" no, not even a tripe supper." ; Nathaniel Beeswing.