DUNEDIN

Dunstan Times, Issue 224, 10 August 1866, Page 3

DUNEDIN

) OM A CORRESPONDENT.) 6th August. xiib ui>«..icipal elections have caused much excitement among the good folks down here, but happily they are all over now, and people will once more settle down to the quiet pursuit of their daily avocations. Mr. J. G. S. Grant, in the contest for the Mayoralty, was defeated hy a large majority ; his opponent, Mr Mason owes his 'success to the fact of his supporters possessing a plurality of votes, and not to the number of individuals who supported him. The Country elections have caused much speculation not only as regards the elections themselves, but the future success of the Municipalities, is the problem sought to be solved. The Commission now sitting at Wel- ' ington, for the object of considering and amending all existing goldfielda Acts, is generally approved of, and your goldfield's member, Mr Flaughton, the proposer of the motion which called the Commission into existence together with Capt. Baldwin, its seconder, deserve the thanks of every wellwisher of the mining community. Mr Vincent Pyke has already sailed for Wellington. Messrs. Cutten, "Wood, and Broad, followed by last Saturday's steamer. Your annual series of Auction Bazaars in aid of the Dunstan District Hospital have made a good beginning, the large amount of £lO5 7s 6d realised At Bathan's, took everyone by surprise, people did not think there was so much in the p'ace, however, the liberality of the Dunstan Creek people has caused much attention to be directed towards them, and no better proof could possibly be given of the extreme prosperity of that place. if all your other townships come out as well, your Hospital ought soon to be well in funds ; this is, I suppose, the first result of the newly established local committees and argues well for the future success of that new idea. Speaking of Hospitals, I met Mr Cope the secretary to the Hospital, together with Mr Simeon Isaacs the member for C yde, the other afternoon they informed me that they had been boring His Honor on Hospital business, in the shape of memoralising him to grant to the Committee the site now occupied in lieu of the Hospital site reserved somewhere in the rear of the township, both gentlemen seemed pleased with the result of their mission, they were promised all they wanted. How are the Chinamen doing on the diggings 1 and how will they get on when the river goes down ? are questions often asked. I don't, however, think that you can give any precise information on the subject as " John " is not over communicative respecting the results of his labours in search of the precious metal, there is one certain thing, that as they continue to remain in your quarter they must be doing something or they would soon quit. I hear, that large importations of the children of the " Flowery Land," will take place soon, and right welcome they will be, a population, 'of anything in the shape of human beings is much needed just now, and rather than have none, I think, ( himpanzees would not be objected to; there are a good few Chinamen located down here, and who appear to find a lucrative employment in vending nick-nacks in the shape of ingeniously carved ivory fans, walking-sticks and other similar trifles, they all seem to be a very respectable class of men, in fact, we can scarcely credit all

you go dfields' residents tell txs about their, thieving propensities, and the low scale of morals they one and all possess. | Mr Veil Fleming, lately mas-fcer at Crom-' well chnol, but now second in charge at! the Middle District School is getting on famously in teaching the youzxg D'linedin ideas how to shoot, (lis system 6f imparting knowledge and the high state of discipline in which he keeps his scholars is universally admired, in fact, as far as I am a judge, I consider the Middle District chool but very little inferior to its more pretentious neighbour the mxich vaunted Sigh School. *s a teacher of" singing Mr Neil Fleming ha* no equal in Dunedin. I went to hear the senior class—consisting of some 120 boys and girls, of sjges varying from 8 to 14 years—go tfcrx-ough their exercises; the children showed great proficeney, the result of .careful training. The system taught is Hul ah's, and is probably the best system known for imparting to learflers a thorough knowledge of music, after a preliminary sol fa-ing of the scale, the children sung in capital style several well-known popular airs and as a climax to the whole, two little girls not much above ten years 6t age, sarr g with great taste and judgment Glover's pretty duet in B flat " VVe come to tla.ee, Savoy." Mr Fleming's leaving Cronrwrell must be a great loss to you, but you must console yourselves with the comforting fact that he is a great acquisition to us. I have no doubt, however, that you have many men on the Dunstan whose abilities are utterly lost in so confined a sphere, and who if transferred to a more congenia.l atmosphere would not only benefit themselves but likewise many others. I think, tho next time we have a want to supply, tnat we shall again try an up-country selection. Telegraphic communicatioxx with Clyde appears to be as unsatisfactory as ever. I see that the ' Daily Times "* in last Friday's issue, complains of a.xx interuption taking place on the line during the transmission of a message, something ought to be done to remedy the evil, or -the advantages of telegraphic communication will, as far as the Dunstan is concerned, be a dead letter. j weeks has) been very unsettled, cold nights, amWtesp, gloomy days follow each other with the greatest precision. We ca.xa scarcely conceive how it is that you have had so mu'ch frost, but what everybody says must be true, and the reduced escorts further confirm that fact. I suppose that under all your difficulties if that modern Pactoliis, the Molyneux goes down to a low level it will prove a panacea for a, round of ills, the beach c'aims at work and the miners all getting gold will soon, make things lively again.