THE Otago Daily Times Inveniam viam out faciam. DUNEDIN WEDNESDAY APRIL 9,1862

Otago Daily Times, Issue 124, 9 April 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times Inveniam viam out faciam. DUNEDIN WEDNESDAY APRIL 9,1862

For the present we are sorry to announcetha the arrangement for the mail service betweci Dunedin and Melbourne, lias fallen through Only one tender was received for the service, and that was considered by the Provincial authorities too high for them to take the responsibility of accepting it.' It maybe remembered, that the advertisement simply called for tenders for a steamer to carry the Otag< mails the 18th of every month to Melbourne. But since tenders for this service were invited, our readers are aware that it has been decided to place the arrangements for the. carriage ol the mail on a more complete footing than the mere arrangementof a steamer to cam the home mails would effect. The plati proposed is one that will serve not oul> the Province of Otago, but the whok Colony. In brief the arrangement whir' it is desired to complete, is to superset; the present contract for bringing down th mails which the contractors can throw up p. pleasure, by one which they will be bound t carry out under pain of heavy penalties'. Th calling in at the Bluff, and the carriage of th mails for the Northern Provinces are ah features which it is proposed to ineorporat into the new arrangement. Mr Crosbie Ward, it may be remembere;' ■f^gired to make the arrangements on behal of the GejjernJ Government, but the Provin cial authorities very properly objected to ro linquish the control of the service, vrhicl would so materially affect the interest of th. Province. Mr. Ward then agreed to Jeavthe entering into the contract to the Provinciw Government, but undertook to be present a the time the tenders were to be opened, to arrange for the pay-ment by. the General Government of the extra expense to which Otng< would be put by jframing 'tlig contract, so ato meet the purposes of the other provinces On the 7th the tender? were to be opened, and in anticipation of the modifications whiel would be required, Mr. Bladcwood, of tht firm of M'MecUan & Blackwood, owners oi the Aldiuga und Oineo, came down from Melbourne specially to endeavor to arrange them, supposing their tender were to be accepted As we have said there was only one tendei sent in, and that was much higher than .tin Provincial Government contemplated. li now remained to see whether , the tenderers, the firm of Messrs. M'Meckan & Black wood, would be more reasonable in their demands for a thoroughly efficient seryjee up and down,', and including the carriage' of !the mails for the other, Provinces. Thia arrangement would require the

j vjiportionnient of the expense between tin i.Voviiice of Otago and the other Provinces. •ud which iUr. Ward undertook to do. Hi? absence left the Provincial Government in s •omplete fix, inasmuch as supposing it undertook the responsibility of making tin arrangement and incurring largely inci\a.<eri .•:xpeusfs to serve the other Provinces, Mr Ward would, still be at liberty to repiuiiat. :he 'agreement-entirely, or to acquisce in it :>u\y as-far as,suited liis purpose. A nieetin» of the Executive wns called to take the matter into consideration, when it was decided thai as the tender put in was higher than was ■mtieipattil, and as-Mr. Cro bie Ward hue iiot fu'nik'd his engagement of being present at the opening ot'lho tenders, to postpone tin. further consideration of the matter until tla meeting of the Council, which takes place in the course of a few days. Mr. Blaukwoot! therefore returned to Melbourne yesterday l>\ the Aidinga without cotiehtdinj; atiy arranjjeinent, and with the satisfaction of knowing that he had made an entirely uselessjourney.

We believe that it was with great reluctance that the Executive decided on bringing the negotiation, to so abrupt v conclusion, especially taking into account Mr BJadcwood'*: special journey, and that the firm to which! this gentleman belongs has for ii long whiii. uuen the means- of mail communication between Dunediri aiid Melbourne without receiving any adequate compensation for it. Stiil there was. no. other course open; Mr. Ward by his strange absence after his express promise to the contrary, placed the Provincial Council in a position of great clilKcuty. If it had negotiated an arrangement which did not include the other provinces it would have been considered a breach of faith on his part, whilst if it had arranged on bthali of the other Provinces, Mr. Ward, as we have said, might have repudiated the arrangement. Mr. Ward's absence was the more strange that he had arrived back from Sydney, and was in Melbourne when the Aldinga last left that place. Although the delay thus occasioned is much to he deplored, we hj no means consider that the proposal to remodel the service, or, rather, to establish a fresh one, on an efficienl basis, is at an end. We trust that the Conncil will immediately, on its meeting, give the matter serious considerition, and empower the Executive to conclude an arrangement. We believe Mr. Blackwood has left with his agents ample authority to treat on behalf of his firm.

The new burlesque at the Princess' last night the "Prince and the Peri,", was really a most creditable performance. It is by far the mos' ambitious flight yet attempted at .Dunedin, and! may be characterised as a great success. "VVtJ reserve till tomorrow a more detailed criticism.

It would appear that warnings, of the most fearful character, are quite unheeded by the men employed in the excavations going on in various parts of the town. We noticed, yesterday, in1

passing the work now going on ?it the cjnbakment at the top of the Cutting-, a man engaged working in a deep fissure, in order to make a " fall ;" precisely the same, dangerous work that only last week resulted in the death of a miner.

The Dunedin Musical Association, although a;yet not numbering many working members, is steadily progressing. Meetings for practice are held every Tuesday evening at the Athcnasumand it is purposed to give a Concert on the Queen's birthday, in aid of funds for purchasing* the necessary niusic for the Society. We should be glad to sac a greater number of our musica i 'O-«n'nrcbi.nooH,a-^iili:-«,^.-. o^£,c -efj.- clij (, 1 . utng _ as it does, the means' of enjoying an elevating and refining relaxation from the sterner duties of business. i

A Public Meeting of the Working Classes wasl held at the Provincial Hotel last night. There were about 400 attended the meeting, and a great many could not get admission for want of room. The chair was taken at half past seven o'clock by John Graham, wheij the following resolutions

were passed: —Ist. That this meeting being desirous of acknowledging the valuable service" rendered to this community by A. J. Burns, Esq., in maintaining the. eight hour system oflnborat the settlement of this Province,—resolve to invite thsit gentlemen to a Public Pinner, to be held in commemoration of tile same. 2nd. That this meeting is of opinion that the 21st day of April, ought to be held as a holiday, the- same as it is held in Victoria, in commemoration of the establishment of the eight hour system, and what theyl have been struggling for in the home country. 3rd. That the Dinner take place on Monday tin 21st of April next, and that 12 gentlemen be nominated to act as Stewards on the occasion. 4th. That this meeting views with indignaton the encroachments on the established hours of labor in this Province, by men vj-orkhig systematic over time, aud pledges itself to use all oousUtiitional means to uphold the eight hour system. After sleeting 15 stewards, and passing a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting separated. Dunedin Sth April, 18!>2. (Communicated.)

Much inconvenience is occasioned to th« clerics it the Custom House, by persons making application for gold entries to ba passed, he/ore they iave engaged their liiissuges from the port. In future, it will be yell if oiir njiniu^ friends, and >ther shippers of gold dust'''vho': contemplate! -•migration from these shores, \yere to accept the intimation conveyed in the notiue that no gold -•an be p.issa.l until the osier's passage is paid.

The following statement shows the condition of I.M. Gaol, last Saturday night. For trial before .ipreraa Court, 22 mules, 1 female ; for trial jtbrc Magistrates, 1 umle ; uiiiier'sentence to .ird labor, 48 ni.ilu^, a:id 2 faniiles ; ua:le senMice to imprisonment, 2 males; lunatics, 4 •iiiles i debtors, 5 males. Received during the ■eeiT, 30 males ; discharged during the week, 29 lales, 7 females. In gaol, on Saturday evening, 2 males, and 3 females. Total number, 85 •risoners.

On Sunday morning last, at Knox Church, a iineiviint lute yet graceful tribute vraspuid to the .lemory of the late Prince Consort. The pulpit /as hung with deep mourning, and the psalms ■ilceted, snripturnl lessons read, prayers and serlon were all of a character to blend" into mourn(il harmony with the speciality of the occasion.

Mr Edward Caspar appeared yesterday at the iesident Magistrate's Court, and nsked the :onsent of the bench to make a statement with espect to what lie had represented Mr Charles ieid, clerk to the Town Board, to have said in •eference to to the deposit of sand and stone on lig footpath near to his premises adjacent to I)r .kirns' church, which ease had involved an information at the Court a few days previously It had before the public that he had made a misrepresentation, in imputing to Mr Held a consent

which that gentlemen had since repudiated. Mr Casper now volunteered an explanation to vindicate his character for veracity. Mr Keid was also present. His Worship said he understood Mr Casper to have pleaded that Mr Reid had given permission to Mr Casper to deposit the sand and stone in question, and Mr Eeid, on his examination, positively denied . having done so. Mr y-1 asper wished to remove the impression, abroad

iv the public mind contingent on a report charg-j ing him with misrepresentation, as the affair tip■lears to have originated in :i misunderstanding >f what hail been said by Mr Heid on a former xicasion. Here the niattc dropped.