AUCKLAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 19, Issue 1445, 3 October 1872, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

[fbom ottb own cobbespondent.J Sept. 23, 1872. Our city had a little excitement a fewdays ago, after which the public felL back into their normal state. The oc* casion was—filling three vacancies in* the City Council; the cause was—dis* satisfaction at; the conduct of the Council as a whole, and with several individual members especially; the residu was—the election of three new men. Some eighteen months ago- the then, existing city board was transformed! into a municipal council. A requisition, was numerously sigued, asking the old members to resign, a view to the introduction of some new blood. The, request was denied, but up to the present time only one of the then members has succeeded in obtaining re-election,, and even that one has since been ousted as not legally qualified to sit, and of course had some legal expenses to pay; and now all his old colleagues are gone.. The only members of the City Council of to-day who had been in the old City Board are a Mr Jones, who at someformer period, I believe, but not latterly, was in the board ; and the mayor,, who was chosen by the board as their chairman, and as such was transformed into mayor, although he had never been elected to either board or city council by the votes of the ratepayers. So for once the cLizens have obtained virtually a new government How the finances, will be administered remains to be seen; at present it is only known that the accounts are in such a sta<e of chaos as. to defy investigation, and it is asserted that a sum of .£IO,OOO is virtuallylacking, set down as arrears. Rather a large sum that to be missing out of taxes levied on property, not on persons. Even the paid columns of tharate books are said to have been left without being added up ; yet the coun cil employs a town clerk at ,£3OO a_year, an accountant or treasurer at a like rate, besides several clerks, <fcc. Uuder the circumstances, thnt rumors are afloat reflecting on some of the officials and ex-officials of the old board is but a natural sequel. Politically, the expected vacancy in the Superintendency is attracting somo attention. At least seven names hate been mentioned in print, but probably several of them without much authority. As the Superinteudency and Provincial Council both expire by efflux of time in 1873, it is to be regretted that we should be doomed to suffer two contested elections in following years. Jf a contest is inevitable, better that the Council should be dissolved forthwith,, and have the whole affair twelve months in advance. A decision given in the Supreme Court in a case of transfer of «crip has attracted some notice among shareholders in mining ventures. A held scrip in various gold mining companies,, ami entrusted B with signed transfers —a very common practice, as it facilitates buying and selling. B, sells sonioof A's Caledonian scrip, and " makes tracks " with the money ; C, the buyer, gets the scrip transferred, probably in perfectly good faith. A now asserts that the transfers he signed were not filled in Caledonian, nor intended to bo so tilled; and claims his shares from the Caledonian Gold-mining Company,, and has obtained a decision in his favor. According to A, B committed forgery, by altering the terms of the document (transfer) which A had signed; however, B is not here to answer for his conduct, and is not very likely to put himself in the way of the sheriff just yet. The Cross has been very cross over the downfall of the Vogel Ministry. Mr V.'s employes on the Cross take cure that his trumpet shall he well blown at any rate. But my opinion is that public feeling, so far as such » thing exists here, is rather with the victors of the lale gieat battle of word* at Wellington. But our noi mal parties are somewhat disorganized, so that it is difficult to comprehend the game My own opinion may be an erroneous one, bat it is nevertheless this; that* certain section of the Auckland vote* | had combined to oust Fox, but would be willing to put in Vogel, if they were able. As they railed from F° x » J they would be equally ready to i*» 1 fiom. Stafford; in fact I should deuiu j

them very unreliable allies to the new ministry." The waverers may have made definite terms for their votes, although my opinion is not clear on that head. The public here will hardly accept the supposition that three of Gillies' unmisiakeable opponents have agreed to bury the hatchet, and support a ministry of which he is a part, without consideration. According to constitutional usage, the new ministry would be entitled to a dissolution, if unable to govern with the existing Assembly. On the other hand a dissolution would not necessarily, and might not, alter the roil of the Assembly much. At present the great contractors, Webb and Co. aud Brogden and Co. appear to have each one Representative in the House, sitting for portions of this Province, and they might possibly get further allies into the Assembly. The unchecked control of the expenditure of very large sums of public money might have great influence on the ballot boxes. Another chapter in the history of the great case, Craig v. Mohi, or the i; battle of logs," is now pending. It is undoubtedly the longest and hardest fought dispute between individual Pakeha and Maori that has yet occurred. Craig's troubles began when he entered into an arrangement which was contrary to law—the Native Land Purchase Ordinance—and consequently could not be sustained in any Court; but he might have escaped much of the cose'and trouble he has incurred, if he had been a " leetle " more pliable. It is one thing to stick up for your full leyal rights, but a very different matter when dealing with a subject on which vou have no legal rights at all. The original bargain was with the mother of Mohi; since her death the son repudiates the arrangement ; as he is the principal " Grantee" it would have been only business like to have paid him a few hun beds to secure his full endorsement after the old lady's death. Sept. 28. We had an election for City West yesterday, resulting in the return of Mr Prime by a majority of nearly two to one over Mr Staines.