AUCKLAND NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 10487, 26 October 1894, Page 5

AUCKLAND NEWS.

FPbb Pbebs Association.! AUCKLAND, Oct. 25.

A house at Whangarei, occupied by A. M’Kinn, the property of Lady Douglas, has been burned down. The fire originated through a defective chimney. Insurances —On the building, .£2OO in the Royal; on the furniture, £SO in the South British. Dr Bang has recovered £2 10a, with £5 6a coats, against the Parnell Borough Council, for reporting cases of measles. Last night the Richmond arrived from Tahiti and Baratonga, with a full cargo of fruit, pearl shell, copra and general island produce. News from Baratonga is to the effect that the coffee, banana and fruit planting is considerably extending among the islands. The Native Council was in session at Baratonga, and several important measures had been passed, including the first local tax ever levied in Baratonga, its object being to tax occupied land according to frontage, and it is thought that the measure will act fairly with residents. The British Resident at Baratonga, Mr P. I. Moss, sent a memorandum to the Baratonga Council, relative to special settlements. A large quantity of the best land in the island is now lying idle. It could yield much valuable coffee and other saleable produce, but there are not people enough to use it. The remedy is to induce people to come from other countries. Tha Cd'incil passed the following resolution “ That this Council consider that the time has come to form special settlements of people from New Zealand who might desire to be planters of coffee or other produce on the lands lying unused in Baratonga. They recommend the subject to Government, to take such measures as to the selection of lands and conditions of occupation and other matters, as they (the Arikis) may consider desirable, and which will secure not only additional production, but an increased population living on the land set aside for their occupation as special settlements in Bara* tonga.” The Queen Makea is much gratified with the reply from the House Committee for a present of five cases of Baratonga oranges she sent to Bellamy’s, and has offered to keep the Now Zealand Parliament always supplied from her own grounds, if Bellamy’s will arrange about getting them carried from Baratonga to Wellington. Oranges are a drug here, and of little value, and she hopes that Parliament will let her show in that way some small degree of the gratitude she and her people feel for the good offices they have experienced from New Zealand. The Queen, has voluntarily accepted the law which gives local government to her subjects, and this has been the means of uniting the whole of the people. The Seventh Day Adventists have landed a party of missionaries at Baratonga to form a mission, and the Roman Catholics are also expected to send a party of missionaries shortly. The new law making British currency the only legal tender throughout the Group comes into.force in January next. The Natives do not appear to be pleased with the report that they are to be annexed to Fiji, being well satisfied with the New Zealand connection, which has been found to work very well.