THE LAKES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 439, 16 September 1870, Page 3

THE LAKES.

(from oub own CORRESPONDENT.) Queenstown, Sept. 13. The news of the war between France and Prussia, the trial and acquittal of M'Lennan, together with the conviction of Rennie, has found people pletny to talk about. Our German population is jubilant at the success of the Prussians, and a victorious result to the arms of the Fatherland is prognosticated. The spirit rappers or table turners say til at the spirits gave warning of the war and its results before the arrival of the mail. This to my knowledge, was a fact; hut as a matter of course anyhopy in the flesh might have guessed the same. In the matter of the late gold robbery', nobody seems sorry at Rennie’s punishment. Therr is one unanimous opinion, that “it served him right”. The next tiling is the distribution of the reward. Private enterprise most certainly did a great deal towards the recovery’ of the property and the arrest of Rennie, and private enterprise deserves something for its pains. Police constables Hunt and M ‘Gann of course followed up the trail as soon as they got upon it, but it appears to me that the police at Clyde were sadly in fault. The army of detectives which swarmed in your quarter suspected everybody but the thier. Tueir share of the reward, if any-, might be given to the Dunstan District Hospital; to relievo it from its financial difficulties. Everybody is very sorry for Sub Inspector Dalgleish, and thememorial in his favor was very generally signed. Those who refused, did so as a matter of conscience One of the clauses of the petition saying “that no precautions could have guarded against the abstraction of the gold.” There is nothing done which might have been prevented in Ordinary occurrences of life, and, when so much treasure was at Clyde, if our guard was not sufficient it should have been doubled. A twenty-two ounce nugget, together with about fourteen ounces of gold, was unearthed the other day' by some miners at the One Milo Creek, just outside the Municipal Boundary. They, the said miners, have since been enjoying themsalver amazingly, and every day a half-hogshead of beer finds its way from the breweryto the One Mile. This is “ sweating it out ” with a vengeance, and is something new in the shape of imbibing. If the lucky finders must spend their money in drink, they might at least give the publicans a turn. Thirty-six ounces of gold, turned into barrels of beer at wholesale prices, will kill the poor men before they can drink it all up. In social matters, something of anovel character is to be introduced in the shape of a co-operative store. It is said that the storekeepers here have made princely fortunes, and, their number being few, they o' stinatoly refuse to reduce the prices of goods, and consumers pay as much now as they did in the “ good old times.” If properly- managed, a co-operative store might be made to pay. The been very successful at home, but it is run to the goldfields. There is no doubt but that, in the matter of high prices, the storekeepers are great sinners: but. on the other hand, they are obliged to give a great deal of credit, and that must be tken into consideration. Opposition is, of course, the life of trade, and, should the co-oporative store become an accomplished fact,the public will be the gainers. On Friday last a new dredge was launched upon the Shotovor, at Arthurs Point. The launch was very successfully made, and it was duly christened by a little girl the “ Golden Cloud.” There was much speechifying upon the occasion, and those present enjoyed themselves heartily. I might say that this is a co-operative undertaking the business people and the miners having joined hands to complete and carry out the work. Mr. M. J. Mallaghan, one of the leading storekeepers here, and who is well known to most Victorian miners, is one of the Shareholders. The company purpose building a second dredge immediately, should their prospects turn out as anticipated. There is doubtless a fine field for digging operations in the Shotover, and cooperation to extract the gold will be attended with the most beneficial results. I would prefer the miningseheme to the storekeeping one. The erection of the new flour mill at Lake Hayes is being proceeded .vith vigorously, and fanners are jubilant at the prospective rise in the price of wheat, which, by the by r e, has been selling far too low, the growers receive no benefit whatever from the rise in flour.