EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26479, 5 June 1947, Page 6

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ®tago s>aU£'{Times DUNEDIN, June 4, 1862. The corner stone of the new Episcopal Church in Moray place, was laid yesterday at noon by Henry John Chitty, Bishop of Christchurch. The official party was first received at the parsonage by Rev. E. G. Edwards, the minister of the church- “ The new jetty has been extended 660 ft, and the labourers are pursuing operations with perseverance and steadiness. The breadth of the pier will be 33ft, the planks being laid transversely, so as to resist friction.” The Superintendent of the Province, Mr J. Richardson, advertises as follows: —“ Surgeon wanted for the Tuapeka Hospital. Salary £3OO per annum, with quarters.” Applications were to be lodged with the Superintendent. • “We understand that the two men who attempted to stick up Captain Baldwin, Commissioner Goldfields, are known to the police, and that those indefatigable guardians of the public peace are on their track. Captain Baldwin, it is supposed, was mistaken for a storekeeper who was also on the road.”

It is announced from Auckland that war has again broken out in New Zealand between two sections of the Ngapuhi tribe. The quarrel is one of long standing, “the producing cause being the disputed ownership to certain lands in Tirarau’s -block.”

“ The separation movement is telling,” says the Times in a leading article. “The New Zealander, the organ of those, whose every interest depends upon the support afforded by the seat of Government is perfectly drunk with rage. ... It avoids refuting the arguments by the convenient assertion that they are ‘ too absurd to combat.’” At a meeting of the committee of the Separation League, James Rattray, Esq., in the chair, the election papers were examined and the following working committee of six was appointed: Messrs Frederick Walker, R. B. Martin, Julius Vogel, W. H. Reynolds, Thomas Dick and James Kilgour.

It is advertised that 400 fat steers and cows and dairy cows are to arrive overland from Nelson in three weeks or a month.

Considerable space is required to specify all the lines that Messrs Webb, Pantlin and Co. were to sell from Reynolds’s Bond. They included whisky in hogsheads and quarter casks, rum, brandy (seven brands), port wine, sherries, ports and sherries, case brandy, case whisky, champagne, claret. Geneva, ale, stout, etc.

Thus the Auckland correspondent of the Times:—“lt is true that this city is growing fast, and prices of land still ranging very high: £IOO a foot is given in the good parts of Queen street (the principal street here as Princes street is at Dunedin), and suburban or country lots are readily purchased at high rates- . . . There is a kind of wonder that iittle Otago, which in 1853 had a revenue of £ 1290. should be taking the lead of all. I remember in 1856 when the Otago members offered in the House to take the whole of the New Zealand Company’s debt they were looked upon as crazy. It was whipered that ’lt was just like d d impertinence.’ So now when the Aucklanders hear of the Otago province having a quarter of a million to sDread and of a separation meeting declaring for independence they look. upon it all as a kind of frenzy and lunacy and are inclined to say in all charity, 4 Poor fellows, poor fellows.’ ”