DUNEDIN NOTES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4835, 2 March 1901, Page 3

DUNEDIN NOTES.

[Own Cobbebpondent.] Well, we have got our Seventh Contingent — that is, our quota of it — safely off, with the Mayor's blessing ringing in their ears and with their hearts mightily cheered and thrilled with the thoughts of the noble deeds he told them that they were to do. These functions would be neither safe nor successful without his Worship's benediction. It is true that be says tbe same thing on each occasion — in fact, they do say that the papers keep the old type standing and merely alter the number of the contingent whenever one goes off — but as nobody ever remembers it does not much matter. There is rather a funny incident aboui tbis lasr. one. By some means or another a mistake was made ia the time and the reporters got there about half an hour after his Worship had delivered hia address. " Could he tell them what he had said t " Certainly, I'll go to the I office, write it out and send it along." , So said so done and, sure enough, when . the evening paper came out there was the extempore speech all nicely printed with the ch«ers and the applause accurately marked in at the right places. However, these sends-off are great occasions. It is then that we bury nil past animosities, that the lion lays down with (outside) the lamb, and everybody is very nice and everything is in perfeot harmony. No one would have thought to have seen Colonel Webb beaming tearfully upon the Mayor and the 1 Mayor seraphioally regarding the Colonel that there ever was a time in contemporary , history when the one passed the other , with a sniff and when the sniffed-at j passed the sniffer with a stony stare. ] The author of the St. Clair outrage, < as it is termed, has had sentence passed upon him ; fifteen years and two tastes of the lash, each taste to consist of 25 strokes The jury made their verdict especially emphatic and the spec ators marked their sentiments by the unusual method ot applauding. The judge promptly reproved the latter. It was in bad taste, but one feels like doing it himi-elf. Poor devil ! he would b 3 better dead. Murder in a passion we can par? don, theft under certain circumstances we can understand, but acts of this nature we oannot, not even the worst of us, and we thank God that it is so. The man had no counsel. Not a lawyer would associate his name with such a case — he was caught red-handed, and he stood before the Court as utterly abandoned as a sailor shipwrecked in mid-ocean. His appeal for- leniency was of a nature to indicate that even then he : di,d not comprehend the horror of his deed. But it availed not, and a new generation will have arisen before he sees the freedom of life again, The most merciful thing is to pray for his death. The Technical Classes Association are in a bad way. That in to say after having done over twelve years of splendid work and turned oat many young men and women who owe to it their first start on a successful career, the Association, maintained for so long by private subscriptions and fees, will have to close their doors if the Government do not keep their pledged word and come forward at the eleventh hour. The report presented and the speephes made at the last annual meeting are meiqu* choly reading, and it is difficult to refrain from a feeling of indignation as we peruse them. What on earth can be the reason I don't know. I have, like others, made guesses, but they are just as well kept quiet. Anyway the present directors will wash their hands of the whole business if tbe Government don't pay up What this would mean I cannot say. Perhaps collapse, perhaps forcing the hand. of the authorities, but, in any case, the possibility of a national disgrace is involved. Tbe Association are justly entitled to the money wanted, the money has been promised and yet a fine electric plant has to lie idle because they haven't the funds to pay for its installation. A poor business truly. The £>u i ned,in, City Council, having) safely passed through- the throes and anguish incident to the delivery of some crowning act of municipal wisdom, have selected a city engineer at a salary of £800 a year* For this money, in these days of competition, they were entitled to get a good man and a great number of really good men offered, but -the unfortunate part of it ie that the Council, with the best intentions possible, have not pioked <he besD man. Of coarse, it id hard to cell and testimonials are not everything. There must be a certain amount of plunging in the dark in all such cases and time alone can supply the test. But the man of the greatest, widest and most genuine practical experience is the man that should have been chosen and it seems to mo that there ought to have . been no difficulty in th^s respect. Of course, the Coa,nci} may really have got the best man, Let us hope so at any rate. The accumulated wisdom of our fellow citizens was splendidly exemplified the other day when some 19 of them were, for their sins, constituted a Grand Jury. One of the cases upon wbioh they had to < Bay whether there was sufficient evidence for the man to go before a jury of his countrymen was what is known as the Otarama s'abbing case. The lower \ Court had made the charge against the . ] man one of murder. Certainly tbe viei' tfm. Yah dtftd. aad Ufa* |<Sq"^4 hat* tfa&

serious evidence apainst him. Anyway, it was for a jury and not for the Grand Jury — to try the case and pronounce judgment. But the accumulated wisdom aforesaid thought otherwise, and actually spent an hour and a half in trying them. They then decided— that is, a majority did, for not all of them were foola — to throw out the bill, and throw it out they did to the disgust, contempt, and indignation of the whole community. However, all the accumulated wisdom has done fa to cause much trouble and expense — over-zealous fools generally do —for the man was re»arresr,ed and will have to stand trial once more The first faint shriek of over-worked foundries is beginning to be heard. The large amount of surplus labor absorbed during the dredging gamble is being dissipated and foundries are weeding out, the overplus and keeping busy their old hands only. This was inevitable, only I did not look for it just yet. A 9 dredges are tnrned out and no other companies come along and others that were floated " go bung," it was reasonable to anticipate a return to normal conditions. Personally I think it a good sign. We were floating far too many dredging companies and we could not afford to pay for tbe half of them. When those now in hand are all off the s f ocks and earning dividends for the shareholders we can talk about others. Meantime the men who rushed from all over the colony, took up every empty shanty that was about and, consequently, sent up rents with a bound, will have to leave. The aoul of good in thiq fact, is that high rents and high nricfls may leave with them. And industry supported on the butchers' and 1 bakers' bills, as much of this dredgemaking is, ia better knooked into shape and reduced to bearable limits. What with r.he re.cen-t fire and sundry small accidents, if our Tramways are not soon replaced by another snd new^r system we shall have no system at all We are using all the old rubbish now, and as these are, in turn, breaking axles [ and losing wheels there cannot be much left shortly. We made a start, how* ever, by raising a little bit of money among ourselves to complete the purchase of the old stuff and should, therefore, be within measurable dis ranee ot doing something. It is questionable whether the city is wise in seeking to run the new service *• on its own "—" — municipal control has not been a financial success in this direction — and it is further doubtful whether we should saddle ourselves with an expensive water power supply when steam power is so much more economical, convenient and within control. These two points may yet have to be fought out. The Dunedin Choral Society have entered a vigorous protest against the way in which distinguished " amateurs" mulct them for fees. It seems that these young gentlemen make an exceU lent thing out of this business. Perhaps no one can blame them for that but, at least, we can insist on their dropping the (< amateur." 'I he man who takes his two guineas for a conceit ceases to bean amateur straightaway and should be viewed accordingly. Apropos of this your readers would smile if ihey knew the origin of some of these benefit concerts, give" to Mr So-and-so who baa always " generously given (for a consideration) his services to charitable and patriotic functions." They are pure " fakes " in many cases and run by syndicates of enterprising youths wh,Q " stand in" on the results.