AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 18, Issue 1134, 30 September 1871, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

fFROM OTTB OWJS" COEBESPONDENT.] Our Supreme Court finished its criminal sessions on the 23rd inst. Several forgery convictions, one perjury ditto, and some others of the worst crimes. The calendar was a heavy one. The perjury case has attracted little notice, but it was a case in which it would have been quite possible for a juryman to have conscientiously doubted, and so let the prisoner off. That the verdict is just I have not dpubt; but the circumstances were unusual, and to some extent extenuating The prisoner got info a row, got severely handlecj, and appears to have lost a sum of money in the scuffle; he charged the two men with whom he had the fracas witl) assault and robbery, and swore positively that he felt one of them put his hand into his pocket; they brought witnesses who contradicted this complainant, and swore that he struclf first (one man attacked two). Tlje first charge was dismissed and the complainant charged with perjury, tor which he has been sentenced to two years hard labor. He is a man with no friends, and conse-

(juently nobody doubts the justice of the verdict; nor do 1; but cases of harc( swearing do frequently occur, and very seldom can a conviction for perjury be .obtained. The forgery cases were con? nected -vvit h scrip dealing. Considering the loose manner in which that business is conducted, many people profess to wonder at so few cases of forgery turning up. But while only two men have been convicted on litis charge this session, several oilier Gases have been heard of, and in two instances the persons implicated liaye taken a marine trip foe Ihe benefit of their constitutions and pockets. But the profits which a sharp broker can realise, if he meets witl* sufficient customers, are large enough to neutralise the temptation which undoubtedly exists. I believe the usual charge is 5 per cent. Thus, when Caledonians were in their glory, if a broker could pass half a dozen Caledonians, through his hands in a week, his allowed commission would be £QO-. But look at the brokers' reports, which report variations daily from £5 to. <£|oi and frequently to a much higher amount. It is not an unfair inference, that in very many cases these variations are simply sharebrqkers' margin. If you buy on a certain day through one ageing and a friend sells on the same through another, perhaps you will afterwards find, on comparing notes, that you bought at or near the top quotation of the day, and be sold at or near the bottom one ; the margin of J 25, .£lO, or ,£2O having been duly entered on the profit side of the ledgers of some of the sharebrpking (in reality sharejobbing). fraternity. A little scandal was caused at the despatch of the last steamer for Houot lulu, by a certain scrip man going off, taking with him the proceeds of sales of scrip belonging to his clients, and a newly married wife; leaving his legitimate spouse and family hehind. In this case the person is charged with bigamy, forgery, breach of trust, an 4 embezzlement. Last week the local press was unusually lively. An article appeared in the Star, charging a number of our fast men by name and designation with some outrages of the kind commonly known as Had the persons alluded to really done the acts charged, they would have richly deserved both exposure and punishment. But the charge was too serious a one to, be lightly made, without good grounds. Some of the persons aggrieved went to the Herald office to complain, (the Staris printed in theHeiald o.fi|ce, and with the Herald's type, although bearing the names of other parties) ; not being satisfied there some of them visited the Stayoffice, and were threatened with the police. One of the party referred to assaulted one of the persons of the Herald and Star staff at the theatre, for which a summons was taken out; but an apology has since been tendered and accepted. It was a great taking the law into his own hands; and, if possible, a greater mistake in selecting the wrong person. Another of the party —who had visited both the Herald's and Star's offices, and been promised an apology, on reading the next paper found, instead of an apology, the charges reiterated, and asserted to be strictly true, and an intimation that "We " (the Editor), were neither afraid of lawyer'a letters npr threats of personal violence, but were quite ready for either, &c, —so far forgot himself as to enter the Star officp and assault one of the proprietors. He was forcibly ejected from the office, and summoned for the assault; and notwithstanding the provocation he had received, fined £lO,. Rather heavy, considering all the circumstances. Since then the Star has made a kind of apology, admitting that nearly all the persons they had pointed out are not guilty of the offence* charged. Both Herald and Cross by offensive reference to the cases t risked legal proceedings, which it wouls not have been surprising to see adopted. The Star people might not be deemed worth legal powder. The Provincial Government have entered into a contract for construction of a railway between the waters of K«iparaand those of Waitemata* involving nearly £45,000. Tt is not likely tQ pay foi' its cost for many a year; but what of that 1 Nothing dope, except, surveying, towards the reeommen^*

ent 0 f the Auckland and Waikato railway, on portions of which about £120,60$ was expended some years ago. Tt is to be hoped the Government will .goon take steps to construct this line, as the most important public work in 'this, Province. The principal consumers of gas lately rebelled against the price charged by the Auckland Gas Company, who refused to lower it, but quickly came down when a company was organised to start an opposition company. It is something unusual for A.ucklanders to rebel successfully against the select .circle of influential men who rule nearly , a ll our local institutions. At the annual meeting of the Caledonian Gold Joining Company there was also a rebellion against the same party, but they were too strong, held too many proxies in their possession, and so defeated the malcontents. The Caledoniau's last dividend was £4, which does not justify the high rates at which the shares have been .sold during the last four months. That the price has not fallen lower is owing to suspicions of the management. If the manager was to report unfavorably, probably the shares would rise; if he reported favorably, they would fall; in .either case the public suspect that the report is colored for a purpose 1