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Auckland Star, Volume VII, Issue 1970, 2 June 1876, Page 3

" Inquirer" writes complaining that the passenger lists of the Phcebe and Wellington on last arrival were not forwarded to the papers. We do not think the reason suggested by our correspondent ia the true one.

In additon to the various suggested amend" ments to the Municipal Corporations Act' proposed by the City Council, and published a short time ago, the following will be submitted to' the Government for legislave sanction during the approaching session of the Assembly : —To reduce annual recurring rates. Establish slaughterhouses outside the city, regulations to be approved in the same manner as by-laws. seaward to be defined. Powers to supply the city with gas, and provide manure depots outside the city. To license theatres and other places of public amusement, and make regulations for the proper conduction^ them. Expenses of annual recurring special rates to be the next charge after interest and sinking fund. Power to borrow £25,000 on the security of the water works plant, for fifty years, by issuing debentures not exceeding six per cent, for extension of works.

A private letter from Captain Robinßon, of the Auckland schooner Jessie Henderson, which we have been kindly permitted to peruse, gives some interesting information concerning the present mode of conducting the labour traffic in the South Sea Islands. The Captain writes :— "We take the native labourers from the platations to their islands, and bring others back. There is.an officer appointed to survey the vessel, and we have to fit up precisely as ships do bringing emigrants from England, must keep the sexes separate (just fancy keeping the sexes separate, who are always stark-naked) ; are not allowed to take any women without their natural protectors—father, brother, husband, or other relation, and no young children. Must carry water and provisions as per scale, and there is an officer appointed by the Government to go with each vessel to see that the terms of agreement are strictly fulfilled, and if he does not give a good report of the captain on his return, that captain will never be allowed to engage in the same trade again, and finally the vessel is inspected, and must befitted up according to the directions of the health officer. So you may see by that that the trade we are engaged in is in no wise different from trading and . carryng passengers from one port to another in the colonies, and from enquiries that I have made down here, the danger to life is fast disappearing since the natives have been treated in a fair way."