AUCKLAND.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 102, 24 December 1872, Page 2

AUCKLAND.

(EEO3T OUR OWN correspond , December 2. P. A. Phillips, Esq., lia3 been thrice returned Mayor of Auckland! Our modern 'Whi.ttington does not oive the unblushing honors thrust upon him by his brother councillors *o.much to his innate worth and heavenrborn genius for the duties of the., office a3 to-the happy constitution of the corporate body itself, the membeys of which are. divided into itfcle cliques. The time-honored precept of rendering "honor to .-whom honor isi due." is not tho guiding star which has prompted their action in the re-election of Mr Phillips, so muph as their desire to retain- in ollbe one whose ambition dogs not outrun, his discretion. Besides with one o.vception members no doubt think it is safer and pleasanter to pull the strings that work the, puppet than be the .puppet thcai.-e:ves. It is a.sad blow, however, to the .vanity of the irrepressible Hurst, who only condescended to allow himself to bo made .a councillor as a stepping-stone to his. election as Mayor. Ana who so fitted to do the honors of the . office. A mo'iibsi.'. of parliament and the associate of an Earl to be ps3s?;l by for a ssller of : - pots and pans. It is not to be •! -'j-.' it u:\st will not be doing himself justice unless he at once :'C--,g:i.5 an office to which there is neither dignity nor honor. Great, preparation? are being, made throughout the.town by c iwrors of C-iristmas festivities and others to do noiiour to tho season. The owners of steamboats are vieing with each other .as to which mo3fc attraci tive bill of fare in t!xo form of excursions, while in the shops of the.various tradesman, arc to be seen in abundance all the delicacies which usually tempt a little excess at this season. Fruit is unusually abnndapt, strawberries in particular being quite a.dfiig in the. market. Much rivalry is shown by the butchers, who challenge one another to produce," larger, primer, or more careful[y selected stock than that on exhibition by himself." The number .of people en route to their various homes to spend the Christmas ha 3 imparted an air of babble to the streets which of late. it. has not beeri their wont to assume. The Thames and Coromandcl have coiir tributed the largest quota, the steamers on Saturday evening being crowded. Even the little village.of Howick awoke temporarily from its dormant state on Saturdav bv tly arriva l ot three of. Quick's coaches freighted with return wanderers. A serious accident occurred on Friday on the Auckland and Onchunga railway liae. Two men in charge of several ballast waggons on thq,t portion of the works near the junct'o. ii ? ' d whilst descending the incline, observed two caws in front, and dreading an accident one of them, named Sharkey, leaped from the truck, and was thrown with great violence against a pile of stone boulders. The result was that his nose was brokon, and he was terribly cut about the face. His mate, who remained in the truck, was not injured. The cow ;, howo.'er, were severely injured by the collision.

Another accident happened on thy wharf yester lay afternoon at abojit four o'clock, by which the otlico of the landing Waiter was smashed. One of the new pilos lor the wharf had been hooted about thirty feet by moans of a chain, previous to being let down through the wharf, when by Borne means the chain slipped, and the pile Toll on theotliee Very luckily there was no one in, the oiliee at the time or they must certainly have been killed. Great carelessness is.displayed in using the apparatus lor driving piles, and the only wonder is that serious ucceidents have not been more, frequent.