OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1122, 25 February 1885, Page 5

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

■ •" (From our own Correspondent.) At the annual meeting of the subscribers to thejQtago Benevolent Institution, Mr Bathgate, in a long but sensible speech, suggested-, .that , the, new Committee ppnqidei;' the , advisability of recommending that an, Act.be passed under which elective, boards for the administration of charitable aid should be formed, and incorporated in districts of convenient size with regard to population, and that such local governing bodies should' have the power to levy special rates for the purpose of obtaining funds to relieve the sick and needy His scheme also included the appointment of unpaid overseers or visitors, all applications for relief tor be reported on by these overseers before the local board could grant funds to the applicant.n t. Mr Bathgate said that his plan had firat been adopted in Elberfield, in Germany ; the citizens of New York next adopted it ; now several large cities had likewise adopted it. In Elberfield, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, there were 4000 paupers, and these were relieved at a yearly cost of £7600. Five yeara after the adoption of the new system, the paupers were reduced to 1500, and the expenditure to £2600. Mr Bathgate's motion was carried after an interesting discussion. The general public will closely watch the action of the new Committee in their dealing with the resolution. One thing is certain, and that is that pauperism is becoming a growing evil, and unless something is done in the way of systematic relief it will in a very few years be a heavy burden on the taxpayers. In 1874 the total amount distributed for charitable aid by the Benevolent Institution was £3030; in 1879, it was £5313 ; and last year it was £7868. My own opinion is that Mr Bathgate's scheme will be unworkable, because there are not a sufficient number of benevolent men in our midst who could possibly spare the time to undertake the duties of unpaid overseers, and if once a staff of men is appointed who receive pay, no matter how little, for inspecting the various cases for relief, the remedy will soon be found to be worse than the disease. Mr Bathgate, however, deserves the. thanks of the citizens* for bringing this plan under their notice, and the Government may very well take it as the basis of a new Charitable Aid Bill. The wave of patriotic feeling which is spreading over the Colonies has reached Dunedin, and every other young man is eager to go to the Soudan. Mr P. Fulton, a gentleman who has acquired a certain amount of notoriety since he has been amongst us, has opened an office in the centre of the town, and is taking down the names of those who would be willing to go to Africa with him. On hia list, -which now numbers 100 men, there are -to be found a large number of old soldiers, both commissioned and non-commissioned officers, and one lady has offered her services to the troops as nurse. Mr Fulton has been in communication with His Excellency the Governor, but Sir W. Jervois has informed him that he can do nothing without the advice of his Government. At a meeting of the Port Chalmers Naval Artillery, a resolution was passed to the effect that they were at their country's service if called upon. While no one appreciates the' spirit of these patriotic offers more than I do, I cannot help thinking that England does not really want us, and that it would be better for all parties if Mr Gladstone refused colonial aid. The time may come, and, in the opinion of those who are well versed in European politics, the time is not far off when England wiU\require all the men she can muster to defend her Colonial Empire, and therefore it behoves all of us who are willing to fight for the Mother Land to stop at home, learn to be soldiers, and now that the English Government sees that we are willing, let us wait .until they ask for our aid. . Scott easily defeated Hancock in the twelve-hours' contest, and, as several of the " sports " were heard to remark, there never was a " squarer " match walked in the Colony. All through the week there has been bitter and bad feeling on both aides, and each man started confident that he could beat his opponent. There is no doubt now that -for distances over fifty miles Scott is the better man ; in fact, there are few, if any, in the world who could beat him for a twenty-four hours' contest. This week there is going to be a six-days' (twelve hours a-day) go-as-you-please contest in the Hippodrome on the reclaimed land, but as the affair is openly stated to be for gate money, I do not think the competitors will receive much public support. Owing to the action of JRayner, Swan, Crofts, and others the forty-eight hours' contest, which was to have been held on the 26th, 27th, and 28th instant, has fallen through. These men say Austin has been trying to i " have " them ; whilst he declares the ! boot is on the other foot. My space will j not permit me to give an opinion on the subject, as in order to do so I should have to state the whole facts of the case.

Our carnival week may be said to have commenced last Friday with the interprovincial cricket match and will last over the races. Up to the present, we have been favored with, beautiful weather, and the rain that fell on Sunday was really needed. , At the time of writing this, the interprovincial cricket - match had not been concluded, bufcthe odds are in favor of Otago. If we are' successful the new men who are in ' the team are to be thanked for it, . always giving Charley Frith his due as. a bowler. < Beck and Boddington played splendid pricket in the 6fstr- innings, the former showing some pretty play. The bowlers "arrived from Christchurch on Saturday evening," and the interprovincial match is to be played to-day, and up to the Cup-day various -interprovincial and other bowling matches will be played. There seems to be more interest taken' in the forthcoming Cup than in . any previous one, and if, as is surmised, the railway department are going to lay on cheap trains there will not be less than 15,000 people on the ground provided that the weather holds up; • I am not a sporting man, therefore I do not proferJto "tip" the Cup-correctly j but for the benefit of "those, who are coming ; t6*o^n u nexV Thursday^ I just ' mention that Ladjr Emma is supposed to be able to win the Cup, with Vanguard second. .Trenton' arid ""Adamant are regarded as dangerous 'horses. ; ; 23rd February.

The notice of motion given by Sir Stafford 1 Northcote in the House of Commons censures the resultless sacrifices of the Government necessary to establish stable government in Egypt and parts of the Soudan. When a couple are making love by moonlight, their, feeling is one of in-fine-night bliss. The nobbiest things in boots are bunions. , - «' ' ' - . i