LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume V, Issue 231, 24 February 1865, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mails North and South. —The mails for Wellington, Southern Provinces, &c., wili close on Sunday morning at nine o’clock ; those for Auckland, Sydney, &c., one hour later.

Auction Sale. —Public attention is directed to a notice in our advertising columns of an auction to take place this day’ (Friday), the 24th inst., at 2 o’clock, of Leasehold Property, Stock-ia-Trade, and Household Furniture, in the insolvent estate of F. Tuemmel, tailor. Auckland Papers. —We have of late had occasion to note that no papers from Auckland had reached our office hut the Daily Southern Cross. We now find that the Herald has been misseut to our late office, HastingsstreeL The others have not come to hand.

Meeting this Evening. —Members of the Athenaeum are referred to an important notice in our advertising columns of a meeting to be held this evening, at which a proposition for the erection of a hall or readingroom for the purposes of the institution will be considered.

Horticultural Show. —The date appointed for the above is now at hand (Tuesday next). We trust that the inhabitants of the town and province who are able will endeavor, by their contributions, to make it as complete and attractive an alfair as possible. We should be sorry to see any want of success attend our first attempt.

The Beutality of the West Coast Rebels. —The murder by the rebels of Mr. J. D. Hewett, of Pakerete, as also of that of a militiaman, aud the mutilation of their bodies with tomahawks, are further deplorable instances of the character of the people our soldiers have to fight against., We may indeed sympathise with them, for the mere possibility of suffering such a fate—of being hacked aud mangled while life is still in them —must be sufficient at times to unnerve them for the harrassing duty they have to perform. —Daily Southern■ Cross, Railway in Auckland.—Turning the kmsT -Sod, — The first sod of the Auckland and Drury Railway will be turned this day, at 3 p.m., by his Honor the Superintendent. 1 his is certainly an event the history of this province which deserves to be prominently celebrated, and we are, therefore, glad to see that preparations have been made for doing lull justice to it. The importance of it to this province cannot be over-estimated. R is the first step towards connecting the city of Auckland by the iron road, which has accomplished such wonders iu the old world, with that vast territory known as the Waikato, and which is expected to contribute so much to Auckland’s future greatness. If we look at it only as the inauguration of the proposed introduction of a system of travelling which prevails iu almost every civilised country as an indication that the prosperity ot this province has so increased that the ruder kinds of Demotion may be substituted by those more convenient and modern, we have cause to congratulate ourselves. It does not follow of course that the mere fact of the construction of a railway will be a 'cause of success. Like some of the less prosperous settlements in the South, we might ue entering into large public works of the reproductiveness of which there might be some doubt; but here as it were we have the landmarks set plainly before us, The tide of immigration is setting in South,-to the fertile lands of Waikato hitherto lying waste to gratify the independence of a people who heve constantly shown us how little they deserve it. “ The Auckland and Drury Railway v is therefore a misnomer. It is the main iiiLjk line which is ultimately to connect Auckland, not only with Drury, but with the Waikato ; not only with the Waikato, but with the shores of Cook’s Straits; and the prospect of ""which even is sufficient iu itself to show that the chief town and seat of Go. vernment must ultimately be Auckland whose great natural advantages aud pros penty enable her to throw out her net-work of railways to connect herself with the other and less important towns in the Northern Island. The importance of the ceremony which is to be performed this day is therefore nut to be measured by the immediate palpable good that will be derived from it. The experience of all countries, new or old, is that when once the work of constructing railways commences it is followed up., The commerce is increased in proportion to the facilities which are afforded fur it, aud towns spring up hi uninhabited places because their distance from the metropolis is a question of time reduced to one-half or one-fourth of what it was formerly. It is true that in new colonies the Goverment have to set the example, and have to expend large sums iu proving the superiority of railways over other means of conveyance. The capitalist, ever, soon sees that it is not to his advantage to allow the Government to engage in reproductive works which properly come within the scope of his energies. We may reasonably expect, therefore, that the same will obtain here, aud that when the line is 'cousiructed to Drury, as it will be, no doubt, before two years have elapsed, there "will be plenty of capital seeking investment, and ■which may profitably be employed in carrying on the line to the Waikato, and from thence to its Southern termination in the Northern Island. We may appropriately dose our remarks by expressing a hope that the turning of the first sod will be a guarantee that the want of unanimity which has prevailed between the Railway Board of Commissioners and the Executive will now cease, and that the work .will be carried to completion with the least possible delay.