OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 370, 29 March 1876, Page 3

OUR AUCKLAND LETTER.

(froSi our own coebespondent.) Atjckxand, March 24. Thh aspect of the Thames is at present suffi ciently alarming. By the last two return trips of the Hero upwards of 80 of the best and most thrifty miners left the colony for the new fields of Queensland and North Australia, taking with them, according to moderate calculations about £8,000 in hard cash. If this [kind of thing goes on it is easy to see what the end will be. These men are the very bone and sinew of the district j they do not live tho hand to mouth life that bo many do, but have nice little sums stowed away in the davings Banks, and if the work of opening up the neighbouring land for settlement had not been made such a mess of, they would be now secured to the place by owning homesteads of their own. As it is, they have nothing to induce them to stay, and being perfectly independent of the Government and everybody else, they havo only to make up their minds that there is a prospect of doing better elsewhere, and pack up their traps and go. Some people say you will have plenty left for the work to be done. That may be true, but we decidedly have the worst half. Nothing is vet done about the 180 miners Jwho were to be sent to Wellington in the Luna, They are stiil kicking their heels about the agent's office at the Thames, and, though they grumble pretty freely, are pretty well behaved. It appears that the Wellington contractors have been informed that they must get the- men down themselves, but they don't see it. The men are formally engaged, there can be no question about that, and perhaps this is tho secret of their being so quiet for they certainly have good ground of action against some one, A ray of hope for the unemployed is afforded by the removal of the Waio-Karaka pumping .difficulty, by which the Queen of Beauty, • Bright Smile, and City of London mines will ! be set going again in a short time. The agreement was come to the day before yesterday. It is estimated that, when these mines are in full working order again they will absorb fully 800 men. Thames news is at the present moment Auckland news as well, for the people here are talking more about Thames affairs than their own. The City Council' on Monday last "sat on" Mayor Tonks proposed ne*y bye-law relative j to bringing manufacturers' cbimnies under the control of tho Council. This is the second time the same regulation has been brought in and defeated, so that the ohimnies may now smother tbe town in smoke, just as the candle and soap manufacturers may stink out their neighbours without having a word said to them. Cliquism is at present too rampant in Auckland for anyone who goes in for independent reform to have a show. We have had three children drowned in wells during the last fortnight. This is very, remarkable, as there has not been a case of the kind before for nearly a year. It seems as if the two last poor little creatures mußfc have heard the first accident spoken of, and that they must have been attracted to the wells with a kind of fatal fascination. The calamities have had the effect of making it generally known that to leave a weir uncovered is a breach of the law, punishable by a fine of £10, Notice has been given that the Inspector of Nuisances will henceforth summon any person whose well is found in an unprotected condition. Some little exoitement was caused in shipping circles lately, by a deoision given by our Eesidenfc Magistrate, Mr Barstow, by which tho mate of the barque Stag recovered-two months' wages for wrongful dismissal, on tho ground that he was engaged at so much per month, and, therefore, he was entitled toa month's notice, and the pay for tha remainder of the month ou whioh he had entered. The Court uphold his view of the case, .although there is no doubt whatever that when the articles were drawn up, it was intended that tho captain- should have the option of discharging the orew when and where he liked.. These- words were omitted from tho articles, and- the magistrate heldthat the words "at per month," were clearly indicative of a monthly engagement; So you have had a visit from Winiata down your way.. 1 here is a sort of doubt here whether it may not have., been come one like.

him you have s ; en. Is that native police.man ended who had snppi-r with him ? l'>c> cause, if l.c is not, he ought to l\<\ And" where are (ill tho Native Assessors • w':ib- are puid bo much for doing nothing. This ia a case in which they might do some good if t.hry would, by catching this good gentleman and forwarding him by tho JRowena, " with caro, carriage- paid, 1 ' as I notice Himiona has jußt'come We had a nice, pretty blackguard up at the Police Court two or three days ago. His name is Honry William Campbell, and ho is not unknown to tho police, having been on more than ono occasion in troublo for larceny, housebreaking, and other little offences. This beauty has been getting a fat living for some time past by following couples in the Domain of an evening, and on the pretence of being a detective, threatening thorn with accusations of indecency unless they compromised with him. As may be expected, be has terrified a large number of poor, innocent young people of both sexes, who, rather than be exposed to a charge of the kind, to which their actual presence in the Domain might lend some colour r have given the rascal largo sums of money. However, he was nabbed at last, and two or three witnesses wore brought to give direct evidence against him, and he got his deserts, namely, two years and three months' imprisonment.