AUCKLAND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 2

AUCKLAND NOTES.

island fruit. circulation of australian . . ./....coins'. . .:...,'• ;,. : , ' (By Telegraph.—SDOoial CorrescondenU Auckland, April MX ' Last week's shipment of bananas by the Talune—l4B4 bunches and "3886 cases from the Cook and Society Islands —was landed in bad; cbhditioni A well-known fruit broker stated that the matter was, a serious one. The : local banana market had been abso» lutely bare for some time past, await*, ing shipments by the Talune, and the - cargo, which was a small one, was all . booked up in anticipation of supplying '/■. orders from the east and west -coast - towns and country stations. ' Owing, ''. however, to the.condition of the fruit, ..; hone of these orders could be executed. This meant a heavy loss to ~ the ship- ; pers and brokers. What, the snippers and fruit brokers required'was a mow.'-', suitable steamer fqr the. fruit trade, • and it was intended to again bring, the '. matter before the Union Company, .' Another fruit merchant (Mr. W, H. Grove) stated that when the bananas' were put aboard.six or seven days 3ge * they were "green and unripe," as, eel tified to by the Government' inspector}. ■ • at the islands. • . .'.-.'' : Mr. R. M'Lennan, manager for the Union Steam Ship Company for the Island trade, who made the trip with the Talune, said it was one of those ' ■ trips where the fruit; instead of being over full at the time of: shipment, should have been the-reyerse, consider- ■ ing, the season of. the' year.. and the : unusually, high temperatnre of the first; few days of the passage. "Hβ estimated that half the bananas were ,in : a marketable condition! '■'."'. - ' .- " AUCKLAND'S GREAT-i BRIDGE. ' :' The Graf ton Bridge, spanning -fcntr deep Cemetery Gully and i connecting ;.' Symonds Street with Grafton Road, ':• ■ has how nearly reached >. completion. The bridge is being asphalted, and thii • should be finished in a fortnight's time, .; , as should also the electric lighting, being installed by the City Council'.' The" Grafton approach has been, finished off with tarred macadam, and -the foot? • paths will be treated in the same man-V ■ ner. The approach from Symonde Street .-is being put in order by; the City Council. The bridge ■ should' be formally: opened before the end 'of the :' : month; 'At the Symonds Street end'the City Council is erecting an np-to-dkie brick shelter, and this also is rabidly ■' reaching completion. The Grafton Gully is being cleared of debris, and the-piles used in the construction work are being '■ drawn. When the bridge is opened it ■■''■ will afford a short cut for traffic'and' j pedestrians to; the Domain and also .to ' ' the Hospital. . • ■ ..-..- ■ MUSEUM VANDALS. ,' , It is learned that the complaints made by the curator of the Dominion Museu'm,_ concerning the' de- ' struction of Maori carvings also' apply in some measure to the Auckland Mil-'-'•' seam. However, the vandalism so far consists of-nothing more; serious than "•'-■ the removal of pawa ■- shell ornaments"'■■'■•■' from some of the Native 'houses'!: The '■' curator (Mr.VT. F.' Ch'eeseman) states ' that the museum authorities-are keep-. v ; ing a sharp outlook with a view "to'vmaking an example of some of the of- ' fenders. The shells are of no saleable ■ value,-and it can-be nothing mofeihari : a'.'spirit, of .mischief that prompts l their somewhat .dMculti-removal.u/. '...,;L'. ..; " -' -• ; ' : -'-.-.'' ;■ ■ ,;:;.-:;/. 'THE COINAGE QUESTION.':' ; ! ; .. During the past few days the subject .. of .the circulation in^the-Dorniinon l of-' , the ne*;issue,qf the Australian.; silver. . coins has; come rather prominently be? ■ fore the public mind as a result of the .' banks in/Wellington asking the Govern-. • mentto'take steps to prevent, theiir cir- ■ culation here. Inquiries • among bank-- •■ ers in .'the city elicited the fact that ' there is an abundance of silver coinsin:, . the Dominion, and that in the event of a shortage at any time the banks notify -: ' the Government, who in turn- order.fresh supplies from the Imperial Government': These supplies- are then ship- ,-■ ped and delivered here at actual : face ■'"' value,, the Dominion being at no cost -.." for freight out. .One leading business man was very outspoken in his -denun- • ciation of the "narrowness" which had • actuated the present"appeal to the.Gov-'': erhment to, stop the circulation of 'Aus- : "' tralian silver money. He said: "It-is v ; just another example.of the way s<'ow .' Zeaianders belittle themselves in the ' eyes of Australians. Wo are ' again ' showing our silly child-like and positively-, idiotic characteristic of pin-: pricking' which; does so much'to injure ' us in'the oyes of the outside world. What harm'is it going to do us if a ''■' few hundred pounds of Australian silver money does get into circulation? None ; whatever. Yet,' on the other hand, if. ' the Government stop it, it will mean that practically evtiry visitor or tourist' ' coming to this country will be put- to ■ inconvenience. For example, when ha ' steps 'ashore : he will probably want to take a cab to his hotel and the cabby, will his money. He may want : to buy a .'newspaper, but the newsboy . won't take his - silver. . I'm out- of patience with the whole thing." The speaker went on to remark that if the Government want to curtail the circulation of Australian corns here the re- - mody was perfectly simple. "AH they would heed' , to do," he .proceeded, . "would be to arrange, with the Commonwealth Government for them . to pay freight, cost, and insurance for . ; sending any accumulation of coin back . to Australia, which no doubt would be readily agreed to, as there is admittedly ..'; a big profit on the minting of the coins." The suggestion that New Zea-" ' land should" share in the profits Aus- ' trah'a'is making out of having her own silver minted, or that New Zealand . should arrange with the Imperial Government to have a silver coinage of her own is not thought by one.of our lead- . ing bankers to be worth considering, be- .' causej he says, we are as yet too small ■' a community,,and the revenue derived from it would be extremely small, while V it would add to the confusion, especially if Australia took the same objection ; -. to our coinage as we are now. taking to theirs. .