Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6421, 16 June 1882, Page 4

The map of the harbour of Auckland, just issued by the Harbour Board, will be foundvery valuable for purposes of reference, and also as giving that information •whick the English, capitalists desire before giving further advances on our harbour endowments. A copy has been courteously fur.nished to us by the secretary of the Board. The portion or the endowments secured under the Auckland Harbour Act of 1574 is tinted green, and the uniucumbered portion tinted pink, so that the position of the en~., dowmeuts as to value, extent, aud indebtedness may be seen at a glauoe. The soundings ■ are shown on the map at frequent intervals, from Motuihi to Kauri Point, and also in the channel from the North Shore to Kangitoto Reef. The information thus (.oUated by the Harbour Board will be found of considerable service to Commodore Erskine Oil his arrival here, in giving the necessary data on which be may base a decision as to the merits and resources of the port as a naval station. The Harbour Board deserve considerable credit for their thoughtful action in this matter, H.M.S. Nelson, we understand, draw 23 feet aft and 27 feet forward, yet, notwith- , standing this draught of w.iter, she will fine no difficulty in coming up the harbour, as the lowest depth of water at spring tides is 3(3 feet, in the ship channel,' and the rise aid fall of tide from Sto 12 feet. There is no other harbour in the Australasian colonies presenting the same conditions as to depth of water, and facility of ingress and egress. As a proof of this, when the Flying Squadron was here, uuder Admiral Hornby, the vessels left the harbour under sail, beating out, iu succession, in the teeth of a stiu easterly breeze. Whi'.eatWellingtontheCbmmodore expressed the opinion that there was not a dock in the whole of the Australasian colonies that would admit the entrance of the Nelson. We trust that during his stay here such arrangements may be determined upon, aud such a decision arrived at by the harbour authorities as will in due time remove that reproach so far as Auckland is con*. cerncd. Having regard to her natural resources, her splendid harbour, and the admirable geographical position which Aucfcland occupies in the southern seas, there is no other port in New Zsaland, or in the Australasian colonies, which can prefer such tent and' just claims to be the future chie: naval station of the South Pacific.

trigs Bill introduced into the House of Representatives respecting ;the Auckland College nd Grammar 15011001 does not make' much _ ro(rreS 3 or meet with much favour. It formed a subject of discussion yesterday, and much opposition c was accorded to it. "Mr. Peacock was in"charge :of /the.Bill,; the object of whieh, .he explained, ,was chiefly to change the name of the school, leaving out the word "College." Mr. Moss, Mr.Sheehan, Sir George Grey, and others spoke against the proposal. Mr. Moss pointed out that in Britain * ne Grammar Schools had become • tjractically the possessions of the wealthy, and he objected to the endowments of the Auckland institution beingplaced inaposition by which it might follow a similar course. Sir George Grey implied that the proposed change iris really a change in .the nature of a trust. A long discussion followed, of which our epeciakcorrespondent at Wellington gives us a pretty full outline. Ultimately it was agreed to report progress, though no progress had been imade. The Manukau harbour is not -likely to be lighted at present, though the Hon. James Williamson stoutly advocated this' being done. The Hon. P. Whitaker was of opinion that lighting * the buoys at night would not effect the purpose desired; that more lights would be required •to make the navigation of- the harbour safe at night, and that the expense jncurred.would be more, than an equivalent for.the.!increased facilities for; trade which lighting would afford- Many "of the Auckland petitions were before the Petitions: CommitteeT yesterday; and the decisions upon a number of them will be found in., another., part o.r the present issue. The sitting was occupied principally;:, by. the discussion upon the second reading of a Bill introduced by Sir George Grey, the Prevention of Purchase of-Votes Bill/ Some of the members stated the title must'have been adopted in jest, as the: main principle of the Bill appears to be to exclude the property qualification in the franchise.: : A.-large number of members spoke strongly against the measure,, while others ~'"\ advocated, the necessity of its adoption. Wheii our telegrams closed between 1' and ; 2 o'clock this mornings > Sir?-George, Grey had not finished his.jreply :previous to taking a.;division. The I»c|kilth ; of Major Atkinson has so improiyed ;&at our correspondent at Wellingtpn'asspifes'us 'tha.t the financial statement will be'delivered this evening. Among the Government proposals it is believed that the system ol nominated immigration will be resumed in; a modified form. To prevent pauperism, it is expected that a scheme of national ■insurance" will be proposed either by the Ministry or by some private member. The Government are expected to take some measures at the Land Court being' held at Waiters, respecting the Mokau Maori lands, to'prerent.thelanci falling into the hands of ; European speculators.'

Mr. Gladstone made a statement in the House of Oominoha-on Tuesday, with regard to the Bgjptiancrisis., He deprecated • discussion on; Egyptia.n affaire at the present, and explained that Ithe policy of the Government aimed at securing England's rights as at present, existing! in Egypt.. It will be seen from our Onehunga shipp'ng that' Captain Amodeo, of the s.s. Slacgregor, has received serious injuries on board that vessel while at the wheel, temporarily, daring a" gale, and'had a "narrow escape of b?ing knocked overboard. He was taken to his home yesterday for medical treatment. By'the Rotmnahana which ; left for the South and Melbourne yesterday evening, Mr. Justice Gillies was a passenger for Napier. He goe3 . for the purpose of presiding over the. sittings of. the Supreme 'Court and Criminal. Jurisdiction; ; The ordinary meeting of the City Council was held last evening. The business was of considerable importance... A report of the proceedings appeaia elsewhere. . ■ The ordinary weekly of tie Resident Magistrate's Court was held yesterday. There was a large, amount of business done, the details of -which appear in another column.- r • •■- ;--, r : ; ~ ■'■■ •■■-•

A number.-oftE'eratepayers ;pf. the Ponsonby Highway Board District recently forwarded a requisition to the chairman of the Board requesting him to call a meeting ef the ratepayers at an early date, to consider a proposition for. requesting the Board to strike the .same rate as has been struck by thei Auckland-City Council for general purposes and for the Free Public Library. To. thi above • communication 'Mr. Field has sent the..following reply '•—" Office of Ponaonby Highway Board, June 13, 1882. Mr. A. Board man anil others. Gentlemen, —In replyfto. your pejbition; re calling a meeting .at an early date to afford the ratepayers an opportunity to request the Highway Board to strikVa 9|dirate, I beg to inform you that each action would be contrary to the provisions.of the Highways Act, and therefore illegal. The Highways Act, clause 17, provides that at tha annual meeting to be held in July (next month), the ratepayers shall have accorded to them the privilege of striking the ra,te.—l have the honour to be, gentlemen,;iyour.obedient servant, J. H. Fiblb, P.S.—I received Mi. Boardman's letter of this date written under instructions from the signatories, of. the petition, and wmplaining of delay in sending reply. As I considered the action required of me to be Opposed to the Highways Act, I wished to take time for consultation before deciding wviat I ehould do, —J.F."

lOaWednesday afternoon one of the workman employed in Messrs. Gibbons' sawmill, Manukau, met with a serious accident when working;at the. circular saw. By some mishap, one of his hands came in contact with the machinery, and his fingers were almost severed from the hand.. Yesterday afternoon he was brought into town and taken to.the hospital, where his injured hand was dressed. No fatal result is expected to follow. Mr. R. Graham writes :—" I observe in your report of the meeting at Grahamstown tHatT am reported to have moved an amendment to the resolution : (that the railway be made from the Thames to Hamilton), to the effect that it be not made to Morrisville. I never said anything of the kind. What I etatedi at the meeting was that the railway should., be :made, from the Thames to Te Aroha, a distance of 31 miles.. The line from Hamilton to Morrinsville is being made, and will be : continued on to Te Aroha, and I wanted to convey by my amendment Was to connect the Hamilton; railway at Te Aroha, very different from what appeared in we report of the meeting in your issue of Tuesday." About 250 of -the settlers of' Waiwera, Puhoi, arid the immediate neighbourhood petitioned the Minister for Public Works to have a wharf built at Waiwera, but as yet have received no answer. Now, a petitionhas been got up to be presented to the House of Beprese'ntative3 praying that a wharf be erected at Waiwera. It is signed by the Chairman.of the Harbour Board, by the Mayor, and the principal merchants and citizens of Auckland., : "Iα another column will be found a notice .*cora the Hon. Thomas Dick, changing the name of the Whau Highway District to that $ Ayondale. , ' ..'The trustee in the estate of Mr. H. C. requests'"creditors to prove their flebtadnor before the 3Cl;h instant, when a «nt and final dividend will be payable. ,s XhereJwere no prisoners in the ck up -fortnight. « 'vS- ■; Xi ..? . ,

•t The mine i manager of the Werehiko (Te Aroha) reports most favourably of the prospects of this mine, and states that he is taking tout three-ounce dirt. This spsaks well for the future prospects of the district. Very numbers of these shares have been bought up for the Thames and Te Aroha markets at 2s 3d to 3s. The market closed with sellers at 3s 6d. ; The usual fortnightly meeting of St. Stephen's Mutual Improvement Society was held on Wednesday evening. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, a large number members were present. Mr. J. H. Field read a very interesting paper entitled "Catherine of Arragon." On Sunday at 3 o'clock the service of song will be given at the Old People's Refuge. The choir will be conducted by Mr. Ryan, when it is hoped friends will attend. Musical hand bills will be used. ■ The additions to the Grafton-road School have just been completed,. supplying a longfelt want of extra accommodation. The old building furnished, in square feet, 3048; the new olass-rooms, 1760; making a total of 4808 feet—by which the whole of the premises will now be fit to receive 500 scholars. Measles are rapidly on the de- J cline, and a large influx of pupils may be expected. . A great want of taste was exhibited on the Domain crickefr ground on Saturday, when one of the runners in a match started and competed without . drawers, being only clothed with a singlet the ordinary trunks. Several of those present cried "Shame," and the offending individual received a .quiet hint not to offend good taste again in this way. Perhaps the police might be able to effectually put a stop to such objectionable exhibitions. ' The regulations relating to the examinations of masters and mates in the mercantile marine are published in a New Zealand Gazette on the Sth instant. The regulations occupy upwards of eighteen columns of the Gazßtte. ■ : Sumatra has beea declared an infected place under the Public Health Act, 1876. •We understand that the promoters of the counter petition being got up in Ponsonby against joining the city, have decided to , abandon any further opposition of that vqb aracter, being now satisfied that • the ' majority of the residents of Ponsenby and of , the city desire a union of the suburb with the city. ' . ' •, : A sailing race between the German i schooner Flora and the Auckland schooner Cygnet has been arranged to take place today, and a start will be made at about 9 a.m. -Captain Ross will sail the Cygnet, while Captain Glassenap will take charge of the Flora. The course has been arranged from the end of Queen-street Wharf, round Tiritiri, and back to the starting point. It has been arranged that both vessels shall sail in ordinary seagoing trim. During the height of the storm on Wednesday night, near 12 o'clock, a little sparrow boldly entered the police guard-room for shelter from the blast. The lock-up keeper. Constable Ryan, was somewhat surprised at the entrance of such a visitor. Instinctively, his first idea was to run it in on a charge of vagrancy and having no visible means of subsistence, but better thoughts prevailed, as the constable is a very "old bird "himself, and giving the little chirper the benefit of the doubt, he released it from custody in the morning. : The "Pinafore" and "Pirates of Penzance" scenery, belonging to the Williamson Opera Company, were removed frona the Opera House yesterday and shipped on board the : s.s. Rotpmahana, for Melbourne. Mr. Neville Thornton, the scenic artisb, is at present at work, on the stock scenery of the Opera House. He proceeds immediately to Gieborne to paint the scenery for the new hall there, which has been built on the site of the one burnt down at the great fire at Gisborne. • Mr. Thornton decorated the old hall, and the proprietor was desirous that he should also be entrusted with the same work as respects the present one.

At the committee meeting of the Auckland Coursing Club, held yesterday evening, it was decided to hold a meeting on the 28th instant. The match will be a" sixteen-dog stake, and the money to be run for will amount to £30. The money will be allotted in the following way:—The first dog will receive £15; the irunner-up, £7 10s; the third dog, £5; and the fourth dog, £2 10s. The entrance fee is one guinea, the match being only open to members of the club. Members will only be allowed to enter one dog, so as to give as many members as possible a chance of being interested in the match. The entrances close on Monday, the 26th, and the drawing takes place on Tuesday, the 27th, at 8 p.m., at. the Thistle Hotel. .

An officer named Way has been dismissed from his post as attendant at the Lunatic Asylum, for cruelty to a patient. The facts of the ease may be stated- as follow : —An inmate named Hobbe (an elderly man) was ordered'to carry a straw mattress from one part of the building to another. In stepping 'from one of the rooms he fell. Two attendants, whose business it was to have assisted him, appear to have- vexed Hobbs, and an altercation of some kind took place, in which Hobbs was knocked down. Some carpenters were working in a room opposite, who alleged that. Hobbs was not only knocked down, bub kicked by one of the wardere. The whole business was talked of, and came to the ears of Mr. T. Macffarlane, the Inspector, who at once held an inquiry. The attendant Way admitted kicking Hobbs, but said it was with the "side of his foot." But the independent witnesses declared positively that the kick ■ was "straight with the toe." The consequence is, that Mr. Macffarlane reported to the Government that Way is not fit for the post he has filled, and he has been, dismissed from the service. ' : . ■

■ Mr. Wilmott, the advance agent of J. L. Hall's Byronic Comedy Company, has arrived in Auckland, and has secured the Theatre jßoyal for the company to appear in. The day of opening is not yet fixed, as it is uncertain on which day the Manapouri, by which steamer they are passengers, will arrive here. They open with the comedy, " Our Girls. The Highways Act, 1874, has been brought into force in the Te Akau district, County of Raglan. . The boundaries of the district are published in another column. To-day's Auckland Weekly News is the largest weekly paper ever issued in Now Zealand. It consists of 40 pages of printed matter, aad is full of interesting articles for town and country readers. A full summary of Parliamentary proceedings and lobby gossip will be found in its pages, as well as aU the local and foreign news, telegrams, cablegrams, talcs, sketches, illustrations, &c, and it possesses all the features of a first-class family and commercial paper. To be had at the publishing office, Queen- , istreet, and of the news agents. To-day's Observer will contain "Clerical Professional Beauties," " A Presbyterian Scandal, "Thines as they might have been," A Chip ol Granite." by Walter ' Diguan ; "Billy Bigwools Tower." Cartoon portrait and biography of JJNathan, Esq., and another coupon in the Observer art union. See list of prizes.— [Aijvt.] The treasurer of the St. Stephen's Orphan Home acknowledges, with thanks, £13 2s 3d from Mr. W H. Warren, being net proceeds of the "May Queen" concert, with full statements and vouchers of receipts and expenditure. : Mrs. Knight has temporarily closed her shop in the City Market during the illness of Mr. Knight, and will conduct the Quoen-street burinesa, rner of Darby-street, until his recovery.