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Otago Daily Times, Issue 365, 20 February 1863, Page 4

It will be seen by the letter of our Lake Correspondent that the next escort from that district will Le about 28,000 oz. We learn from another quarter that the Dunstan Escort will -be a little over 8,000. From a passenger who came down by the coach last night from tho Dunstan, we learn that the escort horses had been lost at the Blackball Store, about thirty miles this side of the Dunstan. This may lead to some delay in the arrival of the Dunstan Escort, but will not affect tliat from the Lake, which comes by a different route. There was a report at the Dunstan of a rush to the Wanaka Lake. We notice that the cattle-owners of Gipps Laud, with the laudable desire of preventing the spread of pleuro-pneumonia into the district, have formed themselves into an association for that object. A voluntary assessment of LI per 100 head of cattle has been agreed upon, and the Government have been petitioned to appoint an officer, armed with large powers,-to report on and prosecute in every case coming under his knowledge. We have long been surprised at the lack of aquatic sports in Dunedin, and we are glad to observe that a movement has been initiated for the establishment of an annual regatta. A meeting for this object is announced to be held at the Shamrock Hotel at 4 p.m. to-day, when gentlemen interested in aquatic sports are requested to attend. The collection for the widow of the late Mr Martin, chief officer of the Oraeo, now amounts t0L134 lis. The additional subscriptions are elsewhere acknowledged by the hon. treasurer of the fund. The refreshment booths, gate, and grand stand for the forthcoming races, were submitted to public competition yesterday, by Messrs Driver Maclean and Co., at the Provincial Sale Rooms. : There was a numerous attendance, and the biddings were very spirited. The following is a list of the successful bidders:—No. 1 booth, Thomas. Cahill, L 66 ; No. 2 booth, S. Jones, L41;.N0. 3 booth, S. Jones, L3O ;7_b. 4 and 5 booths, Mr Osgood,L4o and Ll6 ; Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9 booths, John Gray, L2O, LI 5, Ll3, L 25 ; gate, D. Corsan,L292 10 ; grandstand, S. Jones, LIOO. The total amount of the premiums realised was L 592.

Tho -publicans of Otago will be disappointed to find that, by a stringent Act of tha A-oral .Assembly, they are shut out from tho usual ■ advantages enjoyed during an .election. Not only are no polls allowed "at any licensed publichouse or any building annexed or belonging thereto," but committee meetings are strictly forbidden to be held at the same. The eighth clause of the Corrupt Practice Prevention Act, reads as follows:— No Committee, or other body organized for promoting the return of any candidate at any election, shall sit or hold meetings at any licensed public house,-or any building thereto annexed or belong, ing, and every person being a member of any such Committee or organized body who shall attend any such meetings at any such public house or building shall forfeit the sum of five pounds to any person who shall sue for tho same, together with full costs of • ?uit. * * ■ The Provincial Elections Act makes the Act from which this clause is quoted applicable "to any election of Superintendent of a Province, and of any member of a Provincial Council of any Province." Mr Harris' supporters evidently mean business. A numerous committeo has been organised, and committee rooms engaged nearly opposite the Government offices. Licenses to act as auctioneers were yesterday granted to John Chadwick and Thomas Allan Lascelles. . We understand that an action is likely to bo brought against the Government for damages sustained by the oversetting of the Molyneux Ferry boat. , We learn on good authority that tho Invercargill Gold Receiving Office on the Wakatipu Diggings, only succeeded in obtaining 130 ozs, ■ after remaining open a week. Our neighbors are likely to find their Gold Escort a costly luxury. We are informed that three men, who have been working on the quiet for some time past on the Molyneux, near M'Leod and Gibson's, divided the other day Ll,ooo a man. We direct attention to an advertisement calling for tenders for the carriago of the mails to and from the following places. Ist—Between the Post Office at AVaiwera and the South end of Lake Wakatipu. 2nd—Between the South end of Wakatipu Lake and Queonstown and Franktown. 3rd—Between Franktown and Arrow River. 4th—Between Dunstan and Lake Wanaka. Tenders for the above will be received at the Chief Post Office, Dunedin, up till the 7th of 'March. A number of gentlemen attended the sale of the Kowrow Run, at Messrs Gillies and Street's rooms, j-esterday. The property consisted .of about 45,000 acres of country, with 10,000 sheep, more or less, a few horses and bullocks, and sundry valuable improvemonts. It was sold by ' order of Mr Chapman, the Registrar of tho ' Supreme Court, on behalf the intestate estute of the late Mr John M'Lcan.. Mr Douglas, on behalf of his firm, Douglas and Aldcrson, was this purchaser, for Ll 5,550. The bidding was not very spirited. Mr Buckley, of Canterbury, Mr John Jones, and Mr Maclean were Mr Douglas' principal competitors. The run is described as a very fair one, and may be considered to have gone at a remarkably reasonable figure. It is curious io note the many and strange phases of the Bell Tower question ; and, lis an instructive example of how a thing may be ban- ■ died about in a public body like the Town Board, ' we will set them down as correctly as we can. The Volunteer Fire Brigade asked for an addition ' to the building in which the Board meets and tha engines are stalled ; that addition to consist of . a light tower bearing a bell and a look-out box. . It was no doubt very difficult if not impossible to complyjwith the request ; and the erection of an independent tower near the offices, which was tho next request of the Brigade could not be considered, because, at the time, there were obstacles: ' in the way of acquiring a site. But, feeling that something should be done, the Board bought the tenant's interest in their own section of land in Dowling-street (on the top of Church Hill) and advertised for tenders for erecting a tower and- , engine house. The Brigade protested that the , idea of having an engine house on such a site was absurd ; but the designs had'been called for, and ' in due time a number were deposited. It was- , made a stipulation that the designs should bo ' capable of being carr'.ed out for £500; but, after long discussions, the first prize was awarded for ' a design which expressly could not be carried out f for £500, although a portion of it was indicated which could be. There was now a pause and weeks passed. The Brigade moved again, and asked for a simple box to be erected beside the bell on Bell Hill, so as to provide shelter for t_ watchman—a matter that 'would have cost a fewpounds, the request for it being made in snch a . shape that it might have been supposed the _a_ i would have simply •:omplied or declined to omk*. ply. But no ; the whole question was re-openes*), and two discussions resulted iv a determuistioa ■ to build after the design for which the ssoan«l , prize was given, if it could be done for £S<_ ; This was soou found to be impossible ; and even when the architect had modified the design and" . knocked off one of the engine houses, the lowesttender for the work that could be obtained was £390. The Committee of Works theu intimated 1 that they must be relieved from one of two con--1 ditions—be. allowed to spend mure than £300, or 1 not required to carry out the selected design. So. ' tho Board relieved the Committee in. 1 the matter of the design ; and now tenders are " called for to put up a tower according to a plan which was amongst those sent in for competition, but attracted little or no attention. If it is carried out, a very ugly thing will be stuck up on the most prominent site in the city; but ornament and parsimony nre incompatible. The proposed tower will be 63ft. high, including the flag- ' staff; the height from the ground to the floor of the belfry and look-out place being 45ft. It will . be 12ft. square (outside measurement) at the' base, diminishing to Oft. at the belfry floor. By. extensions of the beams at the bhse, points will be., obtained from which to carry a pair of buttresses or braces to strengthen the fabric, which will be enclosed to a height of 18ft., so as to form an en-gine-house, with a room for the watchman over. . For 27ft. there will be nothing but the bare , framework trussed, in two stages, with a floor at their junction, and a bare ladder from the leaded roof of the watchman's room to the belfry, which will of course -be enclosed, made watertight, and have an ordinary pitched roof, through which the flagstaff and halyards will pass. The wood to bo used, for all the important parts of the structure, is the best black pine. The new tower, it will be seen, is a slight improvement on the existing bell - frame. It is a good deal more than was asked for by the Brigade; and a good deal less than is needed for a respectable sightly structure. It is to be hoped that another difficulty will arise at the Committee or at the Board, and that a new plan will be obtained, or that a simple watch-box will be erected, as asked for by the Brigade.

According to a notice in our advertising columns, the Dunedin Garrick Club meet for rehearsal to-morrow evening in the Theatre Royal at eight o'clock. The attractive programme of the Comedy of Errors, and the Dumb Man of Manchester, attracted a good house at the Princess Theatre last evening. The comedy was given with the same eclat and finish which have characterised previous performancos, and the after piece was equally successful. It is notified elsewhere that the time for receiving tenders for the erection of the Court-house at Hawkesbury, has been extended to the 3rd . March. . A racing match for a silver cup is announced to take place on Saturday, between Jacob Turnbull and Fred Pierce. Our correspondent at the Lake gives an interesting description of the new township of Queenstown. Of course at this distance it is impossible to judge, but it does seem hard on those who have made Queenstown what it is that the determination should suddenly he come to, to niovc the camp toFranktown in defiance of the understanding upon which building was commenced in Queenstown. Franktown is said to have been laid out by the Superintendent's orders ou his visit to the spot, without an official report, and without giving the inhabitants of Queenstown the opportunity of being heard in their own defence. As we have said there may be a'good reason for laying out the second town, but the mode in which it has been done is not likely to commend itself to popular favor. People in these days of constitutional Government cannot comprehend Superintendents travelling about the country giving despotic orders involving the interests, perhaps fortunes, of hundreds, without these being afforded the opportunity of raising their voice in their own defence. On Wednesday night, about half-past 9 or 10 o'clock, a woman named Mary Allen, well known to the police, was on the Jetty-street pier in a state of intoxication, when by some means she managed to fall down between the pier and the galliot Reinaw Engelkens into the water. Fortunately assistance was at hand. A boatman named James Fletcher happened to be in liis boat—the Shamrock—and, being attracted by the woman's cries, made at once ior the spot, and succeeded in rescuing her from her dangerous situation not much the worse except for a wet.ting, although, the water being low, she must have had a very heavy fall from the pier. The depth of water at the spot where she fell was between three and four feet. We have received a letter signed ''an observer," in which the praise of saving life is claimed for the night watchman at the jetty : but we believe the above is the true story, and that the watchman's exertions were confined to the throwing of a rope. The woman, who was very tipsy, was, shortly after her rescue, taken charge of by the police and removed to the lock-up. The Dunedin Rifle "Volunteers are growing into something like numbers for a good company, more than 50 being now sworn in, five being added to the roll last evening, at a meeting over which His Honor the Superintendent preside d. The question of a temporary uniform, seems strangely enough to be a great stumbling block ; for last evening, after considerable discussion, two out of four proposals were withdrawn, and the other two were negatived ! This indicates a spirit of how-not-to-do-itism which should be shaken off at once, unless the company is to be scattered once more. The permanent uniform is —or should be regarded as a settled thing ; the General Government having wisely resolved to secure uniformity, if possible, hy bearing twothirds of the cost, provided the Provincial Governments will contribute the other third. Surely, the Dunedin men need not dispute resultlessly about what they shall wear on drill nights for three or four months, pending the arrival of the permanent uniforms from England. To-day is the last chance for volunteers to enter as competitors for the * General Government prizes for shooting ; and ames may be sent to the Adjutant's office, in Princes-street. At a recent meeting of the Hobart Town Benevolent Society, attention was drawn to the numerous cases of desertion of their families by men who have gone to New Zealand. It appears to have been the impression with these recreant individuals that the Benevolent Society would support their deserted families, but we may inform any of the persons referred to who may be under this impression, that the Hobart Town Bene- ■ volent Society contemplate the refusal of relief under such circumstances. If this should catch the eye of any of the Tasmanians implicated, it may prompt a timely remittance to their families.