SHIPPING NEWS.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 205, 7 July 1893, Page 5

SHIPPING NEWS.

>ph e barquentine Rio and Coquette from Kaipara and the brigantine Eillan Donan from Hokianga all arrived at Sydney with timber cargoes on June 28th. Captain Robinson of the Handa Isle made a remarkably sharp trip from Auckland to the Kaipara Heads last week. He brought his vessel round iu forty-eight hours and may claim to have made a record. The Handa Isle discharged her|ballast at the Aeroa wharf anl is now loading at Aratapu. The barquentine Examiner arrived at Aratapu last Saturday and is now loading at the Aratapu wharf. In shifting from the County wharf to the mill wharf her bowsprit carried away the derrick and lamp on the public wharf. . , , The barquentine Aratapu has had a thorough overhaul and is now in excellent trim. She left Auckland yesterday for this port to load for Lyttleton. The schooner Alert, Captain Keyes, arrived at the Totara Creek mill on Tuesday and is now about loaded for the South.

pleted their enquiries in these parts on Saturday and left for Helensville early on Monday morning. The gentlemen comprising the Commission form a very fit combination for the business they have in hand. The. presence of Hr. Giles, as Chairman, guarantees strict impartiality in the proceedings, and his long experience in legal matters and in the weighing of evidence will be of material assistance in summing up the results of the enquiry, Mr Mueller is specially useful in watching the evidence from a settlement-of-the-land point of view ; though he has not got a great deal to say his occasional queries show plainly that he forms an indispensable part of the Commission. Any reference to the question of settlement at once arouses his full attention and often draws forth his notebook ; a sign that when he gets back to his ordinary duties he will make good use of the knowledge obtained through his experiences on the Commission. Mr Firth the third member, also plays an important part; he is to a great extent the cross-exami-ner and his commercial, general and political knowledge is most serviceable. His bits of information on such subjects as applegrowing, co operative taking up of land, culture of olives, aud the like, given just where it may be of use, should bear fruit and be of service to the country independently of the more direct business of the Commission,

Some people are asking what good is likely to arise from the enquiry This we do not pretend to answer, but we do say that the appointment of a Commission was forced upon the Government by the random and exaggerated statements made in certain newspapers, aud by gentlemen who evidently intended to make the Austrian a bogie to catch votes for the approaching election contests. The so-called facts which were unblushingly published by our contemporary as to the hordes of Austrians arrived, under contract, “and to arrive, their filthy habits, their extreme meanness, which led them to live on three shillings a week, creat ed a feeling of uneasiness amongst those who knew not the character of the writer We quote from a paragraph evidently written by a political aspirant for the Bay of Islands’ seat, who feels it essential to his success to appeal to somtehing more than the calm good sense of electors, In a leader of June 2nd our contemporary says, “We do not hesitate to say that in every aspect from which we regard them,whether morally, socially, or politico-economical-ly,—the Austrians who have come to these parts, and thousands of whom, we hear, are to follow, are infinitely more objectionable than Chinese.”

Seeing the agitation that was being work ed up ly such men on imaginary facts, unscrupulously stated, the Government made the best possible move they could in the appointment of a Commission to make full enquiry in as open a manner as possible, and, after surveying the position, Ministers may now cry “checkmate.” Our contemporary described the early proceedings of the Commission as “milk and watery” but after the sittings held at Dargaville, and elsewhere, we Taney our friend considers the proceedings more of the nature of a bitter draught. But it must be remembered that when a body has become so fulljof corruption that the action of the brain is interfered with drastic measures are necessary and no doubt the Commission will be effective in allaying the fevered utterances of those who would otherwise have gone on pouring them out until after the elections.

But if this were the onlj; good likely to be effected by the Commission the cost to the county would be too great. For many years the gum trade and northern lands have received little or no attention, and the importance of the former was scarcely ad - mitted. The evidence laid before the Commission, and the letters in the public press, drawn forth by the appointment of the Enquiry, will lay bare the whole matter as it affects gumdiggers and northern settlers. It can then be calmly looked at from all points, and the best methods of procedure fairly argued, with full information at hand. The statements made by the various witnesses have been many, and personal feelings have evidently held sway with some. Diggers almost unanimously demand the imposition of a license fee, not so much from a desire to assist the roads as to keep out the foreign element. This demand is a perfectly legitimate one and will most probably be gratified. Very decided opposition is expressed on all sides

to an export duty, the almost unanimous testimony being that it would fall on the diggers. The slanderous statements as to the character and habits of the Austrians have been proved to be false. All agree that they are of fine physique strictly honest hardworking and thrifty ; and their cost of living is generally set down as high as that of other diggers. The five Austrians who gave evidence in this district were of such respectable aud fine appearance that one witness felt the contrast and informed the Commission {that they were not a fair sample of the bulk. Mr J. M. Dargaville’s evidence was unsatisfactory in many ways. “ I am told,” “ I believe,” “In my opinion ” was hardly the stuff required, but when he said “ I have no personal knowledge of the Austrians ” he was about right. His statement, though written, and therefore, we may presume, carefully complied, began by asserting that there were 700 Austrians on the fields, a number which judging from other evidence is very much too high. Mr Dargaville seemed to be very ill at ease under the enquiry and on two or three occasions interrupted witnesses from his seat amongst the press reporters. He found it necessary repeatedly to supplement his evidence in order to meet statements made by succeeding witnesses. Some of his statements met with flat contradiction, Taken altogether he appears to have aimed at striking at the firm of Messrs JMitchelson Bros, rather than at throwing light upon the subject of enquiry, and Mr R. Mitchelson, who gave his evidence in a business-like manner, sup ported by figures and facts from actual experience, was probably not far wrong when he stated that bitter animosity obscured his better jungment.