OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 27, Issue 950, 27 June 1883, Page 5

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

(Frpm o^rJoym ,<po^eap<me{en^.^ ' A few totysKgb, rthe Wfckatipu correspondent of the '• Otago Daily Times " rejidri^da6o "nthe "IKfe question, and pointed sout|t&t JpOiSe birds were committing, < Wfipl W|X» the sheep. He also mentioned that the pest was increasing in numbers, and that the Government, in answer to a request, had intimated their jfflalljfjßnesji to assist in the extermination "of tlifikrfi bs|a;£ gpr^ £ subsidy, to the ' of *2wk® ow, a great many persons seem to be at a loss as to the nature 'Tos the -birds in question. It may, therefo^e,Tptove vintereating to the numerous ssaj\e.rar<>f WeMysKKA&stiiK&v\i I, lay a few fabtrf^bgf^rettheraljn respect, .to this sheep-destroying ' parr6t. :;^laf the firs|t place, the kea (nestor notabilisjis ablative of this Colony, and inhabits the wooded |%s and .toouhtainW'p&fsMfchV country. Like the "owi, *tHe * kea* H Usually nocturnal in its habits. The color of its plumage if ge-h|rflly!g*ew;)and the birds, from«tiie'4ip of'^heßr t b!l&'to the end of Jheir^4aik\,. are twenty-one inches in Uangth.-.iie bill itself is nearly two inches lQng, and is extremely ,atrong. Thdreare Ihre'e- singular *thingß connected with this bird : Ist. Before the adrett t of the European in New Zealand, the keja was as harmless in its habits respecting its food as the rest of the parrot family. It was „- frugivorqus^that is, it other vegetable matter. 2nd. The carinivorous.natu!srofi«he;bifrd«is not natural' but acquired. 3rd. Of all animal flesh, ► the Ikeaihasaygreafc predilection for that of sheep. In regard to its carnivorous, taste, it may be here mentioned that it is generally supposed that the kea's love of; animal food was acquired through its being forced in winter time to seek food at the -stations. It fed on the ' flesh at the meat-gallows, and thus gradu- ' ally acquired its present propensity. 1 for mutton. But the most repulsive "thing about' the 1 birds' 'is the •rhihrießin which they procure their food. When they get an opportunity, they alighion the; 'back Of the sheep, tear away the wool exactly over the kidneys, bury their strong bill in " the. flesh of! the poor animals until they' reach the fat that surrounds the kidneys, ' which they devour with great avidity. The : birds seem to be good judges of quality ; for they generally attack sheep iri^the best condition/ "especially those with heavy wool. . An excellent paper on the. kea was contributed f tp.the "ZoologfaV" many months back by* Mr Pdtts, and from which I take the following, Extrac t: — " Sheep, while being got out of snowdrifys, are often mortally hurt by the attacks of keas ; especially are the birds, prone,, tq molest those carrying -, double fleeces,, as though they .knew howijßrm a .foothold they could maintain with! itheir gripe. When one of these sheep,: temper*' arily exhausted with its exertions in toiling through deep snow, under the burden, of a two years' growth of wool, breaks off from the mob and leaves the track, desperately floundering into deeper snowwreaths, a flock of parrots, ever watchful as they -hover round, soon perceive' 'their opportunity for mischief ; they alight close to the spot where the sheep, unconscious, of approaching danger, stands gaz» ■ing fixedly in a state of helpless stupidity, gradually hopping or moving towards the victim with some show of caution, until one of tht keas at last settles on the back of the sheep, which, terrified at the strange Visitor "that alights on it, bounds away, the bird then rising only to alight again on the same place ; and clutching into the wool with ita sharp claws, retains its hold more firmly and tenaciously. In vain the tortured animal, in the direst agony, seeks to rid itself , of its cruel persecutor, that boldly keeps its vantage ; after running and struggling some distance, iita' efforts to escape become feebler ; it is at length so hard pressed that in a few' minutes it yields passively to the tearing and searching beak of the kea." Under the circumstances, it is to be hdped that the Government will see ' their Way clear, to open their hearts a little more: in the matter of a subsidy for getting rid of ' the kea pest. From all accounts, more than enough pf sheep have died already from the ravages of these birds. - The question has often been asked : "Are the Chinese , desirable. colonists?" This is a matter with which I trouble myself but very little, but as the subject has been revived iv more quarters than one, and as lam hard. up for- a subject to, write upon, I ,take the liberty of saying that the Chinese: are not desirable colo-: nists. To say simply that they are undesirable, would amount, to nothing but. assertion. Ifc is, therefore, my intyahtion , to bring forward' a few facts upholding, my opinion regarding' the Chinese. ,In 1 the-first place, they come here 1 in droves, : and like wolves remain together in packs.' They do* not g&beyo£d 'themselves morethan they possibly can help ; and instead ! of trading withEuropeaWas they should,; they 'endeavor to confine their 'dealings within their' own cpmni unity. Now, ■ by such a course of procedure as this, money, which sh'ouldj be ,, circulated amopg jthe many, remains' ;dle and unproductive. 1 I This is. evidenjb ; fpv when, money is cbnfiried among a few,,it. loses its productiveI ness, and becomes! arioso to th.c. State, i A State is only healthy financisdly when) its, wealth issirculatedifreejly amongst itsjin-^ habitants; and it is also* by < this means that wealth is accumulated. .Misers, If or., instance, cause a loss to<the State, simply because they. keep. the money which they posseas from circulation. Now the"' Chinese rank- in the samel 'category as {the miser. This I will endeavor to show : ! lnthe fiwVpMeeV ifiey wWrkr-for starvatibnwages, which"is"Tan~injury to t ; he Staterq th^B'isi Ll the ; pebpl§.' r They next^ hoard! all they can get-, expend as little as they possibly can')! and when they have, acrape'4' a- certaiff'sum tagether, th*ey leSve? th* ( country and expend the inoneyelßiiwher'e:' This" procedure ' is" yeiy ''■'damaging: 1 "to '•..' country. It could not K6 Objected \o if! the 1 Mongolians left anything to represent, the' money they .took away with them, bu't'they leave, nothing., , Not, so with 'the Europeans. If -after a course -of -years, 1 a European 'quitaHhe^tilonjj' with a Uitle' fortune, he leaves-something behind to"' represent tha€lforSurie. -'iH6%7it ma? tie asked. Go to-hiu-diatrict, and it will W in'adid evident. /Ydu thWiiie jwas :; a merchant, or of Borne pother calling!, over; t^ejidy .to ; push for*r«wd:tiie .iuterejstSiQf itHe place-.r.to help IfotifArdcfeona^dfe se^lel ment of the district or advance its titatie add: commerce in some; satire 'oreff dim. li' will «be f found i that^ hen built houses jin'fact 1 , acted' as >'o6lonists should? — td'try to" l! iniprovei' I tod r aldvlince jt^ef country. Can; the s^me^be said of|the ; Chinese ? It ..cannot ; for the 6iily' mpnuments they leaye, .behind j them lire old tin can/i, .and hjute scaroefy for pigs to live in. But here,, 4he? tender? hearted Chinese sqppprterjpjay Argue that th,ey do» ; nofe)gflt{'thei f opportunHy of enter- 1 jpgrintoftthe Swaikslof aEtfropean trade tend

commerce in the Colony, and it is for 'that reason they are not bo pushing. This argument,nhowever, is bo weak and fallacious that it scarcely requires notice. It is a well-known fact, that Europeans are only too glad to open up transactions of any sort' with ,any -person of whatever nationality. It is, not the want of opportunities at all :' 'ft 'lies wi& the Chinese themselves. We find them here as wb find them in. China, Iwith little orttone of that energy, which characterises true colwithout one jot of ca.re.for the welfare of Jihe Colony, and not endeavouring in the slightest degree to forward its trade and commerce. What kind of a city wduld Dunedin be at the present time if the early colonists acted on the same principle as the Chinese ? Think you that we ; would now ,haive so many magnificent buildings ; so many fine institutions — religious and educational ; so many streets i and roads and railways, and. other conveniences ? No ; we would not. i The .city, was built by all daises of . peqple-r-^nfllish, Irish,, Scotch,,. French, Americans, rGermans, aud Italians— but by nb , Chinese. The Chinese had the same chance ,td' build the city, but they ; did not or would not do so. There was no law existing 'to prevent l 'them from doing s6,<and yek:we:find them having all •the^dvanWgesiof hEueopeans and partaking of .the; fruits the Colony, yields, doing little or nothing to .advance the interests'of "the country. The Chinese have no bnildiirgs'.of their own worth speaking of, unless a point be stretched and hovels get that 3iame. ■ ■> They have ho ' snipping, )»nd tb*e trade they ha veiiaconfined atriong themselves. , A-maypdWiblyihe srtid that these s^re. minor matters, but uponconSideration it Wjill be found ,that these ppa're'n'tly minor matters assume forms 6 f ' ' ! considerdble' impbr r tanoe. ' r . 'Buildings fgo> to? make up af'city ; commerce makes a I oitjr wealthy: therefore, it the 'Chinese neither tbiiildr nor help projects' if orward ithajj^wiU.fqster commerce, theyf are not ide^jrahle colonists. .. l. have a f few, more ldeason^his subject, and aha.ll lay, them before your readers.in my next letter, As might have been expected, the inquiry rintoithe recent' fire by which the import: goods-shed < was totally : destroyed .did, not lead. to ajfy plue as. to its origin. The, evjdsnce given % the witnesses was unimportant, and did .not tend in the least to show r how, the "conflagration occurred,' The fire; however, s'h6u'ld act as *rt»Srriin^in' l ihe"future to the' &ov.ernnrtnt'land > also- fo merchants. ' The Government : should in' future see ihat jthey.nbuildf^rope^sh^dsrior. the stoi»ge of' •,ffiW"tai meptiou that ,m,g^ner,al, /; p^b.licv f a.re of ..opinion .ithat^ brick 6rstone,buildings should be erected, and'not «ucK'struc'i;(ires as!th>jse 'tfuilt ia Ddnedin: The oi^er shefds ,'are" eq^lly <flim»y wttftthe On« that w«s destroyed, and fshoujdithappeiai'thatth^yshbTlld catch fare, ■ nothing will-save [them-, from ;destriiction. - ;la,regard to the, mferoh'ants,th« fire should, actras a warnjng, mr, this, wise-: ,It should make thembestir'the.maelyeainthe matter ( of having their goods t properly ' insured when tlhey are landed, abd it should have 1 the eiOfect of making them 'remove their 'goods' from dangeroas buildings with as kittle delay as {possible. Many merchants are, in the hAbitof allow ing, their goods to remiinin the -sheds for a considerable time. The following verdict was arrived at.by jthe jury :— " We find that there is no 1 evidence to show the caused the fire, : or where 1 it 'originated, ' 'We wish to add : '(1)' That the goods-shed having been built of wood 'greatly 1 contributed to the 1 destnjctivencfss^of :+hia fire. (2) That if divided into compartments,, with fireproof partitions . and (Splyl : .platforms, much property, would have. been saved. ,; (3) All, sjoods-sheds should have a plentiful supply of water Isiid on, proper fire, appliances, , arid- at sufficiency of hose ready for use. (^).The! 'should have Sfa'dilities 1 for: seeing rthe !inside»aa well as the outside of cthe Sheds,. sorasTe'adily tb discern and extinguish tire. (5) It is desirable fchat a Bell Tower to give, the alarm; ,and (6) all buildings erected in the city, .whether Groy ernment ■or otherwise, . ' bilould be' subject t^ the building regulations of the City:Corpo*atioh." ' ■„

Recently a man named Michael Bowe wasffound lying on the pavement iin front of ;a public house in f Sydney. . The man was locked ,up as a r drunkard. ( Some after his, arrest,, ,it was noticed .that there was something the matter with him. A doctor' was. sent' for, and shortly after his arrival Bdwe.diedl ' According to the 1 doctor's certificate^ B6we 'died of comipHWsion of the/team) caused by'afraoture ,of thetskull. 'OnVmany occasions, persons .who ; hats .been • taken t , ill rinr ; the streets have been- locked. ,\ip, as drunkards,; and only when it was. £oo late, haje the true circumstances -come' to' light. This, pf. course, is due, to nothing but carelessness! tftid: it. is evident thatr'the Sydney case is due*o the same' cause 1 ; for there can be mo doubt that had a little 'bare been excerciated, tthe condition of Bowo ' would' ■have been before medidal aid was .valueless, IpParisi thereis a much better prde? of thpgs in reference tp.persbfas found in the'.stfeet in a h'elplesß,condition •;• ari^t'tli^yystetii'niigtii/'jrith advantage be adopted in all Engliah-speakin.g 'communities.: -'/; Utilike 'their ' EngliHh brethren, the police of Paris do. not think that a^rjp^epte.j&ke'p) suddenly .ill in the streets,, n^uflt be^intp;jica;tecL;] T-hey;make "aj^plose examination of unfortunates,; and instead 61 hurrying them to a.' cold and miserable 'police-cell, there to 1 take, their 1 bhalnce- of- life' 1 ' 'or? ' 'death, - they r ' procure 1 mßdfcal h%i without delay. "■> Inaaaition tolithis^fevery fpdlice-*fa#on :ia*i provided rwith.a/pQrtable'imQ^iaineiease^which Ss to , ba , used - after; the- , -©hpmwts. \ close; rttheir sl|ould anemergeqey,, arisp,. r DQCr. ; tors r are. eiiiagedr w^ are- ready,, .to attend any 'cases' oteTmergencyeuher in, WetPft 'h&se;V^he r^telldafe^e in 'subK' ciseUsHwftii^ffarids, 1 'whicWpaid 1 in- the first : ins Wnce by the 'Mutiicip^lity nand af^erwardsjrbtedvered'if th^^Ktient is inj-a.jpqsitiop to. tpay. Such ;«.systeni as. .this be. agreajt beMeffMo apo!pl,actiai • and, PPM?P^r i«».,,i ■ ,-. ' .. „| fr:\. , , ; ; A,ljSit»e.pnmberj;pf;. imprefveni^ntai >haye' beeii ,' effected ,. of. -. late ..at the. i Mnseum situated' in G,reat : Kihg : stree((. '• Under ! the ( direction 1 6tM Curator (ProfMsor- ! Parker>' thH 1 various coUections^fibimals/ Hbdsi'thjhwj'eteiihaTe bedn'-cftssedand 'rel-arran^edi in fa >very convenient manner. ,A,l^t?ge)nupx.b^r,iof ,rare r And iirteresting ; c|xhi|)ita.. ) h^ve;,]afep been, .added; : toi ]tho! (Co^Usotion.and. farther, additions areto be .nia^p., Some nne ajteletons of 'anjinla^ jVuiA'fish'es are eichibiteil, among which. are thoi^WVjcbw^ and 'cly^ob^.' ' ' Ths JFr6rfe'siori' ii'inay'be here mentitmed/Beedis toi'haTei scpirticuliar fancy' lor 'skeletons, rand>. ; aa,a<inattet of. ddnrse, he: has sue* c&eded in. procuring, ,s6me[ excellent.specimens of .yai^pusdcfcripliions, The institution.) ,i& beginning to look something like What if should be/^ It'has.'oftpn; beeni remarkedthat the Dunedin Jjusejim is 1 , the pboreiit'in theO^lbhy'; but if 'it, gcies, on , improving as it has done of -la' W 1 years/ it

is likely to become the best. A visit to the institution is now a pleasurable treat. Another disorderly meeting of the South Dunedin Borough Council took plaoe on the 18th inst., at which the Mayor (Mr J. Osmond) had an opportunity of again showing his bad management, and incapacity for the office he holds. The gas question jras under discussion, and Mr Clarke requested the Mayor to produce a motion authorising him to sign the contract for the gas-supply with tbe Corporation of Dunedin. Mr Osmond replied that he had not signed the agreement illegally, and maintained that he did so under power of a resolution of the Council, but refused point-blank to allow the motion to be read. This, of course, was more than the Mayor could do ; for the simple reason that there is no reaolul tion on record empowering the Mayor to attach his signature to or affix the seal of the Borough to the contract. If there was a motion, it should have been produced when requested by Mr Clarke, and, under the circumstances, it showed want of tact and judgment on the part of Mr Osmond to affirm that there was a resolution existing and then refuse to read it when desired. The Mayor of South Dunedin can have but very little sense and selfrespect when he submits to the jeers and mockery, of the ratepayers, not only in his public but private capacity. They can now see that they made a great mistake in electing him to tho highest Municipal office within their power ; and, judging from the degradation which they have ; heaped. on his head during the past few months, the ratepayers are anxious to remedy the mistake they r made at the polling-booth. Mr Osmond is undoubtedlyout.pf his element, and his pride and ambition have been the cause of leading himJihto & position which any man with the smallest grain of sense would shrink from "With horror and disgust. A considerable amount of distress exists in, Dunedin at the present time, and, if it goes, on increasing as it has done during the" past few weeks, the Benevolent Institution will halve more than it c?in do to meet the demands made .for assistance < ' Already the institution is hard pressed, aud, from all accounts, the Committee has deemed it advisable, for financial and other reasons, to .greajtlyi lessen out-door relief. , AHhoqgh it. is to be regretted that relief bodies are needed, it, must be admitted , that since the. establishment of the Benevolent Institution it has been the means of ! doing a considerable -amount of good in r the matter of -assisting the destitute and thqse : whoil through age oriaccident, -were rendered; Incapdble of owning their daily bread. Such 'being. jtJie case, jtisto, be, hoped that now the institution : is in want, of funds to carry on itheir good Work the public will see their way 6lear to contributing "liberally as .they have ddhe in the past. On ; Tuestiay evening last, the annual i soiree iin connection .with Trinity Wesley&n, Church was held, and, proved a great success, the attendance being very numerous. At the t conclusion of the tea, addresses on various subjects were delivereld by the Revs. J.''B,efry (Chairman), Dr Stuart; J.'Diimbelli'C. Bright andD. J. 'Murray'; and^ the choir contributed largely to the enjoyment tit 'the proceedings by rendering a number of excellent pieces in a very able manner. The annual report presented to the meeting showed that since the arrival of the Rev. M'Kenzie Gibaon, he had taken charge of the spiritual needs of the congregation at. the - South' Dunedin portibn of the circuit, 1 and there matters were progressing favourably. The income for the past year amounted ,t0;£760, and the expenditure to £645; and, 140 new. members had been added to the roll. In the Trinity Church, Sunday School, there were 198 pupils 'and 20 officers. THe opinion was expressed .that r the progress of the Church in future would depend on*' the'Sunday'Sbhools. ' i. : From all aooounta, 1 the members of the Harbour! Board are greatly exasperated at the* captain of th&s.s. lonic for intima.ting ,his ( intention <o£ examining the bar [at .'the . Otago ' Heads, before he attempted, to bring; in his magnificent vessel. Now, the" idea of a captain making •personal ; investigation^ of the bar, is enough to putitheHarbdur Board out of . sorts, and cause < the members to become exasperated. All the jokes that have been made by rival ports regarding tha Otago harbour have done as much harm as a little water spilled on a duck's back .would do J but, this personal' investigation by a captain, certainly the unkind est cut of all, -has, according to some authori-< ties, done -more injury to the port of. OUgo than would the actual stoppage of the. bar, altogether. It is. a Sad thing to contemplate ; but then it ahould be borne with in a philosophical jmapner, for it is !not the , first time' an insult, has been offered in regard to' the bar.

George Moran; charged with having on the^stlinst.'^at Ariderston, Kaikorai, set ifire to : a wooden building with intent ■to , defraud the.. Standard and Scottish Imperial; (lnsurances, (Companies, was on Wednesday last committed at the City Police Court to take hi 3 trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court. The evidence- given in connection with the case .went to show that accused's clothes were saturated with 'kerosene on the night of- the fire.