INTER-PROVINCIAL NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1099, 19 August 1873, Page 2

INTER-PROVINCIAL NEWS.

AUCKLAND. The Auckland Evening Star, writing on the relations of the Agent-General with the Government, professes to be at a loss which most to admire—his infinite impudence, or the extreme coolness with which the Government tolerate his continuance in office and his astounding effrontery. The same question must suggest itself to the minds of all who read the immigration correspondence. The correspondent of the Auckland Star says : —" Mr Luckie is making strenuous efforts to get appointed the Auckland ageut for the AngloAustralian Press Telegraph Company. He is backed up by Vogel and Harrison, of the Independent. The object, it is believed, is to use the agency for political purposes in the same way as the Press Association was used. The manager is determined to keep telegrams free from political bias."

The gold returns from the Thames Goldfields from June 30th to July 29th were 11,9280z5. of gold from 9915 tens of stone crushed. On July 30th, 15,t260zs of gold were shipped for London on the ship Woodlark, the total export of gold from Auckland during the month of July being 29,488 ounces.

The Thames natives are devoting more time and attention to agricultural pursuits, and less to useless political meetings. They are sowiag English grasses and fencing paddocks with wire.

Mortality amongst the infantile population in the Thames district is becoming serious. Hooping cough and other diseases are making sad hovoc amongst the children, deaths of children of tender years being almost of daily occurrence. . Great distress is said to also exist amongst the poorer classes.

Emulating the example of the Colonial Treasurer, King Tawhio has enunciated his financial policy. He believes neither in protection not free trade, he does not like ad valore duties, nor is he atiached to the principle of measurement, and he has no desire to try and make people believe that extra taxation does not mean increased revenue. The Maori monarchy has to a large extent been hitherto self-supporting. Now, however, the Treasury needs replenishing, and the Maori monarch has hit on a method of raising the needful which has hitherto escaped the astute eye of pakeha Treasurers. Au import duty being impracticable, Tawhio has resorted to an export duty, which takes the shape of a capitation charge on pigs. Every porker of Hauhau descent which now crosses the Aukati line for the purpose of trade is, according to the Raglan correspondent of the Sjo«fcb«MMi <~!™«.o, now assessed at the sum of one shilling for the benefit of the Royal Treasury. At the Thames lately the " local board" advertised for applications from parties willing to fill the offices of engineer and inspector. Several gentlemen, entitled to write C.E. after their names, tendered for these offices but their dignity was ruffled exceedingly when they discovered that " inspection" referred to nuisances. The consequence was a disclaimer on their part of any ambition to ferret out sweet or offensive smells.. WELLINGTON. On the 13th instant Wellington city was visited with one of the heaviest floods ever seen there, the amount of rain falling being no less than 3600 inches for the 24 hours, or 4-J- inches in 32 hours. A vast amount of damage was done throughout the city and its environs. The water came off the hills in absolute sheets, converting threefourths of the town into a lake, or a kind of infant Venice. Lambton Quay was almost entirely under water, buhe culvert at the foot of Woodward street being bodily burst open. The Reclaimed Land resumed its ancient aqueous surface, and Te Aro Flat became an extensive lake ; the Te Aro Pa and Adelaide Road were wholly submerged, and the large open drain by the roadside much injured. Cuba and Ingestre streets were thigh deep in water and mud. In the outskirts many roads Were quite intercepted by the land slips. Ihe Mayor of Wanganui has got into fresh trouble. He has forwarded to the directors of the Bank of New Zealand some document affecting the official conduct of the manager of the Bank at Wanganui, which that gentlemen is not disposed to pass.. lightly over. The exact nature of the document in question has not transpired ; but it is to form the ground of an action for damages. Messrs Whitaker and Russell, of Auckland, are council for the bank manager. The Independent apologises to its readers for the shortness, and, possibly, the incorrectness of its Parliamentary reports, and says the deficiency is " due to the difficulties which reporters have in hearing honorable members. A word here and there is prominent, but for the context, the reporter has to draw very largely upon his own estimate of what the speakers may be supposed to hiive intended to say." Experiments to improve the accoustic qualities of the Hall have all proved useless. MARLBOROUGH. The Marlborough News says :—" A specimen of slate has been left at our office lately by one of our country friends. It appears to be of a very suitable kind for roofing pnrposes, and is found in immense quantities at no great distance from Blenheim. It is very hard and

splits easily. Who will reap the harvest ? Cyrus Goulter, Esq., has resigned the office of Provincial Treasurer, and his Honor the Superintendent of Marlborough has appointed John T. Robinson, Esq.. as his successor. The Picton Press states :—"During the month of July last 17 vessels entered and cleared out of Havelock carrying as cargo 492,500 feet of sawn timber." Quartz has been found at Golden Point, near Picton, and .submitted to analysis by Dr Hector. After picking out all tlie quartz containing visible gold, the remainder was subjected to experiment to ascertain what quantity, if any, of the precious metal the stone contained, and it was found that the *>fr>ne yielded gold at the rate of 3ozs 6 dwts per ton. CANTERBURY. The Metropolitan Meeting of the New Zealand Racing Club, will be held in November next. Property is increasing in value at Timaru, Canterbury. A town section bought a few months back for £2OO, ■was sold the other clay for £SOO ; and a house, with four acres of ground-, on the north town belt, was sold for £'9oo cash. The Press says :—The gang of men receiving charitable aid from the Government have for some time been 'employed in planting trees alongside the northern railway line to Kaiapoi, particularly between the Styx and Waimakariri bridge on the sandhills. About 7000 trees are said to have been planted this season. It is reported that Mr H. Wrigg, ; sen., C.E., has been engaged by the Provincial Government of Canterbury tc devise a scheme for irrigating a portion of the Canterbury plains, and for other hydraulic purposes. The Christchurch correspondent of the Otago Times writes : —I must tell .you rather a rich story about the hairless horse. Professor Black, as you may be aware, inspected the animal critically, and expressed his opinion on ,paper of the genuineness of this undoubted lusus natures. Mr Oat, wishing to obtain a similar document from a Christchurch sai/an, got so far as a preliminary interview with a great authority—in fact, quite a constellation in the scientific world. A day was fixed for the professional inspection, when the big man ventured to touch, quite inci•dentally, upon the question of a fee / Mr Oat, of course, was completely taken aback; but on more mature deliberation : and thinking that a written guarantee might be worth money, asked the learned professor what might his fee be. ' Ten guineas," says the professor; but i*r Oat didn't seem to see it. Avarice to grow in proportion to the atttinment of scientific acquirements, in some quarters at least. OTAGO. The :ollowing amusing examination recently took place during the hearing of an assault case in the Dunedin Police ■Court:—Tou have said that you are a •Son of Temperance ; jet before ad■dressiig the electors at the Caledonian Hotel you took something strong ? Yes, I was very weak and could scarcely ■wait; I took a glass of gin and sarsaparilla ?—Yes, and something else - —port wine hot,. (Laughter.) I thought they were very strict teatotallers ? Oh no, it is not teatoalism at all. How many glasses did you drink ? —I took one glas3 to send me up ; and another—To pull you down, I suppose 1 (Laughter.) No, to keep me up. The Tuapeka Times says that the laboring men in that ' district are ■" cheeky " on their 8s a day. Some of the Chinese up-country are reported by a correspondent of the Cromwell Argus to have given proof of the power of their imitative faculty by the perfect manner in which they have learned the " Government stroke." The Dunedin Guardian says we are likely to have a renewal of the old struggle between Provincialism and Centralism, and adds: —We should have a set of the most arbitrary laws that it is possible to conceive, passed for the sole purpose of raising revenue.