DUNEDIN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 267, 13 March 1873, Page 5

DUNEDIN.

(F)~om ow own Correspondent.) The honor of possessing the champion marksman of the colony, has at last been wresed from Gtago, after its uninterrupted enjoyment for a number of years, and our riflemen have lost the prestige of being almost invincible, which they have so long held. I suppose we ought not be ungenerous, and grudge Mr. Hoskins the champion belt of 1873, which his splendid shooting has procured for him ; yet it must be confessed, that people interested in volunteering in Otago would much rather have seen the belt go to any other part of the colony than, that in which its present possessor dwells, for they have not forgot the flappiug of wings and cock-a-doodle-doing which took place when Walker, the "cock shoottst" from the Thames, defeated our local man Christie in the small bore match some two years since. The idea of the champion belt being appropriated by a rifleman from the charter whence proceeded all the nauseous crowing I have alluded' to, was peculiarly unpalatable, and for the winner of the champiorship to be backed up by two of his Auckland conquerors taking the second and fourth prizes, did not mend matters, however, these feelings laid aside, • Hoskins really deserved the belt, for he shot well and steadily throughout, and only confirmed the high opinion, formed of his steady

shooting last year, when he took third place in the contest for the championship. His score this year, (181) is really a splendid one, being eighteen points more than the top score last year, when Wales took the belt , while that of Richardson (West Taieri) is 5 points more than the champion score last year. With the exception of Eichardson and Wilson, the Otago men have made but poor shooting, and some of them seem to have been doing their best to make outers and misses, instead of centres and bull's eyes. It has been seriously suggested in town, that they should be met by a deputation on their arrival, and severally presented with leather medals, in recognition of their successful exertions to obtain positions as low down in the list of scorers as possible. But the success which has attended their apparent efforts in the direction I have indicated, will no doubt be a sufficient recompense, without their being subjected to the ordeal of a public recognition of their exertions on arrival. "Wanted, a schoolmaster; for the Otago Industrial School, salary, £130 per annum." Such is the liberal salary offered to a qualified person, in an advertisement Bigned by the Provincial Treasurer. £130 per annum, or £2 10s per week — but little above the|wages earned by ordinary day laborers ; and for this the lucky applicant who receives the appointment must have received a good education, keep himself respectably clothed, and perhaps maintain a wife and family upon the liberal remuneration for his arduous labors into the bargain. As if to give additional weight to the munificence of the offer, it is carefully stated that it is " without board or lodging," and tbat applications must be accompanied by testimonials. The clerk to the Executive Council, should" have a busy day of it, opening the letters of application on Friday, up till which date applications are to be received. The Otago clergy are evidently considered to be fair objects of attack by newspaper letter writers, and the correspondence columns of the Dunedin papers have for the last week or two, been bristling with rather uncharitable cuts at " the cloth." The Eev. Michael Watt has been attacked for his unpalatable utterances concerning Spiritualism, which appeared in tbe Tokomairiro paper last week. The Eev. Mr. Will and the Eev. Mr. Campbell — the latter on a visit from Victoria — have been abused for the .opinions they held on the same subject ; the Eev. Mr. Eeid, of the Wesleyan congregation in Dunedin, was lately compared by ;a sacrilegous correspondent of the " Evening Star," to a " cur with his tail between his legs ; " and the Eev. Mr. Campbell comes in in for a second dose from a correspondent of tbe same paper, on account of a lecture which he delivered on Wednesday night, and which is described as being a " pureile, vamped-up affair," as " disgusting," and with the additional winding up criticism, that " the people could not contain their laughter, but gave vent to their feelings in sneering and ironical applause, which was taken in good part by the lecturer." The lecture was entitled, " Young men's work in this age, and in this colony," and received very flattering notices from the press. Whether the notices of the latter, or the reverse criticisms of the correspondents are correct, I do not know. Certain it is, however, that such insulting remarks as the latter gives public utterance to, show the writer to be no gentleman, and display gross discourtesy to a stranger. After an existence of about five years, tbe Dunedin " Echo " has issued its last number. It devotes a leading article to its obituary notice, and writes its own epitaph in tbe quiet words, " The "Echo " has died away"