NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5005, 9 April 1877, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

SUMMARY*FOR THE MONTH MARCH-APRIL, 1877. For transmission hy the F.M.C.S. Zaalandln, from Auckland, on the 12th April, to Europe, via San Francisco . In matters social and political throughout the colony during the last month very little has .transpired to call for special comment. For the most part wo have proceeded on the even tenor of our way, without convulsions of any sort. Trade generally has shown itself to bo in a satisfactory condition. There are some facts in connection with the fall in the price of wool recently telegraphed from London which when considered show that the prices which ruled at the close of last sales can hardly be taken as affecting New Zealand so much as might be at first supposed. At the last sales very little New Zealand wool was catalogued, and the decline in price was said to have been confined to the very inferior sorts.. Now, a largo quantity of Australian wool was catalogued, and in memory of the severe droughts which affected the sister colonies during the present season, it is not dillicult to guess that the wool sent Home from there was of a very inferior quality, indeed so poor as almost in itself to account for no small proportion of the fall in price recorded. It is pretty evident that we must wait until this season’s wool from New Zealand has been submitted to competition before we can pronounce definitely as to how far the last reported decline in the price of wool will •affect this colony ; and as there has been a most favorable season in Now Zealand, it is reasonable to suppose that we have not much to fear.i In our last Summary we referred to an election contest for a seat in the House of Representatives left vacant by the resignation of Edward Pearce, Esq., who is now on his way to England. The candidates were Mr. W. T. L. Travers and Mr. Hutchison, Mayor of the city. The former was elected by a majority of 15. Owing to the death of Mr. G, H. Tribe, another seat (Totnra) has been left vacant in the Lower House of Parliament, and two candidates are already in the field. The criminal sessions of the Supreme Court for this city have just closed. The calendars throughout the colony have been light, with the exception of Christchurch, In every community there will of course be some proportion of

crime, and often a particular class of offence will be the prominent one. Where there is so little crime as there is here, one can hardly say that any offence is prevalent; but it does appear as if there was a tendency to increase in one direction, viz., forgery. This is felony so easily committed that it is likely to be often resorted to anyhere ; but if people would be more careful in cashing cheques than they are, there would be less temptation to perpetrate this kind of fraud. If it be true that in many instances opportunity alone induces crime, the faci-

lities offered by the readiness with which some people will cash money orders are direct incentives to vice. It speaks well for the general honesty of the community that people do trust each other so implicitly ; but it does, as it appears to us, afford opportunities to rogues, who would have great difficulty, were other tactics ' adopted, in carrying out their nefarious schemes. If these spurious cheques could not be cashed, they would soon cease to be drawn, and cases of forgery would of ~ necessity become almost unknown. At the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce held in Wellington the report gave evidence of a very satisfactory state of things in connection with the commercial position of the colony, and the Chairman made an interesting state- ■ ment, in which he gave some valuable statistical information, showing that the position of the colony was progressive, . and, defending it successfully against the statements made by persons in England, and correspondents to papers in the other ,-colonies, concerning our financial conditions now.

-There has been nothing else during the month that appears worthy of special comment. As before stated, on the whole things have been sufficiently quiet. The weather up to date has been generally fine.