ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 970, 29 May 1879, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE OAMARU MAIL. Slit, —In these days of bank inspectors, beetles, and bankruptcies, when a general washing up and sweeping oft' of cobwebs is the order of the day, when it seems as if all things were to be renewed upon a sounder and cleaner basis than they ever were before, except indeed before anyone came here at all, can our paternal Go- j vernment, in order to keep pace with the times, not find a beetle to place that polish ' upon our local Post Office it so much requires. Admirably suited ,to the place ten years ago, it has stood still ever since, except in so far that it has recently assumed the title of Chief Post Office. Heaven save the mark ! Did ever anyone see such a place, or such jmtiquated gfficials—the essence of civility l tio doubt, and they need be, for all elseh wanting. Ask any business man how often he blesses the Post Office ? How often does he find his box empty an hour after the arrival of mails 1 How often has he found other people's letters in his box, and in the lapse of time at last received his letters from the boxes of others 1 How often has he been obliged to tinker up his bills, because the Post Office never has the stamps he, and every one else for the matter of that, requires'? How many mails does he lose because improperly advertised, or, as is too often the case, not advertised at all ? These, sir, are no groundless complaints, but are of almost every day occurrence. Let them take steps to set things straight, and let them advertise carefully in the locel papers, and post up in their own window the departure not only of English mails but of all other sea-borne mails, whether to the Australian Colonies, or to the North Island. In all these particulars they are woefully deficient, seeming apparently to overlook altogether the fact that Oamaru has now become much too important to be treated as if still a mere country village. Trusting that this letter may be productive of beneficial results to the business public, and apologising for trespassing on vour valuable space, I am, &c., Tandem Bona Causa Thtumpiiat. OUR BANKING SYSTEM. TO THE EDITOR OF THE OAMARU MAIL. Sir, —Do the powers that be ever pause to think, in the headlong course which they are pursuing, of what will be the consequences to themselves of the crusade of oppression which they are waging with such merciless vigour against those very classes upon whose industry and enterprise the Colony so largely depends ? How beautifully in their next annual reports would figure the number of hitherto well doing farmers they have managed to ruin ; or how many of those, too firmly posted for them to drag down altogether, have been forced to make such sacrifices as will burden them for years to meet a sudden call for the payment of an overdraft—granted, perchance, not along time before with, an assuring " We won't be hard on you." Well, they are bidding fair to put a stop to trade altogether, and what benefits they expect to gain by that I know not ; or of the sweet remembrance of past, favours rankling in the minds of their numerous victims. A correspondent in your issue of Thursday last, while remarking very sensibly on the constitution of most of our Colonial banks, and the consequent evils of their peculiar systems, makes a number of suggestions anent which I purpose making a few remarks. And, by the way, he is rather incomplete in his remarks in re the malappropriation of the resources of the country by our very self-indulgent upper ten, in whose hands our present banking systems so materially aid to place it. I mean when he talks about the sums scuandered upon costly mansions, &c. These, in my opinion, are their mildest ways of squandering. Horse racing, coursing clubs, champagning, billiardising, ana gambling-cimi-boozing matches generally have a deal more to do with it'. But as to his suggestions, a mint would be so great a boon to the Colony, that with our present energetic and progressive Government, I think—at least, I hope—we shall not have long to wait ere the Royal Mint of New Zealand is a thing of reality. But as to your correspondent's idea of a Government Bank, we have at present a very excellent institution, the Post Office Savings Bank, which is,. I think, all that is feasible in this direction, for surely the absurdity of the Government owning a speculative institution—as every bank must be—will be apparent to every one. What we want is the establishment here of branches of some of the great banking institutions of the old country, and I. cannot see why such a thing should be impossible. If it is advantageous for the Colony to borrow from Home,, it will be equally so in the case of private individuals, and the value of such institutions as a check upon qur 'colonial banks cannot be'over estimated. J quite agree with your correspondent as; to' the necessity. of our having small farmers (I don't apply the diminutive to the men) producing dairy, garden, and such-like produce, but I think it a department likely to be fully supplied. This is a kind of business easily entered upon, and although a better demand has sprung up lately for products of this kind, it is only because a great many who were j formerly producers were forced to give up the business owing to the very different state of f things which prevailed a few years ago, and. which I. expect, ere long, to see again. Why, Sir, a few years ago good cheese was going "a begging" at Christchurch at 4d' per lb, bacon unsaleable, butter a drug all over the Colony, and potatoes 30s per, ton. Your correspondent is evidently not a farmer, : although a sympathiser with that estimable fraternity,, otherwise he would have been able to account for the high price of eggs at present. Doesn't he know that hens don't lay very hard at this season of the. year 1 I beg to assure him that the number of liens , and; cows required to make butter and "eggs plentiful; .at the present time would produce pretty nearly enough to supply London in the summer months. As to the; fruit market, I have seen orchards iri some districts overladen, and the : fruifc falling to the ground and rotting-,-yet onr : dealers continued to imjjort. V'punedin, cari scarcely be qu'qted I as a market for any'kind of Q'ur dealers', there seeming : about as wjling tq import' from Hong-Kong as pajnaru.— Yours truly, x . ' -• Farmer,