Our Correspondents. AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1383, 1 June 1878, Page 6

Our Correspondents. AUCKLAND.

The great event of t\e past fortnight has been the Hikurangi native meeting, which, contrary to popular expectation, has ended in results more Important and beneficial to both races than the most sanguine could have anticipated. Sir George Grey himself was somewhat doubtful of the issue, and took certaiß precautions to test the sincerity of Native feeling. The old demand, that we should go back to the line of the Maungatawhiri, was made, rather as an offering to Maori vanity than from any hope of its being granted, and the Premier's prompt refusal, coupled with the ominous language used by him, determined the indecision of Tawhiao and his counsellors. He told them that in the natural order of things he must soon pass away from the stage of action, and other men would arise who knew nothing of the condition of the Maori, and cared less, and from whom terms, more harsh possibiy, would have to be obtained. The terms conceded to Tawhiao by the Premier, already telegraphed, may be characterised as liberal, whether as regards position, land, or emolument. The provisions of the agreement may appear to lack the element of neutralising, and, like Hibernian reciprocity, ar.j all on one side. We know what the Natives will receive; what we obtain is not so clearly discernible. Still, if peace is made,' and harmony restored, from Waikato to Waitara, where first " the fern was set on fire," an immense gain will have been secured, for it will end in the railway running through to Taranaki, a work which in its effect on the Colonial estate and Colonial progress, Sir Julius Vogel, in a recent speech, declared "could only be calculated by millions." The subject of the murderers was too tender to be dealt with just now, but with the exception of some flagrant cases, an amnesty might fitly grace the close of the negotiations. As for Te Kooti, who has so far escaped the hands of the " finisher of the law," the Colonists can afford to have patience, for he has been taken in hand, and will in all likelihood be finished by General Rum. There yet remain many knotty questions to settle in the relations between the two races ; but those of us who witnessed on that memorable Sunday morning in Maroh, 1860, the hurried departure of men and guns for the Beat of war, the first act in a drama which should end in a page of Colonial history written in tears and blood— soe now for tbe first time the rift in the cloud which has bo long lain lain over the Northern section of the Colony. Those acquainted with Maori customs and habit of thought knew full well that so soon as Tawhiao touches Government gold, a 9 a pensioner of State, his power and influence as a Maori King has ceased, and the hopes of the Maori Home Rulers of a Maori nationality are gone for ever. The elevation of Rewi to the Upper House will considerably flutter that assemblage of dignified mediocrity, who consider that the line Bhould be drawn somewhere. The Premier's views respecting that Chamber have been more remarkable for vigour than compliment, and it must have been with a merry twinkle in his eye he yielded to the request of this first Maori representative of the tribe of Levi (for such is Rewi's Anglican title) craving "wifch the last frailty of noble minds," admission to "the lords." Although General Cameron did not value him greatly when, on the bloody day of Orakau, he offered the soldiers £10 for his body, dead or alive, he is a man of great force of character and political shrewdness.

In the adjustment of Provincial financial arrangements last session, a sum of £40,000 was allocated to Auckland for Highway Board purposes, on account of her liabilities being so much less than those of the other provinces when, the Abolition Act came into force. As Sir George Grey very forcibly put it, in a State paper, during a "memorandummial" enconnter with Sir Julius Vogel, "We were poor, but honest!" Well, the Highway Boards having shortly to go out of office, were desirous of handling, and still more of spending, the subsidies to be awarded out of the above Parliamentary vote, but all enquiries have proved fruitless as to the whereabouts of the £40, 000, and itis shrewdly suspected that it has been swept in to the Colonial Exchequer for Construction of Railways. Another stage towards the construction of the Auckland and Riverhead section of the Kaipara railway has been entered upon, namely, the gazetting of the districts and seotions through which it must pass, and with this instalment, for the present, the impatient settlers must be content. Originally commenoed during Mr Gillies's Superintendency, it saw one Provincial Administration after another pass away during ita partial construction. When the Eaipara proper, with its great inland sea, and thriving settlements, will have the opportunity of bringing its produce to Auckland it would be difficult to predict. So many unfulfilled promises have been made about this line by every Administration, that nothing but practical work will ever convince the settlers that the Government means business. The extension of the line on the Kaipara side through marshy land to deep water navigation, has ended in the whole length of breastwork threatening to disappear in the river, and work has been stopped pending reference to the Engineer in- Chief, at Wei lington. There is more than a screw loose in that remarkable specimen of engineering, and probably the whole work will have to be begun again de novo. The Auckland municipal authorities appear to be in no harry to take over the care of the public and charitable institutions, now under the supervision of the General Government, notwithstanding the liberal and tempting offers that have been made by the latter in the event of their so doing. The Corporation have a fragrant recollection of Mr Vogel'B capitation allowances to the Provinces in perpetuity, and what came of 'it. The General Government, however, have untied the Gordian knot, by cutting it, for it is understood that the officials of the above institutions have been notified that after the 30th Juno they must not look to the Colonial authorities for payment of their salaries. It may be questioned whether the management of Bomo of these establishments would

not be more efficient under local supervision than under the control of heads of departments five hundred miles distant. The Lunatic Asylum, for instance, has furnished a test on many occasions of late for a press homily, and a triangular duel recently came off at one branch of it in which the matron, the cook, and the Government agent constituted the dramatis persons, the latter functionary, as a last resort, appealing to Ccesar at Wellington. The commercial section of Auckland city is being embellished by the erection of new and handsome buildings. Queen street, which owes its present improved appearance to the joint action of fire and the Fire Insurance Companies, is now being further ornamented — this time in a legitimate way — by the erection of a splendid suite of offices as the head-quarters of the South British, on perhaps the best business Bite in the city — the junction of Queen and Shortland streets. On the opposite side of the street, that prince of auctioneers, and lineal descendant of George Robins, Mr Geo. Sibbin — will shortly have to travel to make way for the new dedication of his premises to the use of the Bank of Australasia. Fifty yards farther on the Bank of New South Wales has secured an allotment for their new offices, while the Colonial Bank, hard upon its heels, has obtained the spacious building lately occupied by Messrs Lewis Brothers. As one evidence of the growing prosperity of the city, it may be noted that the increase of city revenue from all sources during the past year has been about £5000, and that during that period the City Council has administered a sum of £80,000. Like all respectable corporations in this progressive age, that of Auckland enjoys the doubtful advantage of owing a respectable amount to the public creditor— some £166,000, of which £3000 has been wiped off recently — but its assets, on the other hand, are put down at hard upon a quarter of a million sterling. Perhaps no city in the Colony has been more liberally endowed — thanks to the foresight of Sir George Grey — and the increased rental as the endowment leases fall in, should, with ordinary prudence, relieve the citizens from the burden of inordinate taxation. Mayor Brett has so far justified the confidence of the ratepayers, but with an ex- Mayor, who has served three times, as Town Clerk, at his elbow, the municipal machine has got into that condition in which it might safely be left to run alone, were it not that there is no such thing as a corporate conscience. The wondrous elasticity of our bankruptcy laws and judicial administration has had an apt illustration during the past fortnight. At, a recent session of the Supreme Court an Auckland merchant, who had failed for many thousands, got six months' imprisonment for fraudulent bankruptcy. One would have thought that this alight modicum of punishment would at least have been borne ; but as prison fare and prison routine did not agree with his health, he was translated to the District Hospital, where, in holding levees of sympathising friends in his " private apartments," varied by sampling wines of choice vintage, he is "putting in his time." Shortly after his incarceration another trader was guilty of a similar offence, but involving only one hundred and fiftieth part of the amount. He is putting in hip time at the stockade, having been unfortunate enough to fail for hundreds instead of thousands of pounds. It is but just to state that the airing of this anomaly through the columns of the local press has had its effeot, and it has been decided to remit the "splendid bankrupt" to the '"place from whence he came."

The Beat for Franklyn district in the Assembly, vacant by the resignation of Mr H. H. Lusk, will shortly be filled up, the writ having been issued, and the election taking place on the 31st instant. Three candidates presented themselves for popular selection — Mr Ricbard Hobbs, of Pokeno, Mr Jenkins, of the "Temple of FasMon," Newmarket, and Captain Harris, a well to-do Pukekohe settler, and captain cf a yeomanry cavalry corps — the two former being temperance reformers, and believers in "the cold water cure." But little interest is felt in the contest, owing to the fact that all the candidates are Greyites. although Mr Hobbs, like Dr Wallis in his candidature for City West, claims to be "the greyer man of the three." Subsequently, Mr Jenkins's beßt friends, while duly impressed with the fact that "Jenkins was willin'," have impressed upon his mind the belief that the peace or prosperity of the Colony would not be greatly imperilled were he to devote his attention to mercantile pursuits for some time to come, and accordingly he ha 3 foresworn political measures for the yard-stick — tho political platform for the "Temple of Fashion" — and, after having the public eye on him for a solid week, has again retired into private life. The running was anticipated to be very close between the remaining two, but the preliminary meetings soon Bhowed the trend of public opinion, and the gallant cap tain, feeling tolerably certain that victory would not perch upon the helmet of the party by the name of Harris, has also abandoned the contest. Mr Hobbs in all probability will have a walk over. In such case he will be the third native-born member in the General Assembly, and his unlooked-for popularity in this hiß first eßßay in the higher walks of political life, might almost justify his exclaiming in the language of Shakespeare — Thanks, prentlo citizens, This general applause and cheerful shout Argues your wisdom, and your love to Bichard.

There has been "a storm in a teapot" within the last few days over the right of private persons to fly the white ensign. The trouble arose as follows :—A well-known auctioneering firm in this city, Messrs Grant and Morton, have boGn in the habit for some time of flying the white ensign on sale days, and while so doing they were recently visited by Borne navel functionaries from 11. M. S. Conflict — ominous name— whorequestedthem to take it down, or a file of marines would do so for them. To the mild enquiry of the firm, "Why is thin thuß?" they were informed that only the Royal Yacht Squadron could fly it, and had paid £500 for the privilege ; further parley was ended in protiy much the language of the new war Bong " We don't want to fight, but by jingo if we do,"A-c.,— and, of course, rather than see things come to that sad pass, Mr Morton — himself the hero of a hundred Ponsonby, and, or, Dedwood Highway Board fights —

told these naval heroes that the flag was "Going — in fact, gone," and the entente cordiale was again restored. Considering the scant reverence which has been accorded the flag in New Zealand, and especially by our native friends, amongst whom it has inspired as much respect as the exhibition of a Whitney blanket, Messrs Grant and Morton might well be excused for impressing 'i; into the auctioneering line. The difficulty gave a colourable pretext for Captain Le Roy, of the Auckland Naval Brigade, to rush into the fray, and who, as a ilag-maker, denied the right of men-of-war's-meu to interfere with white ensigns flying on shore. His view of the subject was promptly tested, fer a bellicose Boniface ran up the offending flag over his hostelry, and patiently waited for the Naval authorities to " tell the marines," and come on. They came, saw, and were conquered, for they confined themselves simply to moving at the bar for a new trial — of his best brew. The Commodore, though not committing himself to any disavowal or approval of the action taken by the Naval functionaries in question, is, it is said, very much annoyed at the extra offioiousness which has led to the above " conflicting" controversy in the Presß. Our merchants and many other private citizens have hitherto been in the habit of affecting bunting on. high days and holidays, but with a £500 fine dangling before their mental vision, they are getting rather chary of hanging " out the banner on the outer wall. "