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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 158, 2 July 1878, Page 2

Victoria has 900 miles of railway open for traffic; New South Wales, 800; and New Zew Zealand, 1G24. " The serf aof this great country, " as Sir George Grey delights to term the well to-do working man of New Zealand (says the Poverty Bay Herald) muat be having pretty rosy times of it, just now. Only yesterday one of these " serfs " was offered by Mr E. L. Smith, the contractor, a job of work which was worth £3 10s per week. To commence the job it was necessary that a few pieces of light timber should be carried up .to the second floor of the building in which the work was to be done. The " serf" objected to this. He wouldn't start unless everything was ready for him. As this was a style of doing business Mr Smith was not accustomed to, that " slave of this favored Britain of the South" was not engaged. Now he is walking about town with his hands in his pockets, and declaring to his mates that New Zealand w no country for 4 working man, '

As showing the value of land in the City of Wellington the foiiowing extract from the New Zealander of a recent date may be interesting to our readers : — " Considerable interest was excited yesterday in the sale hy auction of the Supreme Court Buildings. The sale took place at Mr Duncan's rooms, and a, very large crowd of leading merchants, speculators, and others assembled. Prominent among those present were the owners of land in the vicinity, who attended the sale simply to gauge their wealth by the amount the property sold at. There was a little talk as to the amount of the advance tbe bids should take, when the auctioneer announced that he would accept £1 per foot. The bidding was started at £l 00 per foot by Mr. Robert Port, and rapidly advanced to £103, and then a jump to £ i 10, followed by another jump to £120, amidst great applause £1 bids followed rapidly up to £142, when it was thought tbe hammer must fall, but £1 bids brought it up to £150 a foot, amidst loud cheers and at this tbe hammer almost descended; when 1, 2, 3, followed in rapid succession amidst great excitement, and at £153 Dr. Buller was declared the purchaser, loud cheers following the result. The total value at this figure is £16,271. This is the largest price land has ever fetched in New Zealand, and gives an evidence of the extraordinary value in which property i 3 held in this city. The bidding from several quarters was on behalf of companies, the South British Insurance Company running up as high aa £150 per foot. We understand the speculation has been made on behalf of English capitalists, but to what purpose the buildings or the ground will be turned we are not at present aware."