GENERAL NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 249, 7 November 1872, Page 8

GENERAL NEWS.

Writing about s<Jme* r&eenfl^ disturbances'at the Capl§ ~dia"mQfi£Jeldsl* tfte Porlj Lovjis : '/ Qommercjal-j Gazette " i — " The jdjgger.S; are exasperated^ at the numerous robbecies ot diamonds committed by* tie^'Kaffirs and the facilsiiiel afforded -them fyr'^ispGsi^'^f'^ho stolen property by canteen-keepers and others. Acts of violence "were, commicted, tents were, burnt, ' 'innocent *Kaffirs were brutally treatted' aHd the *B^fcish eonamisstaiers, on pressure* being exercised, liberated riotei's oa -bail, and gave way to other unreasonable demands. Public meetings were held, the commissioner presiding, and many persons enrolled themselves as f spe,cial constables.- A committee of diggers was formed, and after deliberation, stringent, unjust and impolitic rules were submitted to the commissioners, which the committee said, if atr dnce^put in force, would allay the excitement that existed. There is no doubt that the commissioners have gone too far in their concessions, although for the moment they may "be the means of pieventing the predominance of lawless violence. It was reported that Sir Henry Barkly intended to hasten to the fields to smooth clown the difficulties that had arisen, a.ud provide protection for diggers of all classes without imposing regulations which will weigh with undue severity on a- certain portion: of the people and are contrary to equity and liberty."

For salaries alone in the Land Transfer Office at Auckland, during the past year, an expense of £115.0 .was incurred, while the total revenue for tho same pejfiod only amounted to £548. Jn Taranaki, a sum of £200 was expended for salaries, while the total revenue -was £6 2s for the year. la Wellington the expense of salaries was £775, and the total revenue £358. In Hawke's Bay, the salaries amounted to £450, and the revenue to £161. We quote the above frbm statistics supplied by Mr Bath'gate, who suggests, as a remedy for such an extravagant wast© of the public funds, the consolidation of the business.

In Victoria, with a population of three-quarters of a million, there are 130 public journals. In New Zealand, with a population of 300,000, there are about 55 journals. " I'm a Good Teunplarsh {hie) and no —constable van tush me (hie), beCtiush I've shined the pledge, an am a stanßh Good Templarash and a jolly good fellow (hie, hie.)" This '(the "Ballarat Courier" states) was the burden of a voice from the gutter in Sturt-street on a resent Saturday night. The dulcet tones of the inebriate attracted the attention of a guardian of the peace, who discovered the "jolly Good Templarsh"' lying- on the broad of his back in an unmistakeable state of beer. The constable assisted the pledged abstainer to the City lock-up, and he subsequently appeared before Mr. Gaunt -amongst a batch of other inebriates, and was fined ss, and for a second time handed over to Mr. Abrahams' to renew ,^his conversion to the cold-water cure.

..Ai- curious adventure happened to a gentleman while out collecting {Specimens of natural history, nea£.,£Jbe. LalLal Falls, Victoria. Observing a flock of cockatoos, which apparently by their clamor, were holding high corroboree on.,the ton of a guro : tree,"jhe WenTfJl<=[re for the purpose of getting' a shot at them. - -Having selected- Bis bird, and about to fire, he was. startled by an unlookedj for voice calling out from the branches — " I'm Polly's cocky.; ,vay worn*, Mother will warm you." ' The seiifffcifie student dropped his gun in mute astonisment at this evident mark xOf; civilization in the feathered tribe; nor was this the only instance .of their acquirements, for, as they went off with their accustomed scream, the threat as to what their mother would do was reiterated by -the flock. _

•Mr. Thomas Hankey, writing" in $be London " Economist," expresses /his opinion that the time ha.s arrived for taking stock of the large increased production of gold in the world. I believ.e (he says) that during the last ten years the export of gold—^exclusjive of gold coin — from the- Australian colonies; has not been' less than' about -17,000,000 ounces, or equal to-.^668,-000,000, arid -the gold' coin' expo Wed from the same colonies would add about £20,000,000, making a total of not fyv short of £90,000,000. Nor do I believe it would be disputed that the ex~ port from the Australian colonies during the> previous ten years — say from 1852 to 1863— was' at least equft to that difring the past" ten years ending 31st December last ; if so, the total Export of gold from the Australian colpnies since the first discovery of gold J cannot have been much less than .£170,000,000 to £180,000,000, aud_i£ -the export from California during the; like period had been £120,000,000, we'have a gross total of not less than £300,000,000 of gold added to the stock of gold in the world since 1852-53. I have _oaly-~ r-eckoned the gold-- produ6ed in ! -Australia and. California.'-;. -ihe -pfodic"of gold in other 'paffttttf.flte- sfcHd : prVvious to" : 1852, wtt's'ofen^&feclrf *beneve,' to be pquat-to rvem .gbp»V°V^v^t to £5,000,000 y^ajjge. :i^V c only recVpnat thr^Q^^gi the iftwl have to be a J^rt^e^fM^i^fio. p*?)fipO t - 000,000, so as tft, roafetf 'j&gfejfi fetym of £360,000,000,' poaiWy;.v. Soppaidlly more/ to" the gql^^r^ty^J^l^r l ? before the ! iof I.^^WU 41 fqrnia ai^d Australia.' '^' \ t