OUR VOLUNTEERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10444, 21 August 1895, Page 4

OUR VOLUNTEERS

On Monday evening the Government inspection j by-Colobel.Webb, of the Port Chalmers Naval Artillery took place. There were present—Captsiu. Waters, Lieutenant Edgar, 1 chief petty-Qfficer, 3 first-clays petty-officers, 3 second-class^^petty-officers, • and 38 gunners. The corps,appeired-on''-'parade for the Scat time in the new' drill order uniform. 'In this the jumper t is'i :replaced- by _ blue guern'i-ey, the letters.'} P.CIN A." being stitched oh the front. It is intended as a working dreis for boat and gaiidrifl; and is exipected "td''b- a great improvement. -Af ter'bf-i-g; iDspectedji the "corps was exercised in infantry drill and the firing ex(srcis.es by the officers. Before dismissal, Colonel IWebb expressed his pleasure;at the way-this drill had been gone through and the appearance ofthe meu'ih'the hew nniiorm, which he considered very (serviceable aud neat. He went on to say that he had a p!e»ssnt duty to perform that evening, which was the presentation to Captain Waters ef tbe long service medal. In doiig this Colonel Webb referred iv, complimentary "borms tothe long and;useful nervices by which Captain Waters had shown the keen intertsshe had Uktn in everything related to volunteering during the 16 years which had elapsed since he had joined the volunteer force. Four hew members were electftd. ' .

pressed into service and made to prodatm and denounce this imaginary evil on a public platform in this city, while all the time, *s the people of Danedin now wall know, Mr Jlo-dson himself was the real culprit. Was erer eoadu.cS of man more mean or contemptible? At the time he, was raising this alarm for £„« purpose of prejudicing the community ai/si-si myoelf and business,, he i-deaku »w_y to a miller and solicits.' his good offices to influence another miller, srith whom h.«s ; was on no more than speaking terms, j not to oppose him in the auction; mart so the* Ibe might secure wheat at his own price. When | the mask is removed how hideous doe* t_«s ; man appear! I write strongly, Sir, btciuse I j feel keenly haw base and unworthy his conduct ! has been. Who is Mr Hodson that be should presume to dictate to millers when ahd how much grain they are to buy or what quantity is sufficient for thair flour trade ? Kuch lwclence indicating ss it does utter destitution of all gentlemanly instincts, > ought to and will be resisted to the utmost. In estimating the profits of millers, he draws conclusions which are entirely false.,, He ignores this very important tact which knocks hia. arguments to the winds like a house-of cards—viz., that most raillors, ! omselves among tbe number, had sold for for- | ward delivery at SSI and £7 10s, and that even i now many of these contracts are not nearly j completed ; so that if early purchases had nor> been made it would have meant ruin to many The hypocritical p>rt*f Mr Hudson's conduct "J.? 0?.??.*!™. th«t-,no sooner did the other millers raise the.price than up went his flour to TJ, "^ of tneM- Whea they advanced to -•9, under their wing he rose to £8 15s So much then for the philanthropy of the man. - Bat, Bir,- I feel - humiliated at having to reply to such imbecility, arid this correspondence will now cease as far as I am concerned.— 1am,;&0.',. ;'-.,. .--•".■ :P a°«lm, August 17/:. 'John JS.le.. TIIE PROPOSED-PDBEJC ABATTOIRS. J.-■'■-'■'■.'(- TOTHE KblTO 8. ;"-,---..'■ .Sin,-^My. reason'for troubling yoa with this let*r is, because I. think there area few phases .in, connectidn. with the-above subject that __ye not been -clearly put -before , the citizens of Dnuedm, or they would have paused before agreeing. ito.; erect expensive and unnecessary -abattoirs at present, While willing to' grant that: the promoters are actuated by the best intentions, I humbly submit they are making a great mistake as against the interest: of producers and consumers of meat in and around Dunedin, as the following may show :W .1: It is proposed to erect the works on a smallplot of 12 acres, without any^ accommodation paddocksifor live stock. 2. The use' of thei works will immediately and permauentlyraise the price of meat here; 3. The quality will be greatly: deteriorated andunnecessary cruelty inflicted oh" theanimals treated there, as 'I-shall show 'later'on. ■ : Permit; me here briefly to refer to our past aad present system of meat supply and of handling the same before it comes to scale. Our : farmers,', breeders, and fatteners, after devoting years to carefully rearing their stock, send in weekly supplies of generally first-class sheep and cattle to Burnside yards, and receive a very inadequate' price for' their labour and outlay. Our butchers' attend and buy their weekly requirements: and, should stock happen to be numerous1 and v unusually cheap; sometimes, a three weeks', supply -is bought. A Government inspector is there on duty. After the sale some; five or six slaughteraeh 'take charge of the stock sold, and drive thenVtd their rispective premises, 'whCre they'are 'kept in I BecUre. Paddocks contiguous to the yards until sU-uxhtered, when-the carcases' are delivered at tbe.shops of the employers at" a very moderate cost indeed: ■: Some of these men 'have been in the trade since the 'very earliest days' of the j settlement, and have all along given entire satis--1 faction to their:patrons. : ;• ' / - j But to return to the main question, i understand/ it: is ; intended* to: try and compel I all butchers trading ih Dunedin to bring tbeir -. stock:- to this- one centre; yet; as we have .seen, though it is,of primary importance, no proper: accommodation is to be provided for Uve stock. ■-" The question again arises, what is to bo done? I have heard two schemes propounded—one that butchers must find and lease paddocks V where they yean,' which may mean.miles away;' the other' that; the corporation - musr .build" pens and:.-stalls on theirs limited-;ground and hand-feed the fl^?^- :^BrfP'pMs are bad and neither will answer.'*." Some .of ttie ' butchers'" requirtrto Wll every day. The former plan would necessitate incessant; driving of the stock to and from the paddocks, causiog much trouble ahd'expehse and the stock to fall off greatly. As to the latter plan, seeing that the great.bulk of our stock are quietly fed at large jn the open air uutil the'day; they are sent ! to-market, they would not' take kindly to the ■sudden change to cohfijement, nor would they i feed .or rest, but would fret, become feverish, and lose condition rapidly, thus' causing much tuffering to the animals while aliye and greatly deteriorating: the condition, of thei .carcases. Then,.again, supposing we> saw the average weekly number; of, say, 2000, sheep and 200 cattle and pigs.crammed into such a small area as • that of :_t_e propoised abattoirs, a shocking state of -things would soon ensue, and in wet weather especially the condition of" the stock weuld be indescribably wretched;1 In _ the, colonies,- where land is. cheap and plentiful, and' more: especially, for." the reason given above, public abattoirs should he. erected .in the centre ,' of 'an/area'd? about 600 acres, to be subdivided into paddocks for the use of slaughlerme'Q. But I contend we do not require abattoirs at all; we can't afford it. Out of consideration, for the-value of your space, Sir, I must defer consideratiohof the extra cost and other matters connected therewith for another letter.—l am, &c../" ',: : Dunedin, August 17.; ' Walter 'Mi__e_/