LOCAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12, 28 November 1861, Page 5 (Supplement)

LOCAL.

In a few days, we will be in a position to state the amount of gold that remains on deposit, at the Bank of °New South Wales on account of the Government Escort. Hitherto no statements have been made, either of the various parcels or the total quantity, but henceforth weekly returns will be furnished to the Government, which we will endeavour to publish. It is highly necessary that this course should be adopted, as were any abstraction to take place, by the present system it might remain undiscovered for years, in fact until the gold were applied for. In Victoria gold has remained on deposit for nine years before being claimed. Here, where the duties of gold receivers are deputed to a private bank, extra precautions to guard against accidents should be taken. Not very long ago one of the Banks in Melbourne discovered deficiencies of several hundred pounds in sovereigns, from bags which had been stowed away for some time, and the contents of which had been carefully counted. We believe no solution of the mode and cause of disappearance has ever been arrived at. Experience in this province has already shown the evils of a loose system of conducting business, and in the interests of the community a resolute termina-

tion to a practice of the kind cannot be too strongly insisted on. It is alike for the interest of the Bank and for the Government that the amounts on deposit be regularly checked. We understand that an inaccurate system of stating the weights of the parcels of gold deposited has been permitted on the Gold Fields. This also should not be permitted under any circumstances. No matter what the difficulties of want of time or accommodation the gold receivers on the diggings may labour under, the strictest accuracy and.precision should be insisted on. It is in the nature of a loose system of conducting business, that the evil always grows and increases, and that reform is excessively difficult.

A Correspondent writing under the nomme de plume of " Scotchman" remarks on the absence of any recreations or amusements in Dunedin. Days which everywhere else are observed as holidays, are here allowed to pass unnoticed : such, for instance, as the Anniversary of the Settlement of the Province, and the Birth-day of the Prince of Wales and other occasions of the kind. Our correspondent suggests boat races, horse races, and picnics as suitable amusements. He also censures the apathy of the gentlemen appointed to act in the Province as Commissioners for the Great Exhibition of 1862, whom he says have not even held one meeting. , We must say that it will look very bad of Otago to be unrepresented, in the forthcoming ." Exhibition." So much attention will have been directed to it from the gold discoveries recently made in it, that curiosity will be evinced to view its productions. It will almost be the only British possession without a. local habitation and a name, in the world's great show, a distinction which is scarcely an enviable one. It is hardly now too late to do something in the matter, and we trtist the Commission will either exercise its functions or definitely decline to act when another could be appointed in its place.

Amongst the arrivals by the "Hound," from London, we notice the name of Mr. Nimmo, late of Stirling, who has brought with him a pure Clydesdale entire horse, two mares of the same breed, a short horn bull, and two cows ; we regret to learn that one of the bulls shipped died on the voyage. Our agricultural readers will remember that thi£ gentleman's brother, Mr. Peter Nimmo, of A Vest Taieri has imported several very valuable additions to the breeding stock of this province during the last few years. About 50 allotments in the Township of Clarendon were sold yesteaday by Messrs. 11. E. Nathan & Co., and we understand that the average price obtained was about £14 each allotment.

An awful case of sudden death occurred on Monday last. Mr. Archbald Currie retired to rest on Sunday night in his. usual health and spirits, and, in the morning, not coming down at his accustomed hour, his daughter on going into his room found him dead in his bed. Au inquest was held at the Royal George, before H. Howorth, Esq., Coroner, 'when it appeared from the medical evidence of Dr. Burns, that death had resulted from serous apoplexy. Deceased was formerly in the Customs' department.

There could scarcely be a more complete refutation of the assertions made by some of our Australian contemporaries, that the Otago Gold Fields are but a second Port Curtis, than is; to be found in the present state of the lahour market in this Province. In spite of the very large addition to the population within the last four, months (about 12,000) it is now almost impossible to obtain labourers, and contractors fmd considerable difficulty in obtaining the labour necessary to complete their works. The registration offices, which abound 'with notices of men being wanted for various employments, have scarcely a single application from men wanting work, and we know of one gentleman who has tried in vain for .several days lei obtain workmen to execute some fencing. The demand for female servants is also far in excess of the supply, so .much so that'it is almost impossible to get a household servant at any wages.