AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 577, 14 May 1868, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

[TEOM OI'E own COJHItS'POSOT.ST,]

Sbortland, 4th -lay. 13G3,

The principal feature in mining news is the rush to Waipatnkalm, whence reports of several discoveries of rich

stuff have been received. That position is about twelve miles north from Sbortland, or nearly midway between the latter place and Coromandel. In December a fair amount of gold was obtained from three small gullies, leading from one high ridge ; and, on that ridge, in January, the first reefing claim was taken up by MTsaacs and party; a joint stock company have acquired the claim, and probably it will prove a profitable venture, which is more than I expect of some other companies floated. Beyond that, nothing valuable was found for several weeks, but several times “ reports ” were published of discoveries, which kept the place before the public, and induced successive bodies of miners to visit and prospect it; it would appear that now the long-sought ore has been found in several places.

On the extreme southern limit of the gold-field too, say fifteen miles south, near Puririri, gold has been found in two claims in more than payable quantities. Not having seen that part, I can only state on hearsay, hut I have no reason to doubt its correctness. Thus gold is found in payable quantities in three blocks of ground only, while the whole peninsula (ex cept cultivations and other native re serves) is open to miners, from the Omahu stream (south of Puririri) to Cape Colville, with the sea on the east, and the Hauraki gulf and Waihou river on the west.

Meanwhile, Shorthand is growing daily, and its rival, or suburb, sometimes called Tookey’s Town, sometimes Graham’s Town, is increasing even more rapidly. Mr 11. Graham, once Superintendent of Auckland, obtained from the Maori claimants a lease of a large portion of the fiat nortii of ShortlanJ, ami has had it cut up into small building lots, and sublets it, in some cases at a yearly rental of 25s per foot frontage. The Commissioner, Mr Mackay, issued a notice warning people that the Government had the sole right to lease the land “ on behalf of the Maori owners,” and about ten days afterwards the same Commissioner publicly acknowledged and confirmed Sir Graham’s lease. This proceeding I do not pretend to explain. Now, the lessees want roads making, bridges building, wharves, &c., and apply to the Superintendent, who replies, “ no funds” ; so they are advised to form themselves into highway boards, and tax themselves, which is not a very palatable course ; but there appears no alternative. The ‘ Herald ’ suggests that the owners, who derive so much benefit, ought to come down handsomely towards the roads ; but it is too late in the day to propose applying a “ part of the rents” to that object. If the Government agent agreed to such a one-sided bargain as this appears to have been, the public are pledged to it, and must abide by it. When first the agreement was made, giving all the fees for miners’ rights to the Maoris, your correspondent thought the bargain only defensible on the plea of no other terms being possible; bad but half the amount been reserved to meet the expenditure, the terms would have appeared more equitable ; had only a quarter been so reserved, the terms would certainly have been liberal to the Maoris ; but when all the fees for miners’ rights are conceded, and the same amount (<£l yearly) per head for cattle, and then to that is added the right to let building lots in the town, and afterwards on any other part of the ground, it does appear as if the benefits were all on one side. Those who object to Government interference in laud have now an opportunity of testing their favorite remedy. “ free trade in land ” ; and one of its first results is one speculator monopolising nearly all the available land for building purposes outside Shortland, and then putting his own price on it, which is probably on the average double what was charged for the town lots through Government agency; although,in this case, the Maoris get all the rent, Government not even charging a commission.

The weather is showery, and the tracks barely passable. More machines are building, and more yet will be required. The charge is still £1 10s per ton for large quantities, a trifle jess in one or two instances where over a hundred tons was crushed from' one claim. The rich stuff pays well! at tin’s price, but many tons of stuffi could be worked up at a lower rate,'

which now would only entail a loss. Several instances of which. I have heard, the yield, has been less than an ounce to the ton, but very rarely do the Auckland journals mention such eases; their correspondents have no ears for such news, but find no difficulty in obtaining information when the yield is from four ounces to the ton, to the almost fabulous, bnt I believe quite correct, yield of two ounces to the pound. (Vide Manukau claim.) A price list is now published weekly by a sharebroking firm, but I know of several instances in which shares can be bought at much lower prices (in one case less than half) than those quoted ! So much for the reliability of their price current! Some of the higher priced shares are in my opinion better worth the money than many of the lower ones. As I have not, nor had, any shares in the market, ray opinion is not influenced by £ s d, whether it proves correct or otherwise. I shall not be surprised if we have a share-speculating-raania.

In Provincial news the wonder of the day is the appointment of Mr K. J. Creighton to the offices of Provincial Secretary and Treasurer. Mr C. was until lately editor of the ‘Southern: Cross,’ in which journal anti-Provin-cialism was frequently and warmly advocated, both editorially and other wise ; Mr C. also in the Provincial Council supported the Centralist party, and avowedly sought ro upset the Provincial system. Beyond this, several articles on Fenianism—savouring of sympathy therewith—have appeared in the same journal during the last eighteen months. Now the same gentleman would have us believe that Fenianism is a thing not to be tolerated. He is. however, probably not the only Fenian sympathiser in receipt of Provincial pay—for, unless I am misinformed, the writer of the articles alluded to is also a Provincial official. At our (Auckland) indignation meeting Fenianism was denounced as a thing not to he tolerated if it came amongst us, whereas it. is pretty well known that Fenianism does exist, am! had very many adherents in this Province before the exciting news from Sydney arrived ; but I would not lor a moment have it to he supposed that any number of our Fenians meant to be partners with assassins. Their love of country, their patriotism, made them follow, almost blindly, to the cry of nationality, without stopping to enquire what their leaders were going i; do, or how they meant doing it. Our speakers wont out of the way to attack and denounce Orangeisra, which was not in any shape before the meeting Even had it had been, there is a wide difference between a society which is pledged to maintain the Constitution and defend and support the Sovereign, and another which proposes to destroy both Constitution and the basis of society, the rights of property. Your indignation meeting appears to have been well conducted.

A complimentary ball to the Governor bas raised some controversy and charges of exclusiveness. As Ido not know who was the complainant, nor where the line is drawn to separate the patricians from the plebeians, I cannot tell what ground exists for the charge. If no one was eligible who had not al ways paid twenty shillings to the £, probably many who were present would have been present. Poverty is not desirable in itself, hut it is preferable to wealth ill-gotten.

Our Financial Reform Association have issued a report which points out how a very large saving in our Governmental expenditure may he effected, yet leaving a very large portion of our official army untouched. It appears as if they were afraid to grapple with the departments. Our young bloods in Government offices receive from fifty to a hundred per.cent, more [than merchants’ clerks, although the labor, care, and anxiety of the latter is in an inverse proportion to the former. Good intentions are very well *in their way, but our Financial Re-

iformers will seed something more before they effect a sensible reduction ia our taxation. The first step towards economy is to get the taxation! M customs duties, ccs.) renucsd. With less revenue available, our legislators would be obliged to curtail expenditure.

i in Maori affairs we have had another war about land in the North, being the third or fourth of the kind since the beginning of IRG7. And this among the so-called loyal tribes, Ngapuhi and Rarawa. Meanwhile. Mr George Grey’s eulogists bad the audacity to speak, write, and print, that both races were here governed under f one law. Of course it is not ■desirable for the Government to at tempt to punish the murderers for the blood shed in those feuds, as so doing would only involve us in more Maori wars, which it is our policy to avoid : but such events in a country where we profess to govern should make us feel somewhat ashamed of our position, and let us down a peg or two. I believe the export of gold for the month of April was over 5,000 ounces, and for March a little more.

Plenty of unemployed hands here yet, but I hope to see a change in that respect shortly, as more machines get into operation. Wages vary from 5s to 10s per day; bread is Gd the 2-lb loaf; beef and mutton, 5d to 7d per lb; butter, Is to ls4d ; groceries are a shade over Auckland prices, so that living is not very high. We have over a dozen licensed drinking shops, and several more building. One theatre only yet, and I question if it pays. Our Warden’s Court has a great deal of business, and lawyers must be making money rapidly.