AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1253, 4 December 1875, Page 6

AUCKLAND.

Mr Robert Vaile, an old resident of .this city, has been for many yeara experimenting to carry out what would certainly be a very great improvement in steam engines— one which, if successful, would treble the benefits at present derived from steam. , His theory is that instead of the enormous waste in transmission of power by reciprocating motion after the .present fashion, a rotary motion direct from the engine is quite practicable. The piston and boilers' doing the work direct, thsre would be not only a great addition in power, but great economy in levers, cranks, connecting rod*,' link motion, arid eccentrics, and the usual perplexiag paraphernalia. Mr Yaile. , has patented his engine, and is having one made at a foundry here. It will, soon be completed and the invention tested. The engine will, I believe, be of 10 horse-power, so that the test will be conclusive* He has made no models, not believing in them; but the drawings have been carefully inspected iby all the leading engineers, who are confident, I am told, that the engine will succeed If they are right, and all the information I can get leads to the inference that they are unanimous in the belief, the advan* tages would be enormous, and are so obvious that I need not do more than refer to the savins in fuel, in cost of construction, and above all, in room which would be effected. When the engine is finished and tried, I will let you know the result. In the meantime, it is exciting great interest in all circles connected with engineering and machinery. Dr Pollen has been again in communication with the Education Board. They have sent in a statement showing they cannot do with less than £20,000 for immediate building purposes. Of this they expect £10,000 from the debentures to be issued oh the security of the old Supreme Court site. The other £10,000 they want from the £50,000 whtch the Colonial Treasurer said, in Mb statement, would be appropriated to! school buildings forthe Colony from loans. -The Secretary to the Board held that it would remure at least £40,000 to' provide schbols and teachers' houses for the Province at the rate of £3 per head for each of the children to be taught. His estimate must have been moderate, for I see.that ihe Governor has tt °£^ ed a , s< : ho01 in Christchurch for 1000 children, built at a cost of £8000. The whole value of school buildings and furniture owned by the Board is not. at' present £5000-a very miserable condition fora Province that has always contributed, and still contributes, so generously to the general revenue of the Colony. 1 Of .course, it is the land fund that does it for you; and for Canterbury, but people h,ere will continue to ask why the whole coßfc of governing the

and they will never rest satisfied till some more fail arrangement be made. Sir George Grey- is at Kawau, and will meet his constituents on his return. The candidates for the Assembly are gradually coming out. Mr J. M. Clark is,out,for City East. He is very well backed,' and has an excellent list of names to his requisition His opponent will be Mr-Rees, who will run him close, and probab!y beat him, as those who brought Clark out are known to be opposed to Sir George Grey/ ' Clark has thought it requisite to deny.* the rumour that he is opposed, to Sir trtorge — a strong proof, of the • weieht whicu even those -.opppsed to him that bir George carries with him. To have disavowed support of the Government five years ago, would have been suicidal} Nbw it is the opposite For Franklyn, MrTroup bv°Mr WHW H 5 a P4'« Woppiaed Si H / + Luak » :a8!: a 8! Wll as, in ifpV Centralist p Uie and .si^le. Mr T£ k a Whitaker stands for the Waikato, and will and an opponent of the Ministry, S' while it is very doubtful, vvhethir Mr* Munro will be again returned, though wC ever opposes him wiir have a 1 hard tussle. Bor the Thames many are' 'spoken of, : but nothing decided.yet known. It is not impossible Sir George may stand.' If so hia electaon is sure, arid he will be safe to have a supporter in . his placed City, West. Newton is safe for Mr Swansea karneYL for Mr Reader Wood, and Onehunga forMr ORorke, so that you will see the 'prospects of a strong party m opposition from this Province are very great ; : /The East ' Coast w.li be contested by a Maori, who solicits both European and Native votes. \, If the European rotes are much split he may get in > One of the cries which I , think you 'may rely on hearing from this. Province will be against secular education. ;< The Catholic clergy don't like it. Nothing will apparently reconcile them to it: They waht'thew people ear marked, and set aside as a&parate class in the community. They object to onejaw for all, but in this Province they will have a powerful auxiliary in the hatred felt towards the Education tax for its' unfair incidence If children are educated as an act of charity to them, raise the money, and give' it to the Churches, and not the Education Board, to spend. If not as an act of benevolence to the children, but for the progress and safety of the State, let the tax be levied in proportion to wealth', and not in ite present unfair form. This is the argument nsedj and -it is not easy to see how to meet , it^ except by a more just tax. , , . , ; , ,The Waiwera hot springs, seem to be attracting a good many of your people. Mr Mendershansen and'Mr^Steinhofly of Dunedin. have just returned, and I observe that Mr Livingston and Mr Walcott, ' also of your city, went there a few days ago:' , JThe facility of getting td^the Waiwera, the com. forf there, and the waters themselves, 'give ; t,hese hot springs an immense advantage over those at Ohinemutu, which are utterly, deficient in comfortable accommodation; For invalids, the Waiwera;; for .healthy persons seeking amusement ; and ; anxious >' to see a great natural wonder, tIM Lake .springs. and will ,be 'so till' the s Maoris allow some one to Duy land; and provide proper accommodation for invalids at the latter, .TLJndei 1 any' circumstances, however, the position of; Waiwera and the ease' of getting there must make it .very attractive in comparison, With* out regard to its own. natuialibeautiea of* position and advantages of accommodation. The mining world is active.- : J At Ooromandel the Union Beach ana Tokatea are caisina a stir, while others are looking very' well? At the, J Thames -,the Red; I*Queen1 * Queen v is attracting attention from the discovery, of 'the Caledonian reef running through it, though flo result , e bas _yet, beeii "seen.- ; ,;, The; Bright Smile pumps are likely to, be set * going again by agreement with the valuable mines around it, who are^to form an association to work 'the pump. This; is 'a great, gain,' as several hundred" men would be thrown out of *em« ploymerit if these mines are' allowed to get flooded any more. Mischief enough ha 3 been done by the dispute already, but it is; not yet irreparable; The old Pumping Association are in splendid country at last,- aud affairs look very promising there, too. ;> For performance' we must still wait, awhile. Meantime, everything is very dull' here, and house property falling in value, • instead tit rising, except in business portions in the' best part of the city. ' s / From Tairua the news on the other hatid is far from encouraging, and thefa.is believed to have been .Bome-great^windle which no one seemß yet to understand., .All we know is that a great quarrel has' occurred- 'among the directors of the leading mine, the working manager is dismissed,' and the shares down to a fourth of what they were a* week ago. Ohinemuri is lodking well, but both it and Tairua will be better known, for better or for worse, before the summer is tiyetl W.e have had very bad weather-~we4 ta& hot— and at a most unfortunate time, afl there are the Artists' Exhibition , and* tho Horticultural Show opened, together. , The paintings and drawings at the .Exhibition are better and more numerous than on any- totmer occasion, and the attendance wiil be sure ! to improve with the weather. \ .The *!!<»& cultural Show is inferior to that of last year,partly on account of the season being unfavourable for flowers and fruit, and, partly on account of the uncertainty, up.to the last moment, as to whether it would or would not be held this month, ■ . ..

Mr Legge, of the flour mill, at Helens- .; brook, Tokomamro, whose: establishment i was lately burnt down, is taking steps for , theerection of new premises. Plans' and specifications for the^new building are being I S r $ >ar ?. d h y M W M £ son and Wales. J 'Tho mill will be driven.: by/ water-power, supple* , I mented by steam-power -wheneverihe wate* I 1 runs snort, and aome. machinery which' is re.