TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1876.

Evening Post, Volume XIII, Issue 74, 28 March 1876, Page 2

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 1876.

¦ ¦ -— ¦¦ The demoralised and corrupt state of things which has been allowed to grow up in the United States in connection with Municipal Government, shows how necessary it is that the working of such institutions should be vigilantly scrutinised by the press and the public. All recent writers who have visited the United States dilate on the fact that the educated classes as a rule shrink back from taking an active part in public affairs, and that political and municipal matters are thus in a great measure left in the hands of the selfish and unscrupulous, who take them up from motives of selfinterest. In the latest number of the North American Review there is an article entitled "An Episode in Municipal Government," the chief points of which are reprinted by the Melbourne Argus. The article minutely describes the doings of the Tammany Ring in New York, between, the months of. April, 1870 and July 1871. The story is exceedingly instructive. Pour persons — Messrs. Tweed, Sweeney, Hall, and Connolly, conceived 'and ' carried. out *a 'systenfatic scheme of rascality and plunder, almost'unparalleled for its extent and audacity. Being possessed of considerable funds, they .purchased the votes of a majority in both branches of the State Legislature at Albany, . and thus secured the passing of a {charter . for the City of New York, -which 15 tested the entire control and administration of municipal affairs in an Executive Board consisting of themselves. The Argus thus describes the action which was thereupon taken, and its pecuniary results to the plunderers : —"They appointed one of their number mayor, and he apportioned the administrative offices among his confederates. Tweed took the department of public works, Connolly the comptrollership of finance, and Sweeny the commissionership of public parks. "The passage of the charter," we are told, "had been one of the most expensive jobs on record ;" for the members of the Legislature knew what a magnificent prize Tweed and Co. were playing for, and therefore insisted upon very highgterms. Therefore, § 4 when the stealing commenced, it was on the grandest conceivable scale. Contractswere issued for" work whioh was never performed, or extravagantly overpaid, : and ''certificates for the amounts were signed by Tweed, Conolly, and Hall. In one transaction 5,710,913 dollars were paid to a New York firm, and when tb!e warrants were drawn, this' firm deposited 932,858d011ars to the credit of Tweed in the Broadway Bank, this being his share of the plunder. A lump sum of 384,000 dollars was paid to the New York Printing Coiapany, and upon the same day Tweed paid in the company's cheque for 104,000 dollars to his account. At an informal conference with a contractor named Gar vey, he was asked how much was required to complete certain works he had on hand. He replied 264,000 dollars. Thereupon 1,500,000 dollars were granted to him ; twenty-four per cent, going to Tweed, ten per cent, going to Sweeney, and thirty per cent, being divisible among their minor accomplices." The record of the plunder obtained is simply astounding. In the case of the New York Central Park, a pretended expenditure of 6,000,000 dollars was shown in eighteen months, with liabilities to the extent of 2,000,000 dollars more, while the real expenditure was not more than 600,000 dollars, the Municipal plunderers thus embezzling the difference of something over seven millions of dollars. As partly the result of this nefarious work, the annual assessment of taxes in New York rose between 1860 and 1870 from 10 to ' upwards of 23 millions of dollars, while the debt of the city during the same j period had augmented from 19,000,000,t0 73,000,000 dollars. Nevertheless, during the currency of 1870 alone, the sum of 25,000,000 dollars, or five millions sterling, had been added to it ; so that the financial position of the city was this: — "During the five years between 1867 and 1871 inclusive, the. average taxation of New York city had. amounted to 25 dollars annually to each inhabitant, while the city debt had at the same time annually increased at the rate of 12 dollars to each inhabitant." It is scarcely possible for us to understand in this colony how such a state of things could have been permitted to grownp. The explanation, however, is simple. The power, wealth, and influence of " the Ring^were felt everywhere. With millions of money at its disposal, a large portion of the' Press was bribed, the Bench succumbed to the influence of corruption, and the lower class of the population was at the command of the Ring. The Reviewer tells the story of how at length this monstrous system of corruption and robbery was exposed, and brought home to the perpetrators. The New York Times, edited by an, Englishman, unceasingly assailed it, while Harper's Weekly, an illustrated publication, aided in the good work, by means of the pencil of the caricaturist. Week after week, and month after month, were Tweed and his satellites gibbeted, and held up to execration and ridicule, by means of letter-press and cartoon. Threats, intimidation, legal proceedings, and bribery, failed to silence the assailants. A direct bribe of a million of dollars offered to the Times to purchase its silence, was indignantly rejected by. the proprietors. At length the victory was won, and the allegations of fraud proved against the plunderers by overwhelming documentary ' evidence. The world has since then heard. 'of the imprisonment and escape of the chief conspirator, Tweed, the latter .event having been in all likelihood permitted \ through the connivance of his gaolers. The ! lesson to be gathered from such a story of ¦ gigantic frauds, is that corruption will in j time surely enter into the administration of public affairs, wherever those best fitted by position, character, and education to take part in them, hold back from an obvious duty, and with almost criniinal apathy, let events take their course. With | an intelligent public opinion freely exercised, a proper interest shown in public affairs by the educated classes, 'and a fearless,, honest; and independent 'press, such a monstrous system of robbery as that described would have been impossible of perpetration.

Nothing further is known yet as' to the intentions of his Excellency the Governor in respect to the two persons recently convicted of indecency in the Botanical Gardens" We have been informed that the Colima reached Kandavau on 21st March. ¦ ' The Granada arrived at .Kandavau on 18th March, after an exceptionally rough passage of 4 days j 18 hours. Encountered a cyclone on the 17th, j but no damage was sustained. , Due precautions were taken to prepare for the storm by slowing down the engine. As there was no connecting boat,' it was feared the Granada would' have to proceed without fhe Sydney mails. Fortunately ¦ the Colima arrived as above, and the mails were at once transhipped to the Granada. On preparations being made for the Granada to proceed to sea,, it was found that the anchors of the two steamers had fouled, and while attempting to separate them, the port bow of the Granada came in contact with the Colima, striking a glancing blow, which carried away part of the iron port shutter on the mam deck. To be sure that no serious damage had been sustained by the Granada, Captain Cavarly requested Captain Stewart, late of the Wonga Wonga, and Captain M'Farlane, of the Taupo ; to assist the chief in an examination of the injury. Those gentlemen have expressed 1 a decided opinion; that the damage to the Granada is immaterial,' and has iv no way disabled the vessel or rendered her unsafe to proceed on her voyage to San Francisco. It was considered desirable , to replace the injured shutter, which detained the sailing of the Granada for San Francisco till the 'morning of the 22nd instant. The City of San Francisco arrived at Kandavau on

the 24th January, and sailed for Honolulu the same dayat noon ; reached Honolulu on ±he 4th February, left same day, and arrived . at San Francisco at 3 a.m. on February 13. 'mails were Janded and forwarded East the same morning. * : The Comuissioner of Annuities (Hon. W. Gisborne, (the Secretary for Customs (Mr. W. Seed), and the Secretary for Public Works (Mr.John Knowles), leave for Canterbury by the Ph cebe this afternoon, on a public mission of great importance, although theiremploymeat therein, as we have already pointed out, is of very questionable propriety. - The object of their journey J > is to visit the several Superintendents throughout the colony, and take counsel with, them, with a view to the preparation of estimates as to the cost of the provincial departments which the General Government propose to take over in the event of the abolition scneme being fully carried out. We do not anticipate that much good will come of the mission. The Superintendents should be communicated with directly by Ministers, and not by Ministerial subordinates. However, in any case, three very estimable gentlemen will have a pleasant trip at the expense of the Colony, and return much refreshed alike in mind and body. The illustrious triumvirate will first interview Mr. Rollestou at Canterbury, and then Mr. Macandrew at Dunedin, afterwards taking the rest of the Superintendents in turn. The Colima left Auckland for Southern ports with the English mail at 2 o'clock this afternoon, "and may be expected here early on Friday morning. \ \ The adjourned meeting of the shareholders in the. New Zealand Times. Company was held yesterMy afternoon at Messrs. Bethune and HuntSfTs Office, Mr, Walter Johnston, M.H.R., in the chair. "The "balance sheet was presented, but as the 'Joirit Stock Companies Act provides that it must be in the hands of shareholders not less than seven days before the meeting, a further adjournment for a week took place. , It. appeared that there had been a loss of£2ooo since 'ihe company commenced operations, of which by far the^ greater part was; fn the first year; latterly the loss had been' 'much lessened. -A strongieeling was expressed that the company should continue operations, retrenching so far as possible, inorder that there no longer might be a loss on the transactions. The shareholders generally appeared very sanguine as to the ultimate prosperity of the ; undertaking, and regarded the report as by no means discouraging, experience having shown that all newspapers on a large scale must work at a loss in -the beginning. It was thought that the. expenditure could easily be reduced within the amount of the receipts without impairing the efficiency of the paper. An absurd arid ridieulous's'tory was circulated this morning to' the i effect that a great many thieves were prowling about the goods saved • from the late, fire on Sunday last ; but we are requested to; state that there- is no truth'whatever! in the assertions, that have been made. It was said iin the. same- quarter that some men in a ,' boat were , frightened away, by ~ the , night watchman ' when they were ' endeavoring 1 to 'get' close 'to the burned buildings for plunder, and thai although every enquiry has been mad.c, the would-be . ''pirates.'! could not M discovered^ % Tlie latter .part,: at least,' ©f -this, story is absolutely untrue, as the police are, and were perfectly aware as to who were in the boat. In fact, two constables arid ' a sergeant were on Brown's wharf on Sunday night when some boats arrived with certain articles on board. These articles, however., which consisted of erapty cases, axe handles, &c, all partially burned, were of no value •vrhatever, and were not stolen but merelytaken out of the water where they were floating. As far as the land thieves go, we can certify that the police did their duty so well that there was no chance for anybody to carry anything away. . . We understand that a joint deputation from the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce will wait upon the Hon. the Premier tomorrow, at 12 o'clock noon, with the view of urging upon him the necessity which exists in Wellington for increased wharf accommodation. We sincerely hope that some practical results may accrue from this step, so that the present unsatisfactory condition of things with respect to a lack of wharf accommodation may be remedied as soon as practicable. , Those popular artistes the well-known Lynch family of bellringers, with their able assistants, Mr. Charles Keeley and Mr. A. Statham, arrived from Wanganui (where they have been drawing crowded houses) this afternoon, and have announced their opening performance at the Odd Fellows' Hall for to-morrow (Wednesday) night. - ,-.. The Central Volunteer Fire Brigade beg to acknowledge the receipt of £2 2s from Messrs. Cutler and Moore, 10s from Mr. Morton, grocer, £2 2s from S. Rowley, and £1 Is from J. Rowley, for their services at the late fire in Willis-street. ' • At the Licensing Court to-day Mr. Downes of the Pier Hotel asked permission of the Commissioners to go to Philadelphia. It appears that according to the Act a publican who wishes to leave the colony while his license is running has, if he desires to leave the colony temporarily, to obtain permission to do so. Hence Mr. Downes' application, which was ¦ granted, the Commissioners "expressing themselves to the effect that they only wished they . could go to Philadelphia likewise. A special meeting of the managing committee ¦ of the Choral- Society will take place at five o'clock this evening, to fix definitely the propramine for the next concert; and to consider several other matters of much importance to the Society. ¦' ¦ We are informed by the Wairarapa Standard that ' Mr. Frances,, .the 1 contractor for the Taueru bridge, had a very escape from being killled on Monday, last by a falling tree which struck him, cutting through his hat and just grazing his forehead. The following letter has been forwarded to us for publication : — "Wellington, New Zealand, 27th March, 1876.— Captain Lewis Moss, Central Volunteer Fire Brigade, Wellington : Dear Sir — We beg to convey to you and your brigade our sincere thanks for the very prompt and efficient manner in which they exerted themselves at the fire on our premises yesterday morning. That the fire was confined within the limits in which it was is, we feel, .largely due to the very able manner hi which the fire brigades acted throughout. We encloso gut cheque for £25, of which we beg the brigades' acceptance. And are, with thanks, your's faithfully, W. Capper, pro W. & G. Turnbull & Co." The ordinary monthly meeting of the Wellington Education Board will be held tomorrow at 11 a.m . As the financial year of the Board will terminate on the 31st of this month, the meeting will be one of considerable importance and public interest. We have been requested to publish the following letter: — "Armed Constabulary, Commissioner's Office, Wellington, 28th. March, 1876. —Sir, — I have the- honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th inst., enclosing cheque/ fort five pounds,' from Messrs. Blundell Bros.y 'in recognition of the valuable services ' rendered by the Armed Constabulary at ithe late fire in Willis-street, and in reply to inform you that it will be .applied towards, replacing the clothing damaged on 'that occasion. It affords me much pleasure to find that the members of the force nave exerted themselves so well as to deserve being spoken of in' such flattering terms. — I have the honor to be> Sir, your very obedient seivant, W^Moule^ Lieut.-Colonel, Commissioner A.C. J. Stevenson, Esq., Evening Post." * We have been requested by Captain Moss to state that he has received the sum of £10 from J. O'Shea, Esq., accompanied with a request that it be equally allocated amongst the three Brigades. At the Theatre Royal last night there was a very numerous attendance in honor of Mr. Hoskins' re-appearance in one of those parts which have won him such remarkable popularity in Wellington. Mr. Hoskins met with a- most enthusiastic reception on coming forward, and his subsequent acting as Charles Surface hv "The School for Scandal" fully bore out his previous reputation in that part. Miss Colville's Lady Teazle is equally well kndwn here, and her performance last night was worthy of her fame. Mr. Deering was especially happy in Sir Peter Teazle, a part which suited hum exactly, and these three performers received decidedly tie lion's share of the applause. The other parts generally were creditably filled, and altogether Sheridan's celebrated play was very fairly put on the stage. To-night Colman's great comedy, "The ! Heir-at-Law," will be produced, giving Mr. Hoskins an opportunity of appearing as "Dr. Pangloss, L.L.D. and A.5.5.," universally re1 cognised as the best of his many admirable impersonations. ? The following is the calendar at present for the criminal sitting of the Supreme Court, which will be held on Monday next : — Thomas Dobbie and James Vincent, stealing from the

person; , Henry Tindall, obtaining money ulndef •falsepretences ; Franz Smat, attempt to murder ; William Shea, unlawfully wounding; John Thomas Reid, larceny; Richard Wilson, horse stealing; Eliza Matthews, receiving stolen property. The only civil case as yet set down is Fitzherbert v. Everest. Tenders for the erection of Messrs. Stevenson and Stuart's new warehouse and offices, on the Reclaimed Land, having been opened, that of Messrs. Nash and Upton has been accepted. The building is to be finished by the end of July. The return match between the respective" Artillery. Corps of Wellington and Invercargill was fired yesterday morning. Our men again were- victorious, making 557 (the details we published yesterday), as against 481 by Invercargill. The Wellington Artillery thus gained a majority of 76 points, and the corps still may claim invincibility. In the .Resident Magistrate's Court to-day, Pascoe & Co. sued MTDowell and Paul, drapers, for the sum of £16 16s, the value of a bale of bad hops alleged to have been sold to plaintiffs by defendants. The evidence showed clearly that defendants were merely acting as agents for the real vendor, an absconding bankrupt who formerly carried on business at Nelson. His Worship having fully considered the case, gave judgment for defendants with costs. It has been incorrectly stated elsewhere that the series of lectures instituted by the Wellington Philosophical Society had fallen through, owing to the impossibility of securing the services of a lecturer for the next conversazione on the Bth April. We, learn with much pleasure that Mr. J. C. Crawford, F.G.S., kindly has consented to deliver a lecture on Geology, treated from an interesting and popular point of view. The well-known ability of the lecturer, and his thorough knowledge of his subject, should make the lecture a very attractive one. ¦ The programme for the sports at the meeting to be held by the Wellington Amateur Atheletic Club on Easter Monday (17th April) is published in another column. Although the public liberality has not been sufficient to enable the club to offer prizes so handsome as they hoped, nevertheless the amounts are considerably higher than those given for similar events by the Caledonian Society— for example, the first prize for the mile race and the walking match, £7 10s in each case; those for the quarter and half-mile- handicaps and the 100 yards £5 each ; and those for the 220, 150, and 120 yards each £4. There are also three £3 . first prizes, and two of £2, the second prizes being in proportion. The meeting promises to be a great succecs. If Wellington has a Travers and. an. Allan, Dunedin rejoices in the pos c ci. r ion of a J Cook and a Stout. These latter gentfemen recently had the following passage of arms in the Resident Magistrate's Court at Dunedin: — Mr. Cook was engaged in a legal argument, when Mr. Stout rose to address a' remark to the Court. Hereon Mr.- Cook said : " I wish fhe gentlemen here had manners." — Mr. Stout :< "I wish they had. lam addressing the Court; and my , learned-friend ought to sit down." — Mr. Cook : /'lt's highly indecent to interrupt."— : Mr. , Stout: "1 rise to order. I don't wish to be kept here all day in order that my learned friend may show his knowledge of case-law. My learned friend has'no right to raise- a lawargtimenfc upon a case already decided." — Mr. Cook : " I come here to advocate my client's claim, andj apprehend your.. Worship is bound to hear me, and prevent any interruption while ;I am speaking." — Mr. Cook continued his .argument, and placid tranquility followed the tiny storm. It is officially -notified that the final examination of Amos Burr, of Palmerston North, sawmiller, a 'bankrupt, has been further adjourned to the 11th proximo. -Amongst the 190 men who signed the petition at the Thames as destitute, was one of the Vesey Stewart settlers, a man who had been awarded a handsome grant of land at Katikati, which he had received because he was a "capitalist," and had money sufficient to bring his grant into cultivation, and to engage in farming as an employer of labour. The N. Z. Herald of the 10th March says :— " His Excellency the Governor has returned from a shooting excursion on Motutapu, where deer and other game abound. Four rabbits fell to the onslaught of his Excellency and party. Vive la chasse ! The swift little steam launch belonging to H. M. Customs, under command of Captain George Dower, conveyed the Vice Regal party to and from the scene of sport." A correspondent of the Herald writes: — The first native reception was given* to His Excellency the Marquis of Normanby at Ohinemutu, on the shore of Lake Rotoura, and a " veteran chief tan " honored the Marquis of Normanby by rubbing noses with him. Superintendent Whiteford, of the Wellington Fire Brigade, requests us to acknowledge the receipt of £6 from Mr. J. M-'Lean, boatbuilder, to be equally divided among the three brigades — including the A.C. A cricket match took hlace at Pahautanui last Saturday between the local club and the Kafori Club;- which terminated in a decisive victory for Pahautanui. The respective scores were — Pahautanui, Ist innings, 57 ; 2nd, 136. Karori, Ist innings, 34; 2nd, 37. Thompson played a fine innings of 53. ' A free fight took place in Custom Housestreet, Auckland, last week. A Maori named Kape snatched a pipe from a European boy, whereupon the latter and a number of others attacked him. Other' Maoris went to Rape's assistance, and several Europeans joined the boys. The result was a scuffle, but before anything serious had happened the police arrived, , and Kape was taken into custody. The Star seys that on the same day several Maoris were lying about the streets in a state of drunkenness. ' The Officer in Charge oi the Armed Constabulary Depot begs to return thanks for the sergeants and constables of. the force, who were present at the fire on the 20th instant, for the handsome donations made to them by the undermentioned gentlemen : — Messrs. Turnbull and Co., £20 ; Mr. M'Lean, £2. j An old man named Thomas Wilking Payne fell over a cliff at Auckland on Wednesday last and was killed. He had been drinking ' heavily on the day in question, and in the evening his master sent him out to get some fresh air and walk oft the effects of the liquor. It is supposed, that he walked over the clifts. ¦ The body was fearfully mutilated, the man having fallen on some logs. The Auckland Herald states: — "Captain Waddell, famous as having been the commander of the Confederate cruiser Shenandoah, may be expected in Auckland in command of the mail steamer City of San Francisco on her next trip. It will be remembered that Captain Waddell was unable to come down last trip of the steamer, in consequence of a report having been stated that he would be arrested at Hono- j lulu to answer the charge of burning a Hawaiian whaleship during the American civil war. The Pacific Mail Company have interested themselves in the matter, and the Ha* waiian Government have agreed to let the' matter drop. The civil war is now long past ; ¦ the claims of the American Government against ' England are satisfied ; and it is best now everywhere to let bygones be bygones. Very few in Auckland will have any feeling against Captain Waddell for what he did as the commander of the Shenandoah; for most of the people here (wrongly, as we think) sympathised with the South in the great struggle/ The special correspondent of the Cross sends the following: — Arrivals from the Thames Valley report that Mr. Mackay has completed the purchase of about 236,000 acres in the Piako district. They report most highly of the Thames Valley. There is a large quantity of land, fertile soil, and the Piako is available for small steamers for about eighty miles. For richness of land and beauty of scenery, the Thames greatly excels the Waikato, and the river is an excellent highway for the whole country. "Mr. Mackay is engaged in arranging for the purchase of the whole block. It is a splendid, block, and contains some of the finest land in New Zealand. It is reported that some persons in Auckland have set up claims to a large portion of this land, claims resting on transactions prior to the prohibitory proclamations. Great dissatisfaction on this subject is manifested in the Ohinemuri district and at the Thames, and petitions will be circulated against allowing the claims, to slip from the public ownership. I have learned that among the departed diggers by the s.s. Hero, yesterday, are twelve men who drew from the bank over £4000. Most of these would gladly have stayed, could, they have had a chance of purchasing land and settling in the Thames Valley. To a Host of Correspondents. — You are all wrong. The Khedive's act in selling to ! England frig snares in the canal is one of | self-preservation — in fact the reverse of ; Suez-cidaL — Punch.