AUCKLAND.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2190, 25 March 1880, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

[feom oue own correspondent.] PLEUEO-PNEUMONIA. Before the great scare of pleuropneumonia, all lesser sensations have paled their ineffectual iires during the last fortnight, and (he Press has assisted in the achievement of this result by a zealous attachment to the one fascinating theme. The bucolic soul has been stirred to its utmost depths by particularised and attenuated descriptions of the movements and doings of the various officials, while gratuitous advice as to the best course to adopt, under the circumstances, lias been offered by the column. The farmers were stimulated into unaccustomed energy, the Cattle Board, too, felt the moving impulse, and even the Government manufactured a somnolent and heavy-eyed kind of interest, though the means they took of showing it is, to say the least, “ somewhat peculiar.” The Cattle Inspector, a man having a slight acquaintance with cattle maladies, was relieved of his office by waj r of economy, I presume, and the incidental duties were incorporated with those of Sheep Inspector. This official has had ( the candor to confess that he is quite ignorant of the nature and symptoms of cattle complaints, and, as a consequence, he is obliged to employ competent veterinary surgeons to make the requisite inspections. In order to preserve the semblance of participation in the work, he undertakes to write their reports, although in the ordinary course of business this would be done without any addition to the inspectorial fees. The whole action is intensely amusing, and the Government has subjected itself in consequence to an immense amount of ridicule. Their abolition of the post of cattle inspector was dictated by economical motives, and yet the new officer has to engage professional men to do that which he frankly admits he cannot perform himself. The Pastoral Association suggested the appointment of a veterinary surgeon, but the powers that be, scorned to be guided by such an irresponsible body. The local Cattle Board has now taken the matter into its own hands, and, with the active co-operation of the settlers, it is making strenuous exertions to secure the extinction of the contagion. There is much reason for the belief that they will succeed. Your own remarks on the subject have been quoted by the local papers, and have been favorably commented upon. THE MINISTERIAL VISITATION. At length we have amongst us the Premier and your quondam Superintendent (Mr llollcston), but the errant and long-expected Oliver has not yet directed his mcanderings hitherwards. The advent of Mr Hall to the city was the signal for the deputationizers to got ready. Their intentions, however, were not secret enough, and taking advantage of a picnic invite, the astute Premier sought refuge from the anticipated “ boring” by an excursion to the magnificent estate of Mr J. C. Frith, at Matamata, at the head of the Upper Thames, By his own unaided efforts the hitter gentleman has had the river, for a distance of seventy miles, cleared of snags, and has just celebrated the work by a reception banquet and subsequent sports. Of course speeches were made, in which the guests and the host vied with each other in the construction of elaborate compliments, and as a natural consequence all the participants in the post-prandial glorification fool mutually pleased. The Premier returned to town by easy stages on Saturday night, and the eager would-be interviewers once more prepared for the wordy fray. However, they have been once more euchred. Accompanied by the Minister for Lands the head of the (lovernment left on Mondfiy morning on a visit to the Training School and vessels at Kohimannna, and he was absent all the day. With indomitable perseverance the dopntationistsplanned a strategic campaign for to-day, and I believe they managed to carry the Ministerial fortress by storm. Whether or not they will succeed in their several quests is another and rather difficult question, for Ministerial utterances are proverbially as uncertain and ambiguous as the deliverances of the famous Delphian oracle. QUARANTINE VESSELS. Since the despatch of my last epistle, two immigrant vessels have arrived in port, and singularly enough both had disease on board of such a character as to ensure their detention in quarantine. The former of the two —the ship British Empire—had just been admitted to pratique, when the barque Earl Granville put in an appearance. Measles and low fever had attacked the passengers during the voyage, and about forty persons (mostly children), had succumbed to one or the other of the co-existing ailments. The doctor of the barque was himself laid low with fever, and since the vessel arrived, he has expired. In this connection it may not be amiss to refer to a stupid and rather malevolent attempt to hoax the public with regard to the whereabouts of one of the immigrant ships that was slightly overdue, A plcoo of cane was found boating in the harbor, with a paper lied to it, upon which was written, in a schoolboy s scrawl, a message which pur ported to come from a survivor of the wreck of the expected vessels at the Crozets. It also stated that the crow and passengers of the missing Knowleslcy Hall were there likewise. The affair was taken to the shipping reporter of the “ Star,” and, fortunately for the equanimity of the public mind, he had discernment enough to see through the cheat at once. The appearance of the cane and the paper showed that they could only have been ia the water a day or two at the most, while the date of the message was 100 recent to permit of much doubt as to its spuriousness. That was apparent to any reflective person. The villainous attempt to create an agitation was exposed through the Press, and any inquietude that may have been excited was soothed several days afterwards by the safe arrival of the barque. MATTERS JUDICIAL. A considerable amount of surprise was occasioned hero by the news of the arrest at Taranaki of Mr J. C. Young, the well-known laud purchase agent, on a charge of forging receipts for payments which were never made. The gentleman occupied a very responsible position, and during the last few months several thousands of pounds have passed thi’ough his hands. A land purchase agent is necessarily exposed to great (temptations, and if he should prove an unscrupulous individual, the lax manner in which the Native Department has always been conducted makes it easy for him to amass a fortune at the public expense. The alleged defalea-,

tious in Mr Young’s case are said to have come lo lightquite accidentally. The Crown Prosecutor has succeeded in obtaining the committal of the accused to the Supreme Court. Another case which attracted much attention in Auckland was the trial of a solicitor at Gisborne, named Ward (son of the Registrar of the Supreme Court at Dunedin), for forging a certain deed affecting the property of a defunct client. The evidence, however, was insufficient to substantiate the charge, and the case was dismissed.