AUCKLAND ITEMS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3861, 1 December 1883, Page 3

AUCKLAND ITEMS.

A [By an Occasional Contjubutoii.] After a prolonged spoil of wet colcl •weather Auckland has at length assumed her summer .smiles, and \vitli the return of bright sunny mornings, and dour cool afternoons, trade generally seems to bo reviving—so much so that oven tho.se commercial croakers whoso stock cry is that business is very dull arc now compelled to admit that " things are looking up ft bit." Having , been for some time absent from the capital of northern New Zealand the improvements that have recently taken place, both in tho town and suburbs, naturally forced themselves upon my attention, and being an old Aucklander I experienced no small degree of pleasure in noting the signs of prosperity that abounded on every hand. Tho building trade is brisk, building allotments are eagerly sought after, empty houses are by no means numerous, and, with tho exception of brethren of the orthodox hotel - corner-loafer guild, idlers during the regular hours of business arc few and far between. A noticeable feature in tho city is tho number of stone and brick buildings that adorn the lower end of Queen street, •where- only a few years ago nothing but dingy old wooden tenements were to bo seen. Some of these new premises are very handsome, as well as substantial and commodious, and when a fuw more months have passed away Queen street will probably be without an e<|u;tl in New Zealand both as a business mart and for its general appcaranoo. The work of reclamation near tho "wharf continues to be prosecuted vigorously, and Fort TJi'itomart is now almost a tiling of tho past, that one time stately old knoll on which the troops were stationed in the troublous days having been for the greater purl; razed to the ground. This ,york is intended to curry through to Shorthand street, which will not only givo increased facilities for business in that portion of tho city, but will also greatly enhance the value of the surrounding properties. We are also to have that loug-tallced-of new railway station shortly, the site for which lias been reclaimed alongside Queen-street wharf, ■whore tho restless waves of the Waitemata (this language is figurative) used to ebb and flow—and whisper, nearly opposite the office of the Minister for Public Works. Please Hawke's Bay public don't feel jealous because Auckland is to have a new railway station. It stands in greater need of it than even Napier, and that is saying not a little. The present station here is only an out-of-the-way, miserable looking, halt' sheltered shanty. On the same evening that this letter will be presented to tho readers of the Daily Telegimph the Polk Comedy Company will occupy tho boards of the Napier Jtoyal, and speaking , from personal knowledge of tho histrionic ability of tho company, from the talented impremtrh down to tho iruli.-s----pensible property man, I can promise theatre goers in your town a treat such as is rarely afforded them. Several of the members of Mr Polk's company are not unknown in Napier by any means. Mr S. Genese, who accompanied Miss Jennie Lee on her late tour through this colony acts as privato manager for Mr and Mrs Polk; Mr Lachlan McGowan, formerly manager for Miss Juno, acts in a similar capacity for tho present lessees;' while Mr It. A. Vornon, tho Tulkinghorne of "Jo," Mr A. Booth - man, who visited Napier with the ever-ver-dant Johnny Hall, and Mr Harry Power, an old and tried favorite, are all members of tho company. Mr Polk is himself an accomplished light comedy actor, and one who never misses a point either in his linos or hisacting. Hisstylcandcamagearo easy and natural, and he possesses wonderful control over his facial muscles. Mrs Polk is pretty and vivacious, and possesses a sweet musical voice, which she knows how to use to the best advantage, while as an exponent of dashing comedy she has very few equals. The remaining members of tho company arc Miss Lena Ellis (a clever and promising young artiste), Miss Lillio Bryer, Mrs E. Bryer, Mr E. Culvert, Mr Harry W. Emmett, and Mr R. Stewart, junr. Mr Calvert is a young gentleman who is destined to make his mark in the profession he has chosen, while Mr Emmett has already earned considerable distinction, his versatility as an actor being well known on " tho other side." I predict for the company big business in Napier, knowing as 1 do that the good people of your town invariably extend liberal patronage to a really first-class performance. Friends of Dr Tennont, late of Hawke's Bay, will bo pleased to learn thiit ho is doing well in Auckland, and looking all the better for a flvo years' residence in the far porth, Another old faco I notice hero is

that of Mr J. R. Scott, formerly of the Masonic Hotel. Napier, now the popular landlord of the Nevada, our great sporting rewlnvfiitz, in Queen street. The Triumph, a screw steamer of 1,<!); tons, arrived from London on Monday last, after a passage of Gi days, bringing 153 passengers aud d'2'2 immigrants (please note the distinction). Curious to have a look at the craft I proceeded on board shortly after

her arrival, and I can only say that a dirtier looking or worse smelling passenger ship I never set foot _ upon. Discovering a communicative old salt on board I bosruiled him into a conversation, and learnt from him that the Triumph (not much of a "Iriumph by tho wav) was originally intended _ tor a Western ocean cattle bout, but proving unsuitable she was employed in the coal trade, and subsequontlv made a couple of trips toChina. Tho notion was tlvm conceived that she was good cnongli to carry emigrants to New Zealand, and she was chartered for that purpose, and her tween decks hurriedly fitted up after !, < f < l - s1ll ? u l ° accommodate passenger.-;. The result ot this arrangement is, in the opinion Ota groat many who inspected the vessel, barely creditable to tho genius who devised tho .sleeping and eating quarters, for I have often 'seen sheep" ami cattle equally well quartered ou board shin. Ibe Triumph, though perfectly sea worthy, is. I am informed, a proper roller, and very dirty in a sea, which may in a measure account for her ragged and disorderly appearance on arrival. One ol her crow, 'iv replying to a quc-diun by your correspondent, volunteered the additional remark that "it was his first trip m the Triumuh, and he would lake all sorts of care that it would be his last," so I. may s-.noly eoiK-ludo that my diagnosis concerning her non-adaptability for the trade iv which she is now employed is not far from being quitcorrect. The immigrants she brought o■.;■ appear to be of a class likely to .succeed in New Zealand. There is a rumour about that several of the single girls were conveyed on their arrival to the Lock Hospital, but I am not able to vouch for the truth or otherwise of the statement. Iv my next (should you consider the present letter worthy of publication) I shall say something about the Union Company's new express boat Takapima, tho Onebuuga iron sand industry, and a few words concerning our social pests—the Salvationists and tho city larrikins.