EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27038, 24 March 1949, Page 6

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tago E)aU\> XCimea DUNEDIN, MARCH 24, 1864. Pleuro-pneumonia is said to be causing great havoc amongst the herds in Queensland. Over 50 head per day had died in one district. “A notice is inserted in the New Zealand Gazette No. 7, under date Auckland, February 15, 1864 —“That in all future cases persons receiving appointments in any of the chief post offices (except messengers or letter carriers) will have to undergo previous examination as to their general geographical knowledge, and especially as regards the geography of New Zealand and the Australian colonies. The examinations will be conducted by the respective postmasters.”

A meeting of contractors was held last evening at Water’s Octagon Hotel. The object of the meeting was to consider the rates of wages demanded by bricklayers. The contractors, it appeared, were paying 15s a day as a rule, but owing to the scarcity of this description of labour, some were giving even higher wages than this. The meeting was called to put a stop to the excessive competition going on between the contractors themselves. A very desultory conversation inaugurated the proceedings, and a considerable time was wasted before anything was done. Eventually a motion to the effect —“That the contractors present should bind themselves to pay no more than 15s a day” was carried. About 16 contractors were present.

A small wooden church building has been very nearly completed for the use of members of the Church of England resident in Caversham and its neighbourhood The building stands on the hillside to the right of the road and some distance on the town side of the Edinburgh Castle Hotel. The dimensions of the building are 39 feet by 18 feet, inside measurement, and 17 feet from floor to ceiling. At the chancel there is a three-light window, projecting about two feet from the line of the gable, and on each side of it there is a canopied recess, which will be used as lectern and pulpit. American pine is the wood, the interior lining being varnished. There is a small bell turret at one of the angles of the building, and a porch at the side touching the road. The plans were supdied by Messrs Mason and Clayton; the contractor is Mr D. Ross; and the amount of the tender (fittings not being included) is £390. The church is to be called St. Peter’s.

Taken to a height of 11,000 feet in a Gisborne Aero Club plane, a four-year-old girl was recently reported to have obtained much relief from whooping cough. The child was accompanied by her mother and slept for most of the flight, which was arranged on the advice of her doctor.