INTER-PEOVINCIAL ITEMS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 744, 16 December 1869, Page 2

INTER-PEOVINCIAL ITEMS.

AUCKLAND. [from our own correspondent.] December 6, 1869. Yotr will have learnt that the result of the polling for the Superintendent gave Mr Gillies a majority of 52 votes. The declaration was made on the 2nd instant. The elections to the Council will not be all over until nearly the end of the month, when we shall have enjoyed four months electioneering. Could not the whole have been got through in four weeks ? or, to deal liberally with all concerned, surely two months would have been ample. September for the preliminaries, October for the elections; then November for the new Government to prepare the way, and the Council to meet in December. What a deal of time might have been thus saved. Besides this, the appropriations expire with the year, and it is of course impossible to hold a session of the Council before the Council itself is elected ; so the year will begin with a locked cliosfc,

! It appears on reliable testimony that an attempt was made to preveut a free express sion of opinion at Shortland, an organized body of adherents of Mr Williamson having taken up a position in front of th© Court-house (the poll-room) and made it extremely difficult, as well as dangerous, for any known supporter of Mr Gillies who tritd to get in. One very firm and resolute (although very quiet) acquaintance of mine succeeded in getting inside, after receiving coarser treatment than most men would care to undergo- Hi was twice dragged away from the door by force; on one occasion he actually laid hold of one of the policemen who were supposed to be guarding the door, but that was of no avail; in fact, the police appeared rather to enjoy seeing electors ill-used, and to think it"a capital joke ! At the same time, if a cab with voters drove up, a way was made for them to enter, ann my friend attempted to follow them in, but when recognized, was dragged back by force.

Had the contest been won by such means, tl e pretence at election wou'd have been a perfect farce. We should have been literally under mob-rule. I suppose it was the most glaring attempt to rule by violence that has ever occurred in the Colony. The election did not pass without some personation. One man, said to bo respectably connected, was given in charge for the offence, but being bailed out, he failed to appear; a warrant was applied for, but it is scarcely likely he will be caught. As three persons who, either by personally holding office, or by being nearly related to officials, were "implicated in this case, the exposure would not be incurred if it could anyhow be avoided ; but personation will never be checked if those who procure it as well as those who practise it, are allowed to escape punishment. If this was the only case that came under the cognisance of the law, it was not the only case of personation that occurred.

A deal of new blood is likely to be found in the new Council; of fifteen already elected, five are new men, and I bolieve more new men will vet get in.

I mentioned in my last that the exSupevintendent took an electioneering trip up North, accompanied by several official and non-official supporters. Among the passengers was one Patrick Bonfield, well known at Shortland for his violence and readiness to take the law into his own hands, who had figured in the Police court, hai been bound over to keep the peace, &c. After that trip he signalised his return by violently assaulting a man at a public meeting, was convicted in the Po-lice-court, and sentenced to a fortnight's imprisonment. For a very violent and unprovoked assau't such a sentence was a very lenient one, but the pnrty to which he belongs actually got up a memorial to the Gi-overnor, and sent a deputation to ask him to remit the sentence and release the prisoner ! Had the Governor complied, lawlessness would have been encouraged, and peaceable people would in time be driven to the formation of a " vigilance committee" for mutual protection.

Among other tricks played on the polling day was one which, under a system of vote by ballot, would have passed undiscovered, and consequently unredressed. After the close of the poll at Stokes' Point, some persons whose names are not public got possession of the poll book, and put twenty names down as votes for Williamson, thus swelling the votes in his favor ; and the poll book, so doctored, was delivered at the Sheriff's office. Mr Gillies' friends having been duly represented at Stokes' Point, the fraud was made known, and the -Deputy Returning Officer having made affidavit proving the fraud, these fictitious votes were cancelled. This incident, taken in connection with certain other cases of personation not published, and with the violence used at Shortland and Coromandel, shews the lengths to which some of Mr "Williamson's supporters were prepared to go, to win by every or any means. December 7, 1869. A meeting of parties interested in the mines was held yesterday. The poor results to the shareholders in most of the claims has now become such a well-knowu fact that it could not be ignored. Bad management may fairly be charged with part of this, but the great fact is simple enough to men of ordinary common sense. If you buy an interest, be it small or large, in a valueless claim, can you reasonably expect profit ? If you give at the rate of thousands sterling for an interest in a claim that, under the most favorable circumstances, could do little more than pay for working, what probability is there of your receiving any but infinitesimal dividends if even any dividends at all? By all kinds of exaggeration, and a great deal of falsehood, the public were induced to buy, and in nine cases out of ten the buyer was sold. December 9, 1869. The export of gold for the current quar« ter will probably be larger than that of any previous quarter ; if it proves so, the Auckland press will make the most of it. Alter all the highly-colored accounts that have appeared in the papers from time to time it is satisfactory to find the New Ze&land Herald admit, as it has done this week, that " the total yield of gold would not pay for the machinery and buildings erected.''

The amount of fraud and deception which has been practised is almost incredible ; but I cannot admit that the press is blameless, as is attempted to be shown. No exaggeration was too much, no falsehood too glaring, while the ball was rolling j while on the other hand any man, who attempted to enlighten the public as.

to the real state of affairs was denounced sad abused. Only a few weeks ago the press stated that so and so brought up three boxes of gold, each coutaining 30 ! 0 ozs.; .of course there was the usual congratulation over 9300 ozs. of gold ; but I was assured by a man in business that the three boxes contained rather less than 3000 azs. in all, instead of each. This is not the only instance of the same kind.

A cask of rum, which had remained for a considerable time in Sidey & Co.'s bonded store, abandoned by its owner, was yesterday ordered to be destroyed by the Customs authorities. It was taken outside the store and staved iu, the spirit flowing down the street. Some one threw a lighted match in it, and instantly the whole street was in a blaze, to the great danger of the neighboring buildings, especially Mr Crawford's store. However, by dint of considerable exertion, and a free use of water the fl nnes were extinguished without having done any actual damage. —Evening Post, Dec. 9. It is very gratifying to observe that the dressed flax turned out by the various mills in the Province is continually improving in quality, as the industry becomes more developed. A parcel brought from Wanganui, recently prepared by Messrs Eees & Gibson, excels in evenness and strength of fibre, color, and freedom from gum, any we have yet seen brought into Wellington It is also packed in a very superior manner, the bales being close and hard, and free from the ragged ends which frequently disfigure the appearance of parcels to be seen going down the wharf for shipment.—Evening Post, 9th December.

We (Evening Post) are happy to learn that the committee appointed by the meeting recently held at liangitikei, for the purpose of endeavoring to procure the release of Walter Tricker, have engaged the services ef Mr J. Gordon Allan, to carry out for them the objects they have in view. Mr Allan's great legal abilities, and the zeal which he brings to bear uoon any cause in which he is interested, warrant us in hoping that under his auspices this long vexed matter may be finally brought to a conclusion, and such tardy justice as is now possible rendered to the unhappy man who has languished so many years in prison.