ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22, 10 December 1861, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Daily Times

Duncdin, 7th Dec, 18.61

Sir, —I observed in a late number of yourjour- ' rial a, paragraph stating- fcli.it a memorial bad been presented to His Honor the Superintendent, signed by several of tlie leading merchants and others in Dunedin, praying His Honor to cause such alterations to be made, in so far as this Province was j concerned, in the Act now in force to prevent the importation of cattle from Australia affected witfc plearo-pucumonia, as would allow of the importa tion of cattle from thence under certain restrictions. Should the' Government consent to. any altera- , tions in the present Act, it is very easy to foresee what would be the result. The restrictions, whatever they might sc, would, ) as a matter of course, render it impossible for an importer to enter into a speculation of the kind \ wfcth a likelihood of profit, unless he got the cattle , in Australia at a very low figure, and these very . cheap animals avoulu naturally be some whoso owner was suspicious of their being- infected. Any alteration in the present Pleuro-Pneumonia Bill would, to a. certainty, lead to the creeping in of such cattle, and in that way would ours becornp infected with a disease which is at present decimating- the' herds in most parts of Australia. If once imported here, it would soon spread to the neighbouring Provinces, no matter what their respective laws might be, and thus we would be purchasing a present relief at a future most fearful to contemplate. In the paragraph I have referred to, it is also mentioned that New South Wales is not affected with the disease, and that the ;>onthland Government had made such changes in the Pleuro-Pne-monia Act, as to enable Messrs. Wentworth & Hill to import cattle into that Province from More ton Bay. It was only lately I observed in a Sydney paper that the New South Wales Government had called for tenders to destroy 3000 head of infected cattle, and I am credibly informed that the Southland Government have not made the alterations you suppose but that Messrs Wentworth & Hill have landed, their cattle in spite of the. existing Act, and, sio doubt, ere this, they have paid the penalty of the glaring- infringement of the,law of which they have been guilty. ' I remain, Sir, yours truly, " CAUTION. [We 1 el.'eve there is no' doubt that Messrs. Wentworth & Hill have been ailcnved to land and take their cattle up country.- All infected cattle in New South Wales are being destroyed. Something- like 40,000 we believe are already con- ■ denied.— Ed. D. T.~\

Several complaints having been'made that storekeepers and others up country are in the habit of making a charge upon the notes of the Union Bank and the Bank of New South Wales, bearing to be issued in the other provinces of Ncav- Zealand, but in circulation here, we arc authorised to state that no charge whatever is now made for cashing such notes at the respective offices of these Banks in Duuedin, and we therefore caution the public against submitting to any deduction, however trifling, if demanded thereon.

We understand that Mr. Strode was not acting iii bis official capacity when he wont on board the '•'Lord Ashley." fie consented to accompany Captain Walsh on board, but expressly- refused to grant a warrant, or to take any steps; to compel Mr. Barnes'detcTit'on. ■ Tiie United Service Gazc/tj announces that two Sikh Ke-giments are to be sent to New-Zea-I land. . • • We understand a petition is in course of signature, praying on the Provincial Council lo place money on the Estimates to procure a fortnightly mull service wish Melbourne. In accordance with the resolution passed on Thursday evening', a meeting of about a dozen of those willing to become members of a Volunteer Fire Brigade was hold in the Town Hall .on Saturday evening. Mr Evans was called to the chair, and pointed out to,the meeting the utter absurdity of a few unknown men, without iniiuynee or capital attempting to undertake a work lof the kind. After a good deal of conversation, a resolution .of Mr. Puterson's to the effect that the Sheriff be requested to oal! a public meeting for the purpose of forming a Volunteer Fire Brigade, and take such other steps as may be necessary to guard against lire, was carried, and after the usual complimentary vote to the chairman, the meeting separated. We believe, however, that it will he unnecessary to carry out the above resolution, as we are informed that it is the intention of His Honor the Superintendent to summon a public meeting on an early day for that purpose, and we trust that.

!a large and iniinsntijil meeting will show thai the inhabitants of tins city are alive to the cxegineies of the case, and to thy absolute necessity which exists for proper precautions being taken against fire. If one of "the effects of the la; c eoiiiiagra; \<.v.\ be the formation of an active and really effective Kire Brigade, provided vshh till the necessary equipments —such as engines, ladders, buckets, axes, &c. —the severe lesson will not be quite thrown away.