AUCKLAND NOTES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Auckland, Monday.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2034, 21 July 1885, Page 3

AUCKLAND NOTES. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Auckland, Monday.

Our City Council has at last been forced to face the inevitable, and must now go in for retrenchment. It is i.ithei an unpleasant thing to do after the glonoua tune they have had, but it is gratifying that the minority of our city fathers, recognising their lespoiiMbihty, sue now prepared to face the woik of retieiielimcnt. The ratepayer will soon have to faco the practical fulfilment of their designs, foi even now travelling over oui .streets is bad enough, but when the staff of woiknieu in the emplovnicnt of the council is icditced, as they pioposo, by two tlmrl-, the ies,ilt in ly be easily anticipated. Things have, how t\ei, fur a long time gone meiiy as a uairiage bell, and sU Jdenly the council has, to then dibuoinhtuie, found that then puiso was not .as heavy <is they -upposed, .md if they do not take cue they will soon find themselves as near th( insolvency emit .is it is possible for a body coipoi.ite to go. Having got so seriously involved in financial matteis, it now devolves upon them to devise home effective means of educating themselves fiom the difficulty. Things municipal appear to be in a most disjointed condition, and it is very evident the pruning knife will have to be applied unspaiingly to some of the official salanes before things will assume a more promising aspect. Our city fatheis want a Wai wick amongst them. Lord S.ilisbmy's Administration in securing so ready a vote foi supplementary supplies for war prepaiations, indicates that the House and nation aie m the mood to support a vigorous policy in dealing with foreign affairs, and in this ie»pect they are bound to merit the approval of their political opponents. The Government are wise in showing a determined attitude with regald to this question. Duimg la«t week the telegrams fiom Em ope pointed to the fact that uur relations w ith Russia are once moro becoming stiamed. Constant piepaiatiotw are being nude in the Empire of the C/.u foi war, and it is piudunt that England should bs pursuing the same couisp. Russia's assurances of peaceful intentions are not to be idted on, and Enghuds action in sending l"i,000 men to Herat is pi oof positive that hei (invent ment place little reliance upon the piotestations of the Emperoi of Russia. It appeals to be the h\ed policy of Russia th.it she should advance in some dnection, and at pie^pnt it seem- to be a mattei of nnccr Unity vvheHiei she will go on Afghani-tan, or thiough Persia and Beloochistan to the Peisun i-Julf; but m any case India is the country aimed at ; and although all hope that war may yet be honouiably aveited, it is the duty of England to be piepared to maintain her leputntion and honour, should her efforts to escape such a calamity prov e futile. In matters commeicial tho greatest interest seomi to have been manifested during t'.ie past week in the proposal to introduce the La Monte furnace at the Thames. An influnenti.il syndicate ha? been foimed to see that its vvoiking gets a, fair trial. Anangcments have been made with La Monte foi the establishment of one at the Thames, and >o confident are many that the venture is to be a profitable one that already inteicsts in the La Monte comparyaie being sold at gieatly advanced premiums. The work of silvei smelting by l>y this process has pioved a financial success in New South Wales, and there is no reason to be seen why it should not also prove so in this colony. Much of the countiy at the Thames and ehewhero is manifestly aigentifeiou-, and the wise investment of capital will no doubt soon tell a bright stoiy. The prospei lty of our miningniteiest is anything but great just now I tuist that the outlook may soon prove biiffbter, and that the futuie of the silver mining industry in this colony is one of sunny promise, giving us in time,-in impetus to oui commercial welfare, and an aid to introduce n cla«t< of men who would form a most desii able factor m our population. Auckland i« evidently deteimined to maintain her icputation at the Exhibition which opens, at Wellington nc\t month. Some* excellent exhibits of local industry aic being nent. Mote than 01 din.ity inteiest is being manifested in the movement, arising fiom the fact that Mr Callis, the sectet.uy of the exhibition committee, when heie crave the public to undei stand that special advaut lfjvs would bo ottued to successful exhibitors to send their at tides free of freight and othei 'expenses to the Indian Colonial Inhibition to bo held in London in May of next \ear. Space will not permit of my l immolating the list of at tides winch the n ituial resources and ,-utistic skill of Vuck land enables hoi to foruaid to Wellington. I notice but few exhibits hailing from \Vaikato, but perhaps some may show up yet. I may note that Mr Stafford, of Upper Queen street, has some nice pieces of furniture, made out of vaiious timbers piocuied m the Raglan distiict, which aie veiy attiactive. Fiom a lengthened sojourn there, I miy say with .some authority, that genei.dly the timber glowing theie is of excellent quality, and will in time form a largo article of export. The selection of goods being piepared by the Auckland Tobacco Company is also woll woithy of inspection, and attords evidence that a good future in still in store for this industry. We will watch with incieasiiicj intere-t tho position our city will hold during the coming exhibition. Tho Spectator, in a trenchant style, drawn attention to the annoyance offered to play-goeis by the noise and interruptions ctiised in the Opera House dining the performances, not only by the pit demon, but by the swellishb dressed hend, male and female, who, by late anival, bustling, noisy entiy, and subsequent audible coniinents and hotsc 10-ughrci, disturb and mat tho enjoj i>ient of othei people all ovei the house. Any per»on who is in the habit of attending the play-houses here can fully sympathise with this complaint. People who aie supposed to lepiesent the "ton' of society aie in this case amongst the chief sinneis, and their idiotic behav lorn has in many instances lately been pecubaily noticeable. To my mind the evil is a glowing one, and the management of onr houses of amusement would do vsell if they intend to make their various ventuies a success to take means to mitigate this nuisance. Too often when people go to see a good play aie they annoyed by the gross ignorance and ludeness of people whose supposed associations should teach them butter. While upon theatncal subjects, 1 may state that the Silver King Company arc having a very prosperous season, and they deserve mich, for in their appoint ments they have i-paied no expense, and their acting is generally first class. The " Lights o' London "' is drawing immensely and pi onuses to have a good tun. It is well worth seeing, and I would recommend country pla} goeis who may have the chance to go and «cc it.

Tjij- dispute concerning the will of the late Duke of Biunswick lias been amicably settled ; the Dnko of Cumberland will get about £800,000, and the King of Saxony about t' t 2.)0,000. The Dowager Duchess or Hamilton (Piinccss Marie of Baden) gets £."50,000, and the same amount falls to the Prince Alexandra of Hesse (father of the Prince ot Battenberg), to whom it will be an opportune windfall, as he has been in poor circumstances since the death of hia sister, the late Empress of Russia, who gave him a large annual allowance during the last twenty-five years of his life. Two mrmbers of the Royal Family of Bavaria get«i £2.'>,000 each. The eight hundred thousand ought to console the Duke of Cumberland for being excluded from the succession. List of visitors to the Aroha Hot Baths last week : — Mr Patterson, Mr and Mrs Wallis, Mr W. (Jrey, Mr Eiueiy, Mr Crocker, Mr Fell, Mr Bond, Mi Shannon, Mr Shaw, Mr Hill, Mr Hart, Mr Li.wne, Mi Synies, Mi Jsrigli.ini, Mi Giieismi, Mi Reid, Mr Butler, Mr ;ind Mi«%s Uutliw.uto, Auckland; Mr Baldwin, Mr (Jiioi^m, Chuitchurih ; Mr Soppett, Ngaiuauahia ; Mi>s Lw, Dunedin ; Mr (Jiace, Tanpo , Rev U. C.ilhnan, Sydney; Mr JVAiey McDougiill and scivant, Queensland; Mi Canhell, Te Awamutu ; Mr Dovell, Knikiri; Rev. Mr Kehoo, Southland ; Mi Macky, Mr Price, Mr Paison«, Mr Homes, Thames ; Mr Weston, Canterbury, Mi Loonibs, Pauainatta ; Mr Thorp, Paeioa ; Mrs and Master Lf>oml)>, P.innnire; Mi Stewart, Timam ; Mi W. M. Hay, Hainil ton ; Mr Shields, Napier ; etc., etc. Attention is directed to the new advertisement of Mr S. f . Thompson, Tamahere Store. Mr J S. RucicUnd will hold his next cattle sale at Cambridge on i hursday, the 30th inst , and his next horse sale at Cambridge on Saturday, the Ist August. Mr Tohn Knox will sell at the Hamilton Auction Alart on Saturday next, at 2 p m,. by ord«r of the mortgagee, valuable properties in Hamilton East and West, and Cambridge, and land in the parish of Komokorau. Particulars will be found in the advertisement. At the same time and place bp will bold fail usual salo of produce, &C.