AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume XIII, Issue 580, 28 May 1868, Page 3

AUCKLAND.

[FROM OUR O'-VN CORRESroXDEXT.I Shortlaed. May 20, 1860. MR. BUSBY'S CASE. j The great Busby case has startled the] public this month. Its history is not I bo well known in other Provinces as in! Auckland. Endeavoring to he brief—| Mr Busby was British Resident in New Zealand before it was proclaimed part of the British dominions. He, like many others, bargained with the natires fo*" Inrrff'. hlnrl-s r-.f i and, when the sovereignity had been acquired, was refused Crown titles From that time until the present he has been engaged in a struggle with th« GfOTerumant on this question—has

tried in turn tha Provincial Council, General Assembly, Sum-e-ao Court, and Colonial Oiiice ( U-nvuin.f-street). .Last year Ins case appeared Iropeless, and. himself apparently hear.-It ken; a friend in the Gwent! Assembly (Mr Carletou j tool-: the case iu hand, and quietly introduced a Bill, which passed into an Act almost unnoticed, and all but unopposed, providing for the ap pointment of arbitrators, and their award is declared to be final; that award is in Mr Bnsbv’s favor to the

amount of Ovci T;;,wO;; awes yf (-scrip] lanvl, besides the continuation and le galisation of certain grants for several thousand more, which said grants had been specially declared nuli and void by previous Acts of the Assembly. This award would practically cripple the Provincial Government, as it would probably swallow all the available land worth having in their possession, so the Superintendent has withdrawn from sale nearly all the Provincial lauds, ami consequently Mr Busby's case will have to come before the Assembly again next session. Either this award is exceedingly too much, or our successive Governments have hitherto treated Mr Busby with shameful injustice. Many years ago he wanted his claims submitted to arbitration, but the Government were unwilling. Sir G. Grey at that time had full power to deal out justice, and more if he chose ; yet now his eulogists tacitly consent to an award that reverses his previous policy, and cripples the Province. Had all the claims been allowed in full some twelve or fifteen years ago, the Province would scarcely have felt the eiiect; now, the burden is unbearable. The persons by whom the award was made were Mr Jackson, solicitor, and to some extent Mr Busby’s agent; Dr. Pollen, General Go Government agent; and Mr J. T. Mackelvie, resident agent and partner of the firm of Brown and Campbell. 1 I cannot see how Dr. Pollen can be considered to have done his duty to the public in consenting to Mr Mackei-

vie as umpire. The umpire in such a case should have been perfectly Jib interested. Possibly, Aetiug-Judg* .Moore, or, more probably, Chief Justice Arney might have filled the post with satisfaction to all parties, which is more than could be expected from the agent and commercial partner of a firm largely interested in laud claims, V petition in Mr Busby’s favor was was carried round for signature last year by another odd land claimant, who at the time denied that they wore s -eki >g anything like the quantity of land or cash now awarded. By his account compensation to a very limited amount would silence [if not satisfy) Mr Husky, and your correspondent was pressed to sign it on that understanding, but declined to do so, although only on the ground of the extent of the claim, and unwillingness to commit himself to an indefinite amount. Mr Busby had played the high game, and apparently best the game ; yet your correspondent would not have objected to his receiving moderate compensation. Probably very few of those who signed the petition were aware of the extent to which they were committing the public estate.

MINIXG ITEMS. A new district, hitherto reserved, was proclaimed open last week. It is near Harataunga, or Kennedy’s Bay, on the east side of chts peninsula. Some gold has been found in the beds "f the brooks, and probably by this lime 500 men are on it. I purpose visiting it first opportunity. It is not expected to prove very rich, but the very name of alluvial gold will attract many miners, as hundreds here have worked months for nothing, or or worse than nothing, obtaining stuff that cost mors for crushing than it yielded. A speculator is said to have leased from the natives all the flat land available for & township in that disjunct. The local paper (Thames Advertiser) advises the miners not to I hurry away to au uncertainty. Very ! disinterested advice, perhaps, but if jtbe Harataunga block proves much mors uncertain than this Karaka block, it will be a very precarious life for those who choose it. Claim speculation is still much in vogue, and the shares in claims—good, indifferent, speculative, and worthless —on offer are more than equal to the demand. The share list published two or 'three weeks ago was so outrageously

liiat ItS auiiiors tl£i.V‘~ CC-Cui";] it advisable to come down considerably. Only people at a distance, or tfiose vvtlfaflj blind here could be deceived by such quotations, as a little enquiry would disclose the fact in several instances, that sh arcs in the claims! quoted could be bought at considerably lower figures—in some instances at k-ss kliau than half the quote ! price. Even on the ground there are cases where one partner will give a working half away, and another in the seme CiUUll Will bt*L‘h. li'Ulll <£lo LU d£GO u»l another working half of exactly equal value. The working half is to work the share, by proxy or in person, and only take half the proceeds ; the other half going to the holder of the sleeping half. In a rich claim a working half] is valuable; in a poor claim it is worthless, nay, involves actual loss.

Two more crushing mills are now about ready to commence work, besides others building.