The Daily Southern Cross.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXII, Issue 2871, 8 October 1866, Page 4

The Daily Southern Cross.

LTJCEO, NON ÜBO. " If I have been extinguished, y»t there riu A thousand beacons from the spark I bore."

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8.

It is not neoessary to say much in reference to the correspondence we publish elsewhere, between Mr. Whitaker and Mr, Stafford. The Superintendent of Auokland has stated the case so fully and distinctly that there is hardly a word to be said by us, except it be one of approval. We read the correspondence with pleasure, because it was conclusive to ourminds that there was no foundation for supposing that the Superintendent of this great province had ever been carried away by the pressure of surrounding circumstances, or by any other cause whatever, to countenance those absurd schemes, which the public were Jed to believe had been arranged between the Auckland representatives and Mr. Stafford, as the basis of the support given to his Government. We refer, of course, to u the pro- " orramme/' We are glad of this, because the stand which Mr. Whitaker has taken vindicates the position of this province before the Assembly. It places Auckland where it ought to stand as a great community, ready to make sacrifices for the common weal, but resolved that its independent action should bo maintained. If " the programme " had been carried out ; — if it had even been entertained in the sense meant to be conveyed by the writer ; the province of Auckland would no, longer 'have occupied that position. "We should have deserved all the taunts our enemies heaped upon us causelessly. Auckland now commands their respect, and we say advisedly, their admiration. It is clear that the resolution come to by Mr. Whitaker, after mature consideration, and experience in administering the confiscated lands, was not altogether satisfactory to Mr. Stafford. He was staggered by it ; and forthwith ordered that, until the Legislature had decided the question, "no further payments " of any kind be made in. connection with " these lands, except in fulfilment of contracts " already made, and that no further expenses " or liabilities whatever be incurred, except "in prosecuting the necessary surveys for " military settlers. All other public works, " or other sources of expenditure, are to be "suspended." These instructions would appear to have been hastily given, for if they be carried into effect, no end of confusion will be the result. What will be done in the future 1 is the prime question. Perhaps it may be most easily answered by stating what has been done in the past. The General Government undertook to administer the confiscated lands, and settle them on a cut-and-dried plan. The; attempt failed, after enormous expenditure. Then, the Government, in despair, turned ta the Superintendent of Auckland, Mr. Robert Graham, asking his advice and assistance. Without consulting the Provincial Council, or taking necessary precautions to protect the Provincial Treasury against drafts on account of colonial expenditure, the gentleman in question undertook to do everything. At the time, we strongly condemned the conduct of Mr. Graham and his advisers, and said that his undertaking the settlement of the Waikato immigrants was "treason to the province." This was a strong expression, but the result justified it to the full. The extravagance under the General Government's administration was at least equalled under that of the Superintendent of Auckland, with this difference, that the money in the one case came from the Colonial Treasury, but in the other it came, in a great measure, from the provincial chest and the half-million loan. When, therefore, Mr. Whitaker referred to the resolutions of the House, by which the administration the confiscated lands was handed to the province, he doubtless recollected that the Auckland members, with perhaps two exceptions, then knew nothing whatever pf the actual financial condition of the

"province. Neither had the native claims to compensation assumed the magnitude they did afterwards. At that time we think it was the wisest course to adopt, for this reason, that under provincial administration there was a. chance of obtaining an equivalent for the unauthorised advances which the Superintendent had made in what has been *ermed "settling the immigrants." The -Provincial Council, when it assembled last session, had no alternative but to undertake the responsibility; and we bear testimony to the disinterested zeal of the Council on that occasion. All that could be done has been done by the province ; but the lavish expenditure of a former Provincial Executive, and the passive resistance of the Wellington Government, have all but stultified its efforts. Mr. Whitaker has relinquished his trust on behalf of the province, and the province will support him in that proceeding. Hq declines to tie "a financial mill- " stone around the neck of the province," in the shape of a £250,000 loan, to be floated *t our risk, and become a charge upon all kinds of property here, solely to carry out the engagements of the General Government, He lias shown the colony that Auckland has not borrowed £100,000, to be repaid at the end of the year, as the Colonial Treasurer had the audacity to tell the House, and to take it to account as a sum available for appropriation. He gives an acoount of its expenditure, in round numbers £80,000, up to August 27, 1866, and transfers the balance and accompanying engagements, to the General Government. Now, it may be inferred from the foregoing what will take place in the future. The General Government will attempt to administer these lands. All sorts of mistakes will be made, large tracts of land will be sold, and then the province will be asked to carry out the settlement on terms to be arranged, provided always that Separation does not take plaoe, when an entirely new order of things will be established.

"We have received our American and English exchanges, by way of Panama, and also from San Franoisco direct. The barque 'Kate,' Captaiu Carter, from San Francisco, which arrived yesterday, brought us complete files of Californian papers, to the Bth August inclusive ; and papers to the 11th August inclusive, from San Francisco, have reached us through our agents, by way of Panama. We have specially to acknowledge the courtesy of the Editors ef the San Francisco Bulletin, and the Panama Star and Herald, who have taken the liveliest interest in promoting an interchange of commercial and political news between New Zealand and the American States. We trust that the means of communication will become more frequent than at present, and that the absurd legislation of the <{ scratch Ministry" of Wellington, in the matter of the threepenny postage rate on newspapers, via Panama, will not be long permitted to bar any but the most limited distribution of New Zealand papers iuthe great commercial communities of America. We must not omit to express our thanks to Mr. T. Russell, for latest English and New York papers, from which extracts were published in our issue oh Saturday.

Elsewhere we publish the new Tariff, as Rpproved of in Committee of Ways and Means On Saturday we issued it as a second edition, in a shape best adapted for office use. Should any of our mercantile friends not have received a copy of the new Tariff in this shape, they can supply themselves by calling at our publishing office, in Queen-street. Our spaoe does not admit of our now discussing the Tariff on its merits. "We may say, however, that it is most oppressive, and unfair in its operation, and will involve, if the duties are to be colleoted, as per schedule 5 a remodelling and increase of the Customs Department. Whatever increase of revenue, therefore, may be squeezed out of the industrial and trading classes will pay a handsome per-centage to the official caste, who have graciously undertaken the task of legislating for, and administering the affairs of, this colony.

The schedule of the Stamp Duties Act will be found elsewhere. We do not know when the Act will come into operation, seeing that the machinery for working it does not exist. Doubtless it will be brought into operation by proclamation. One can hardly imagine how any representative Assembly could pass three such measures as the Stamp Duties Act, the Revised Tariff, and the New Postoffice Act. If the non-official population submit to such monstrous and unnecessary impositions, merely to keep up a great oivil service and the staff of a colonial army — for a colonial force does not now exist, — all we can say is that they deserve to bear yet heavier burdens, that the drones may increase in the hive. In no other country or community in the world would a Government be tolerated, which absorbs all the ordinary general revenue in permanent charges and appropriations for Government establishments, and which resorts to fresh taxation with the sole view of increasing the Civil Service and multiplying offices. The European population in New Zealand numbers about 200,000 souls, '—man, woman, and child — and the cost of administrating the Government is over one million pounds sterling. That is the substantial fact. What ought to be the cure ?

The Circular Saw barque 'Kate,' which arrived from San Francisco yesterday morning, after a successful voyage out and home of 112 days, brings dates to the 9th August, but the principal items of news were anticipated by the arrival of the Panama mail. The 'Mistletoe,' from Port Louis, brings Mauritins dates to the 25th of August, but no papers later than the 18th. Commercial extracts are given elsewhere. By the 'Nightingale,' which arrived yesterday from Lannceston, we have Ta«manian papers to the 18th ultimo, but find little of interest to extract, the general news having been anticipated, vi& Sydney. The commercial report will be found elsewhere. We have been again compelled to hold over our report of the proceedings at the Compensation Court, M well -As report of inquest, and several local and district news articles. We prefer excluding these, and the Parliamentary proceedings, to make room for the more generally interesting items which appear to-day. It will be seen that we have been able to bring up full details, by telegram, day by day, from the 2nd of August — our latest English date — to the 20th of August, which appeared on Saturday. It is a matter for congratulation that the London news of the 3rd of August was printed in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin on the sth of the same month. Our Wangarei correspondent notices that a new trade has been opened up. The settlers in that district have been sending quantities of tawai bark to the Auckland tanners, for which they receive from £4 ss. to £4 10s. per ton. We would suggest sending a few tons to Sydney or Melbourne by way of trial. It might open a new market, and increase thtdtmand.

We have to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of * neatly got up book, "The Story of Te Waharoa," in three parts, " a Chapter in Early New Zealand History," from the author, Mr. J. A. Wilson. Our space will not allow us to do more than mention the publication of this extraordinary book. All we can now Bay is, that any one who wants to know what the natives of New Zealand were, within the memory of living man, and what they hare now become, ought to read Mr. Wilson's • • Story. " It is well and graphically written. We have to acknowledge the receipt from the Clerk of the House of Representative* o f the following papers : — Report of the Penal Establishment Committee; Report by the Waste Lands Bills Committee ; Further Papers relative to the Settlement of the Confiscated Lands ; Report of the Select Committee on the Establishment of Courts of Arbitration ; Proposed Customs Tariff. In the cases of the murderers Burgess, Levy, and Kelly, his Excellency the Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, has decided that the last sentence of the law shall be carried into effect. The death warrants were signed yesterday, but have not yet been forwarded to the Sheriff, who, when he gets them, will fir the day of execution. The sentence of death passed on Sullivan has been commuted to penal servitude for life. — Advertiser, September 26. By an Order in Council issued on the 15th ult., the Tauranga militia district is constituted and defined as follows :— The said district to be all the territory comprised within the circumference of a oircle having a radius of 15 miles from the mouth of the Wairoa river ; and the Opotiki militia district is constituted and defined to be all the territory comprised within the circumference of a circle having a radius of 15 miles from the junction of the Otara and Waioeka rivers. Warrants were also approved in Council on the same day, commanding that the whole of the militia force of the two districts named should be called out with all convenient speed for actual service. We are glad to learn that active operations will very shortly be commenced at the works of the Otea Copper Mining Company on the Great Barrier Island. There has been an unexpected delay in starting the machinery, owing to an accident whioh occurred about a fortnight ago ; but it is believed that during the present week all will be in readiness for dressing the ore, and it is anticipated that about 300 ton* will be prepared for export before the end of the year. The machinery and plant on the ground are stated to be the most perfect of its kind for saving labour of any to be found in the Australian colonies. The system which will be adopted in dressing the ore will be that followed at the Anna Maria Devon Great Cousols. When the last cargo of copper ore was sent home from the Otea mines, it was found to have cost upwards of £5 per ton for the dressing operation alone, whereas the estimated cost of dressing a ton of ore by the system about to be adopted will be from 255. to 30s. An inquest was held on Saturday, at the Albion Hotel,- on the body of Mr. Murdooh McKay, who was drowned a fortnight ago at the Thames, and whose body has been brought up to Auckland by his frienJs for interment here. The evidence given was substantially the same as the account published by us shortly after the accident. The jury returned a verdict that deceased was accidentally drowued. A n address was delivered yesterday afternoon in the assembly-room of' the Young Men's Christian Association, by the Rev. J. Whewell, missionary from the South Sea Islands The rev. gentleman selected the Ist Psalm as the basis of his earnest and impressive address. We have been requested to Btate that the Scripture Conversation Class meets every Lords-day afternoon, at a quarter-past 3 o'clock, in the society's rooms, Wellesley- street. The following are the series of subjects arranged for consideration;— " % The Shield of Blood, The Trials of Sin, Religious Anxiety, Welcome of Jesus, The Gospel by Job, A Heart for Christ, The Power of Sin, Aoting without God, Jordan and the Red Sea, The Cross and the Kingdom, Christian Joy, Approach of Judgment." His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to make the undermentioned appointments : — In the Auckland Militia, Charles Kingsford Jeffs to be ensign ; date of commission, August 31, 1866. In the Auckland Volunteer Engineer Corps, Henry Lufkin Skeet to ba captain ; date of commission, June 9, 1566. In continuation of tfie anniversary services of the Baptist Chapel, Wellesley-street, the Bey. James Hill preached last evening in that place of worship, to a large congregation. The rev. gentleman seleofced as his text the words contained in St. Matthew's Gospel x., 34—" I came not to send peace, bub a sword." He illustrated the meaning of this passage by showing the conflicts in which Christianity has had to engage against false systems of worship ; the transforming power of Christianity j and the warfare which every true believer must carry on in order to overcome the snares and temptations of the Evil One, and at last obtain the perfect peace that remaineth for the people of God. At the close of the service, a collection was made, amounting to £8. We extract the following from the last New Zealand Gazette:—" His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to grant letters patent, dated the Bth day of September, 1866, under the Patents Act, 1860, in favour of Joseph Robley, of Auokland, in the province of Auckland, miller, for an invention for manufacturing 'aerated flour.' " At the Compensation Court, on Saturday, the claim of Mrs. Warrington, Mauku, was re-heard. After hearing the claimant's evidence, and that of Mr, Crispe. the Court gave the final award for £140. In the case of William Donald, Hunua, whose claim had been previously re-investigated, the Court gave the final award for £7- Final awards were given in a number of cases in which the claimants had consented to the reduotion made on the part of the Government. The Court will sit again to-morrow. Two boys, of about eight years of age, were brought up at the Police Court on Saturday, charged with stealing' some pots, kettles, &c. It seems that the articles were in a house which was unoccupied, and that the prisoners, with others, had gone in, broken the pots, and sold the pieces for old iron . The boys were given over to the charge of Mr. Cunningham, of the City Mission. Henry Walker Mitchell, E?q. ; George Burton, Esq.; and John Russell, Esq., have been licensed to be surveyors under the Native Lands Act, 1860. Four boys, named Thomas Banks, Danie l Holland, William Walker, and George Randell, were arrested on a warrant on Saturday, charged with stealing bags from a stable in Newton. Frank Summers was arrested on Saturday for assaulting William Walker, barman, at the Cresoent Hotel. The next meet of the Auckland Hunt Club will take place on Thursday afternoon next, at half-past 2 o'clock, at St. John's College. At the Police Court, on Saturday, an old offender named James Sweeney was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for the theft of an overcoat from a boat in the harbour, in June last. The ninth lecture of the series to be delivered at the YouDg Men's Christian Association Rooms will be given on Friday evening next, by the Rev. E. N. Bree, on the subject, "Man: his domestic duties and position." The Newton Total Abstinence Society will repeat their burlesque entertainment, "The Trial of Sir Timothy Traffic," on Tuesday evening next, at halfpast 7 o'clock. The following gentlemen have been constituted a Board of Medical Officers for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Military Pensions Act, 1866:— Morgan Stanislaus Grace, M.D.. M.R.C.S.E; Leonard Boor, M.R.C.S.L., and L.S.A.; and Charlei Prance, M.RC.S.L. Messrs. Ridings and Perston advertise that they will sell by public auction to-day, at 12 o'clock, at their mart, houses and allotments at Dedwood, Springbank, Howe-street, Waikomiti, Hunua, Albertland, He. - Mr. H. Joseph will sell by public auction to-day, on account of whom it may concern, 15 pieces grey calico, without reserve.