AUCKLAND. [From the New Zealander, May 29.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 719, 23 June 1852, Page 2

AUCKLAND. [From the New Zealander, May 29.]

A Sale of Crown Lands took place on Wednesday, with very encouraging results, both as , to the quantity purchased and the prices realised. Of the lots, — which were situated chiefly at Mangarei ' and the East Tamaki, — twenty-one were* sold, producing a total sum of upwards of two thousand three hundred pounds. Although the majority of the- allotments were ' knocked down at the upset price* yet several were spiritedly competed for, — six lots, the upset price of which collectively was £372 13s. 7d., selling for £507. It was satisfactory also to observe that amongst the principal of the purchasers who thus practically evinced their appreciation of the goodness of the land, and their confidence in the agricultural resources and prospects of the district, were gentlemen so well acquainted with the country as Major Greenwood, Mr. W. S. Grahame, Mr, T^ S. Forthsaith, and Mr. Newman. Nauseous as is the subject of the conduct of our defunct Common Council, it is impossible

to deal with passing occurrences in the Borough. j without occasionally referring to it ; — and indeed we" fear it will be a considerable time be- { fore the veil of a pitying oblivion can be finally cast over their »miscbievous meddling with affairs which they lack the ability or the inclination, or both, to manage far the public benefit, and in conformity with the office they had accepted under the Charter of Incorporation. The fact that last Wednesdays Land Sale alone would have added a sum of between seven and eight hundred pounds to the amount already at their disposal for roads and works in the Borough, enforces a recol.ection of their abandonment of their sphere of doty, and furnishes a new evidence of the hollowness of the pretence of want of funds under which they endeavour to shelter their inglorious fetreat. Although— as over and over again admitted — they had not endowments nearly su^ ficient for all the undertakings which the wants of the Borough call for, yet the Common Council never were without available funds, the right* employment of which might have accomplished much good. On the very day of their inauguration, they had not only the grant from the Legislative Council, but an additional sum of about £500 from the Land Fund. How much might have been effected even with this amount during the summer. months, while our " worthy" Councillors were, squabbling amongst themselves, or pushing their interference into concerns with which, in their corporate capacity, they had nothing whatever to do ! More recently, the Lieutenant-Governor informed' them that about £1600 lay in the Treasury awaiting their accep f ance, and gave an intimation of further supplies from Land Sales, which their knowledge of his Excellency's character might have satisfied them would/ to the utmost of Ms power, be generously realised. Had the majority not decided to throw overboard the council of their own Mayor, and of an Alderman who was probably better qualified than any other member of their body to form an opinion on a question of what might be done on roads and bridges by a given outlay, useful works would ere now' have been in progress under the superintendence of the Council, and their funds would already have been replenished by the large' amount accruing as their dividend of Wednesday's sale, with a certain prospect of obtaining more from the same source, two Land Sales (less extensive, indeed, but still sure to produce something) being advertised to take place within the next three weeks, and others being undoubtedly to follow during the year. No contortion of facts, no sophistication, of reasoning,, can prove that the Corporation was 'left without means of performing works which were of the most urgent necessity to the settlers ; and the Burgesses, whatever may.be their political sent ; ments, will scarcely forget, during the sufferings and losses which many of them are doomed to endure from the state of the thoroughfares, &c, during the winter, that their so-called representatives first idly frittered away the season' in which the evil might have been to an important extent remedied,'— a season which, this year, was almost unprecedently favourable for road-making and all works in t-h"e open air — and then frowardly and factiously cast out of their hands means of doing as much as might, even at that late hour, have been done by the prudent expenditure of twenty-three or twenty-four hundred pounds sterling, — to say nothing of the further suras certain- to have been theirs. This is the view in which practical men will see the matter, and in which our in-dustrious-settlers, especially in the rural wards, will painfully feel it. As the convenience and advantage of the community is the grand object which we have throughout chiefly -regarded in considering the possible uses and the actual abuses of the Corporation, we have , anxiously thought — What will, or can, now be done to lessen the evils entailed upon the Borough by its Common Council ? The' Government are commencing the expenditure of the Grant from the Legislative Gouncil ; but that was only "a minor portion of the funds offered to the Corporation, and now, weather such as we must anticipate will render it far more inadequate than it would have ben four .or five months since. The appropriation of the larger amount derived from the Land Sales is so embarrassed by the conduct of the Municipal Council that, we presume, no opinion can be formed respecting it, at least until the mind of the Governor-in-Chief has been ascertained, j But it has occurred to us as not unlikely that if the Wardens in some -of the Hundreds where works of obvious and urgent necessity are-re-quired,—for instance in the case of the White Bridge — were to apply to the Lieutenant-Go-vernor for such a portion of the money as would suffice to accomplish those works, his Excellency might see fit to undertake the responsibility of appropriating the necessary • amount, especially considering that/ in some cases, if the work be not done at once it can scarcely be done at all until the next spring, and then only at a greatly increased cost. This suggestion may be worth consideration, and no harm could result from making the trial. As for the Common Council, it is quite clear that they no longer have any voice in the matter ; they have put themselves wholly out of court, and any claim or complaint from them on the subject of the application of the Funds designed for the Corporation 1 would only make them greater laughing-stocks than they have already made themselves. The Wardens have j generally acted so honestly and judiciously injheir offices that the settlers place, a confidence in them which the Common Council never enjoyed and never deserved ; and we can entertain no doubt that the - Lieulenant-Go-vernor would be most, willing to enter, s*o far as the limits of his authority permit, into any plan tending to relieve either the town or country parts of the Borough, from the difficulties caused by the Common Council's incompetency and perverseness.