Oar Dunedin Letter

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3038, 21 February 1899, Page 2

Oar Dunedin Letter

(Fbom Oca Own Co-respondent.) ' Donedin, Monday morning In the course of a leading article on Tuesday morning the * Times' has something to say on the New Zealand cricket team. Whilst, recognising the teams worth in the batting department, it passes severe strictures upon its bowling proclivities, and anticipates disaster in the coming matches in Melbourne and Sydney. The remarks are generally regarded as being in bad taste in cricketing circles.

It is probable that occasion will be taken of the Premier's stay in town for a few days at the end of the month, to bring under his notice the pressing claims of Dunedin for a new railway station and new courthouse, as everyone who travels by rail to or from Dunedin knows the present conveniences — or rather arrangements, for there are no conveniences — are totally inadequate for the requirements, and it is high time that the Dunedin citizens took the matter into their own hands and by deputation made the Prime Minister aware of the disabilities under which they have suffered far too long. The members of Parliament have been requested over and over again, to make the railway station an urgent matter in the House, but whatever advances they may have made, have had about as much effect as the scratching of a fly has on the back of an elephant. The courthouses here are also quite unsuitable, and if we could only get the Right Hon. Doctor to sit in either of the lower courts and endeavor to follow the course of the business, the noise of traffic without, and the bad accoustic properties within, to say nothing of the dinginess of the rooms and offices would soon convince him that new court buildings was an urgent necessity as much in the interests of justice as of the comfort of the public, bar, and bench.

Messrs Arnold, Kodda, and J. A. Millar have been nominated by the Bootmakers Union as liberal candidates at the forthcoming general election. The Furniture Trades Union have put forward the names of Messrs A. R. Barclay, W. Hutchison, and J. A. Millar, and Mr C. K. Chapman h?s been put forward all by his own self.

The rumor that IMx Bevan Brown, headmaster of the Christchurch Boy's High School, had been appointed to the vacant position of Inspectorgeneral of schools came as a great surprise to scholastic luminaries, though it was generally supposed that that Christchurch gentleman would secure the appointment. It now transpires that Mr Bevan Brown has declined the position, so that matters are again in statu eno. The man undoubtedly most qualified for the position both as regards statue and ability is Mr D. Petrie, M.A., formerly Chief Inspector of schools in Otago and now occupying a similar position in Auckland, Mr Lee, Inspector of Schools in Hawkes Bay, and Mr Benion, Inspector of Canterbury, have also been named in connection with the vacancy. The appointment is a most important one, and it is very desirable that the best man available should be chosen, and the renumeration be made such as to make it worth a good man's while to

accept it. At length the Education Board have evolved and revised a Bcheine of payment of teachers. The bonuses' system has been abolished and the money thus saved has been distributed over the various classes into which teachers are divided. These who previously received no bonus will, of course, not complain, for they will in most cases receive an advance, but the bonus gainers will be discontented for certain. The new arrangement comes into force on June 1, and all teachers are to be given notice terminating their present engagements as from May 31.

Mr Hugh Gourley appears to have a mortgage over the chairmanship of the Harbor Board, and on Thursday he was re-elected for the eighth consecutive time. In his speech at the special meeting he gave a lot of valuable and interesting information regarding the Board's affairs, which generally were shown to be in a satisfactory condition. The year just ended opened with a credit balance of £7856, and closed with a credit balance of £1690. The annual accounts showed a falling off of revenue received of .£2184, compared with 1897. There were, however, ,£ll4O of outstanding accounts in excess of those of the previous year, and and the expenditure on repairs has been exceptionally heavy, amounting to .£2250, and the amount spent on work 8 and dredging was .£16,435, an excess of £3643 over the previous year. Theatre goers this week have been '

having a rare treat in the performances of Messrs Williamson and Musgrove's "Sign of the Cross" Company. The title piece took as well as on the former occasion, and the general opinion expressed was that the company appeared to better advantage. "Under the Ked Kobe" gives Miss Eerrar the. show she ..has in previous plays been denied— a character which balls for the exercise of passion and activity. Renee.de Cocheforet is so; far the best role Miss Ferrar has 1 assumed, and. her acting of the part will take a lot of beating. Crowded houses are being experienced, and so successful has the tour through the colony been that "the firm" are said to be considering whether it would not be worth while to send over their opera company with "The Geisha" as the trump card. It is a long time since we, in this colony, had an opportunity of hearing opera, serious or comic, by anything approaching a first-class company.

During the past year an aggregate amount of .£27,174 10s 3d was sued for in the local Magistrate's Court. Of this sum £14,349 13s 5d was recovered. In both respects the figures are an increase over the previous year, in the former the increase being £2804 Is, and in the latter £3019 19s 2d.