OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1180, 16 September 1885, Page 5

OUR DUNEDIN LETTER.

(From our own Correspondent). The football season is now practically over, and during last week no less than nine annual meetings of Cricket Clubs were heW, Ths auuual meeting of the Otago Cricket Association was held last Saturday evening, when the report presented was far from satisfactory. The Committee reported (inter alia) that the Association was £23 in debt, and their only asset was a pavilion on the Carisbrook ground, valued at some £800. They also stated that a fresh lease had been entered into with the Carisbrook Ground Company, and that the Association were bound to play their matches on that ground for another three years. This portion of the report aroused the ire of the majority of the members, and two or three of them launched out and gave vent to the opinion of the majority of Dunedin athletes concerning the Carisbrook ground. They stated that as long as matches were played on the Carisbrook ground, the Association would be in debt, and further that the original agreement was a most iniquitous one, and reflected strongly upon the spirit of fairness possessed by those members of the Carisbrook Cricket Club who were at that time on the Committee of the Association. However, Mr M. Cohen pointed out that they were originally bound for six years, and he and others, acting on behalf of the Association, were only able make the best termi they could for the next three years, and had not the option oi rea«wing 4K« lease or otherwise at their will. There was, however, a great deal of truth in Mr Moore's remarks when he said that the Carisbrook Ground Company took everything and gave nothing in return ; and it is quite certain that notwithstanding all the money spent upon it, it will never be a popular ground. A very good suggestion was thrown out. at the Cricket Association meeting to the effect that the Southern Reserve, better known as the Oval, should be vested in trustees, and raised to the level of the street-line, and made the Home of the Otago Rugby Football Union, the Cricket Association, and the Amateur Athletic Club. Under a recent statute, trustees of public reserves are authorised to make charges to enter these reserves on certain days in the year, so that-the difficulty of gate-money is done away with.

A case of considerable interest, and one that greatly concerns the public health, was heardiat the Police Court-last Thursday. Mr William M'Leod wai charged with having, without the consent in writing of the Dunedin Corporation, established an offensive work — to wit, soap-boiling work, contrary to the Public Health Act, 1876. The facts were in ;reality admitted,, and the defendant Was 'fined £I*o and 'cbW. Mr Denniston, who appeared for the defendant, hinted that the prosecution was really being made by the National Bank, who are said to possess a considerable share in the business of M'Leod Bros, (limited), and the older firm had quite as^ much right to be, summoned as the! new-one. If such be the case, it is a scandalous affair, and the sooner steps are taken to stop M'Leod Bros, the better, as one hundred times more annoyance is caused by Messn M'Leod and Bradsley's factories than was from Mr William M'Leod's. Now that land has greatly depreciated in value,, it i« a good opportunityi to shift all these offensive manufactories away from the city, and the sooner the Corporation (if they have the power) take Bteps in this direction the better. At present the odour that surrounds Lower Castle-street is enough to kill an ox, let alone the hundreds of children who are compelled to breathe the imptxro atmosphere. Another grievance is iha smoke ; respecting this it was stated that in certain parts of London the manufactories and foundries were compelled to consume their own smoke, and a bye-law to this effect in Dunedin would greatly add to the pleasantness of part of the city. Rear-Admiral Scott delivered a lecture in the Garrison Hall on Wednesday evening on our defences. As the lecture will shortly, be published in pamphlet form, I will not refer to its salient features but be content with enumerating the resolutions carried a,t the close of the liwture. /Upon the motion .of Mr T-. M, Ritohigj it , was resolved ;-," That thiß meeting "views with uneasiness the amount of money proposed to be expended on the defences of the .Colony, and respectfully urges on the

Government the wisdom of curtailing the same as much as possible, and also taking into consideration the desirability of countermanding the orders already sent to England for heavy guns, ammunition, torpedoes, search-lights, engines, machinery," &c. The next one was : " That the Volunteer force having now been established 22 years, being fairly efficient, and capable of being still more so, is willing to and can, if properly org&nißßdj defend the Colony in case of attack. The adoption of such a plan would tend to develop a spirit of patriotism in the Colony, and it would also prove much more economical than the system now being carried out." MrG. Fenwickthen moved : " Thair^the continued employment of the Armed Constabulary for purposes of external defence can only be regarded as tending towards the creation of a standing array that would be highly repugnant to the wishes of the colonists. A permanent force of this nature is, moreover, a burden which New Zealand in its present depressed condition is unable to bear." This motion was also carried unanimously. Several others were passed, but the above were the principal ones, and represent the spirit of the meeting.