AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1306, 23 April 1872, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

["raOM OTJR OWN" CORBESPONDENT ] 15th April, 1872. Our Supreme Court, sits to-day to decide civil cases. La<t week it was fully occupied with the trial of Cyrus Haley, of whose conviction you will have heard. The case tried was, shootin o- with intent to kill Thomas Henry Russell, eldest son of the well-known Thomas' Russell, jmi. The jury having delivered a verdict of guilty in the first case, Haley pleaded guilty successively to three other charges, viz., firing Mr Russell's haystacks, tiring the kerosine store in January, 1871, and sending a threatening letter to Mr Russell —the latter, although a serious offence in itself, light in comparison with the others. For the three principal offences enumerated he was sentenced, for each severally, to imprisonment tor life. Any individual who would, for either fancied or real wrongs, commit a series of like outrages, ought to be taken care of, as the only safeguard to society. That Halev also fired the Music Hall v ....

on one if not both occasions that it was destroyed is morally certain ; that the insurance Hall was burned while in his occupation is also strongly suggestive, especially considered with knowledge that he had effected an insurance for a large sum on his fittings, furniture, plate, &c. Whether he also fired the ship City of Auckland in January, 1871, is uncertain, but not improbable. At that time an anonymous letter threatening fire and murder was sent to the Southern Cross office, in which the fires were enumerated as the work of a society, of which the writer professed to be a member; and credit was taken for the burning ship as well as for the burnt buildings. Though the hand was disguised, there are persons here who. could swear that to the best of their belief the handwriting is that of Haley, having carefully examined and compared it with his known writing. Politicall}'- everything is quiet. The papers have ceased attacking Mr Gillies, although an occasional correspondent does it. At present the Cross and Herald are at war. This will be no disadvantage to the public. When certain folks fall out and fight, certain others may get their rights. So, long as such a powerful engine as the pre.-s was in strict alliance to support one party and their measures, 'the- "noneontents" had no fairplay, and public opinion was stifled. Now the doings of the Government of the Colony are freely criticised by the Herald, and defended by the Cross. In both large and small matters our Government has abandoned the one recognised method of dealing with Government expenditure, viz., public competition by tender, and adopted in lieu thereof privately arranged bargains. Thus the removal of Point Britomart is, (on the authority of the Government apologist, the Cross) being done under arrangement at a price more than double (say 230 per cent, advance on) that which another party offered to accept for the work. Likewise the Messrs. Brogden are said to be getting 10 per cent, commission ou all the outlay, without any responsibility whatever ! They again are said to have called for tenders for 200 ballast wagons (whatever they are to be) to be delivered in Auckland, but the tenders are invited, not in Auckland, but in Dunedin. Your correspondent, although an'Aucklander,is sufficiently a New Zealander to be quite willing to allow Dunedin mechanics a fair chance of competing, and if they eould supply the required article at a lower rate than their northern rivals, by all means let them do it; only let it be by fair competition. A comparatively trilling affair in <£ s d, but equally objectionable in principle, was the arrangement for the conveyance of the mails to Waikato. Tenders were called for, and the lowest tender was from Mr. W. J. Young, who naturally expected to get the contract. But a private arrangement was made with Mr Quick, and Mr Young and his fender thrown o\erboard. A dozen years ago, when the South road had not been formed, busses ran to Drury, and charged about onethird as much as is now charged on the same route, over a good metalled road, and with mail subsidies to the coachowner. Then wages, horseflesh, forage, and rolling stock were all more expen sive than now; then the fare was half-a-crown; now it its seven and sixpence, just trebled. And yet this coach proprietor is favored by the Government in being allowed to make a private bar gain, after others had put in tenders, and their prices ascertained ! Had such a thing occurred in Victoria, the next session of Parliament would have recorded something therewith connected; but in New Zealand It appears to be understood that the Government of the day may do as they like. April 19.

It is now paid that the advertisement for ballast wagon alluded to above was not the doing of either the Government or Messrs. Brogden, but of Mr Owen Jones, the contractor under private arrangement for the works at Fort Britomart, the intended site of the railway terminus works. It is not easy to fix the responsibility for anything connected with our public works. The mayor complained of a street being blocked up with stone and rubbish from the same works. On applying to Jones he was

referred to Brogden; then he was referred to Mr Stewart, a General Government official; and probably the next reference would be to the General Government Agent. At the annual licensing meeting the Bench refused several applications for renewals, and adjourned others. None of the new applications were granted. In some of the eases the grounds of objection were insuflicient internal and external accommodation ; others, ha\ - ing been convicted of selling on Sundays. Some houses which escaped are as notoriously open on Sundays tor business as either of those convicted.