EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27059, 19 April 1949, Page 4

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tago ©ail? ©imes DUNEDIN, APRIL 19, 1864. - The foundation stone of the Baptist Church about to be erected at the corner of Great King street and Hanover street will be laid by his Honor, Mr John Hyde Harris, Superintendent of the Province of Otago, at 4 o’clock this afternoon. In the evening a public meeting will bo, held in Dr Burns’s church. His Honor, Mr Justice Richmond, has consented to preside, and the Revs. D. M. Stuart, D. Meiklejohn, and R. Cormibee are expected to address the meeting.

We have received the first number of the Bruce Herald, a newspaper designed to meet the requirements of the Tokomairiro, Clutha. Taieri, Waihola, Tuapeka and Waitahuna districts. The paper consists of eight pages, is well printed, and contains a quantity of useful and interesting information. It will, doubtless, prove a great acquisition to the districts it is intended to serve, and we heartily wish our young contemporary every success.

By the Aldinga. information from Adelaide to the sth inst. is to hand. The Register says:—“An ingot, weighing 251 b 13oz, was submitted for our inspection on Saturday, and on Monday we were favoured with an opportunity of inspecting the rich and remarkable ore from which the metal was produced. It is described as cupreous bismuth ore, yielding 39.8 per cent, of copper and 45 per cent, of bismuth, which may be separated without difficulty. As to the process of separation, bismuth fuses at a degree of heat so much below what is necessary for the fusion of copper, that the operation is comparatively easy. The location of this new and highly important discovery has not yet been publicly announced.’’

The Daily Times report on the labour market says:—There is still a great want of females- in ’ the labour market. Employers are meeting the requirements of the times most liberally, giving almost double the usual rate of wages. Female cooks are paid £1 per week for private families, £2 per week for hotels; good general servants, £4O per annum; good farm servants, from £35 to £49; housemaids, £3O per annum; nursemaids, £26 to £3O per annum; nursegirls, 8s per week: sick nurses, 30s to 50s per week; housekeepers, £1 to 30s per week; governesses, £4O to £BO per annum. The number of employers is increasing daily, and consequently the want of female immigrants is more than ever felt. The male labour market is much better supplied; grooms receive 30s per week;, good shepherds, from £6O to £7O per annum; ploughmen, 25s per week; men cooks) from £2 to £3 per week for hotels, men cooks for stations, about £7O per annum; bullock drivers, about 50s per week; waiters, -from 25s to 30s per •week; 'K&asons, for stations, about £BO per annum; barmaids, % from 30s to 60s per week; needlewomen, £1 a week; woodcutting, 10s per cord, cut and stacked; charwomen, 6s per day.