WELLINGTON.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1659, 12 June 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(From our own Correspondent.)

__. __ This day. His Manners were Childlike and Bland.

An interesting stranger turned up here a siiort time ago. His personal appearance was good, his address excellent, his tastes elevated and artistic, his conversational powers free, varied, and emulated to impose upon the confiding;; and to crown all, he came with recommendations of the highest character, nothing less in fact than from the Catholic clergy of Victoria. Under such circumstances, it was not surprising that this illustrious foreigner (for he is a native of Antwejp) soon scraped acquaintances in what would be called good society— good, of course, for him, when I inform you that out of a residence of sixteen years in the Australian colonies, thirteen were spent in Her Majesty's gaols here and there. The man is a splendid draughtsman and engraver, and can make one-pound notes or tens and can forge any signature ever written ; and yet the police are going to hunt such a colonist out of here, and no doubt -will send testimonials to ms skill after him wherever he goes, as has been done by Melbourne people. The "Times" on Auckland's Injured Innocence. The Times combats the statements and reflections made by the Southern Cross regarding the £3200 of interest on constructed railways. It admits that not charging the deficit upon the railway account monthly was a blunder, but says :—" Still that does not affect the liability of the province, and only shews that more money has been paid to Auckland from the Colonial Treasury than it was entitled to receive, and yet it puts on an injured innocence air. Underneath this wretched squabble lies the real question of railway management. There is no uniform system of management. The tariff of charges varies in each province, and in some instances we suspect considerations of revenue have not always^ influenced those who fixed the scale. ' On the other hand it is rather hard upon the North Island provinces to he called upon to make good from revenue any deficit on the working of railways over which they have no control. The question is now assuming such dimensions it cannot much longer be played with. The railways have been constructed by the colony and belong to the colony, and the sooner the notion that this or that province or district owns railways traversing it is dispelled, the better it will be for everyone. The colony ultimately pays for these railways, and it ought to derive the profits, if any, that is accruing from their working. When Mr Vogel introduced the Public Works scheme a railway fund formed a conspicuous feature in it, and secured many votes. Where is that railway fund now ? Does profit on constructed railways go towards paying interest on money expended on unfinished and therefore on unproductive portions of works in progress ? Not at all. It goes into Provincial Treasuries to be dealt with as ordinary provincial revenue, while the colony 13 compelled to borrow fresh millions with gradually diminishing eecurity. This, we say, is a financial blunder which should be rectified without delay. The provinces are selliDg public lands and dissipating the proceeds. Thty are also in the South, at all events pocketing the profit on constructed railways, leaving the colony to find money at high rates of interest to extend lines and increase their income.

Touching taxation, the Times says : — " Were the revenues of the colony consolidated, and its resources husbanded, it would be possible to complete our Public Works scheme without the imposition of fresh taxes.