OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1168, 5 August 1885, Page 5

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

( ' (From our own, Correspondent.) Mr Stephen Stamp Hutchison, of gasworks repute, who stands committed for trial upon a charge of fraudulent bankruptcy, is credited with having made an unsuccessf ul'attempt to " clear out." On Friday afternoon, there was a rumor iD town to the p '.effecs'tkat Mr S. S. H. had been arreßted "at T the3luff, juat as he was going on board tha Manapouri, and when the evening papers appeared it was discovered that the rumor was not without foundation. It appears that Mr Hutchison drove to Caversham on Thursday afternoon and caught the 4.10 train lor Clinton. He stopped there all night and went on next morning to Invercargill ; and instead of proceeding direct to the v best laid out town in New Zealand," he stopped a mile this side of it and drove to Clifton station, and on his arrival at the Bluff was astonished at being met by a conitable, who arrested him. If it were notior a piece of sharp work on the part of the police, in all probability Mr Hutchison would by this time have been on the'road to Melbourne, laughing in his sleeve. As the afternoon train left Caversham, word was sent that Mr Hutchison was aboard. On his arrival at Mosgiol he wrote a telegram, but changed his mind about sending it, and threw it out of the window. Justice, impersonated by the local constable, picked it up and forwarded it to headquarters. Mr Uren (one of Mr Hutchison's bondsmen)

was sent for, and it did not take much persuasion to make him withdraw his bail. It appears that when a man is out on bail the police cannot interfere with his movements without the cognizance of his sureties ; therefore, if Mr Hutchison had taken the precaution to tell Mr Uren the same tale as he told the Invercargill justices, he would have been allowed to return to Melbourne to collect his debts. As it is, in all, probability he will be the guest of Mr Phillips until the! next criminal session.

The Chamber of Commerce met at the beginning of last week, and discussed the 'Frisco mail service and the East and West Coast railway. A strong expression of opinion was recorded against the Government's proposal re Mr Meiggs, but they were only half-hearted in respect to the 'Frisco service. At present the Dunedin merchants are often compelled to use the Brindisi mail in preference to the American route, and the members of -the Chamber seized the opportunity of denouncing the exorbitant rates that are charged on the former line. But to the credit of the Dunedin merchants, it was noticeable that they looked upon the whole question from a broader view than the Christchurcb Chamber. There is no doubt that if the 'Frisco service is stopped, what little New Zealand trade there is between California and New Zealand would be completely killed. Opponents to the 'Frisco service and shareholders in the New Zealand Shipping Company point their finger with scorn at the small amount of cargo the Pacific mail boats bring to these shores. But if, as Sir Julius Yogel proposes, Auckland is made the terminus of the service, this trade is bound to increase; and what is more, in order to load their steamers, the American Company will soon find out for us what it will pay best to export, and there is no doubt that our Yankee neighbors would be glad of some of our spare produce if we only knew in what form to send it them. Speaking of this service makes one wonder why a trade ia not opened between New Zealand and Chili and Peru. In this case every one allows that there is ample room for reciprocity of trade.

The increase of juvenile criminals in and around this city is becoming rather alarming. During the past week there I have been some half-a-dozen boys brought before the Police Court for burglary, shoplifting, etc. The Magistrates were naturally loth to send these youthful offenders to gaol ; but it is very doubtful whether this after all would not be the best course to adopt. It is not much satisfaction to a man who goes down to his office and finds his safe open and all his spare cash gone to be told it was only a boy who did it. To Mr Titchener's credit it must be said that these boys dp not come from the Industrial School, but are boys who have been educated, or, at least, supposed to have attended our public schools. It is sometimes urged that the reading of sensational novels is the cause of this youthful depravity ; but in the particular cases I refer to, the culprits are fonder of loafing around street corners with a pipe in their mouth, than reading either good or bad books. The training ship at Auckland was not a thorough success, simply, I believe, because the lads were mixed ; but how would it answer to have a training and prison ship for those boys who have broken the laws, and rendered themselves liable to imprisonment? If this course were adopted, there would be no mixing with hardened criminals, and a judicious use of the " cat " by the boatswain might have a good effect on their future career. The residents of South Dunedin are seriously displeased with the action or rather the inaction of their member. For some time back they have been petitioning the railway authorities to grant them a siding at Kensington. At the present time there are only two sidings (both private) between Reid and Gray's and Caversham, and if the statement of the Mayor of South Dunedin is to be believed the owners of these sidings make a good round sum out of allowing people to use them. When the Hon. W. J. Larnach, Minister of Mines, and member for the Flat, was last in Dunedin, a deputation waited upon him and asked him to use his influence to obtain the required accommodation. He, after the manner of M. H.R.s and members of the Government, promised he would do his utmost. , .The session has now been running on for a couple of months, and instead of South Dunedin. receiving its siding, the Minister of Public Works has as good as said that it cannot be granted. At a public meeting held to discuss the question the other evening, the member for Caversham was lauded to the skies, whilst Mr Larnach the next time he seeks the suffrages of the South Dunedin is to be told to go to " Sheol," as the Revised Bible has it.