THE LAKES.

Dunstan Times, Issue 480, 30 June 1871, Page 2

THE LAKES.

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT ) Queenstown, June 26. The Building Society has taken root here, and nothing will do but to form a society at once. On Saturday e-cning Mr. G. B, Barton gave a most interesting lecture on the subject, and the result was that a pro* visional committee was formed to carry out the object in view. The Lakes district, as the able lecturer argued, would be aprofit, able field for these societies. They would not only prove advantageous to the members themselves, but to the district at large. The settling down among us of two gentlemen of the long robe has given some of the small fry of traders, with an intermixture of working carpenters, an opportunity of ridding themselves of their liabilities at a cheap rate, and five cases of Insolvency have been filed during the last fortnight, 1 his has been made the subject of much excitement by our “penny-a-liners,” some of whom have telegraph'd to the Daily Times that a g’ eat commercial depression prevails, and that there is no confidence ; but such is entirely false. These insolvences took no one by surprise, and if there was anything to wonder at, it was that they wer-' so few and for such small amounts. Every storekeeper fully calculated that the advent of the lawyers would be taken advantage of. There is double the amount of trade doing in the district compared with this time last year, and there is every evidence of a stil further increase. Some of “ our merchants, ’ as newspaper writers please to designate the storekeepers, complain of things being dull ; but the reason* are these .-—All the little tra ers in the hack gqilies, pub’icans, and even private parties, are ge'ting their goods up from Dunedin, via Invercargill. The aristocracy' of merchants hare been laying it on so heavy that they have “killed the goose that lays the folded eggs," or either, that the goose has turned on them who eat them, and now refuses to lay any more. This, in a great measure, has been brought about by the large number of commercial traveller* whocanvass the district for orders A few pounds of caddies or tea, «r even a pair of blankets, can be procured at lowest town prices by anyone who chooses to order, payment by a three months’ bill as a matter of course. Our merchanta are beginning to learn wisdom, however, and things are getting more moderate.