UNFOUNDED COMPLAINTS.

Evening Star, Issue 3729, 4 February 1875, Page 3

UNFOUNDED COMPLAINTS.

We have before us a couple of instances of the eagerness of Southern journals to impute blame to officials in Dunedin, without first satisfying themselves whether that blame is deserved, and in the second place if it is, whether, censure is being cast in the proper quarter. In a recent issue of the ‘ Southland Times’ there appeared this paragraph : A. characteristic example of the stupidity of the Dunedin postal authorities is supplied by the fact that the last San Francisco mail arrived at Port Chalmers on Sunday afternoon, but although the Invercargill portion might have been dispatched by the overland mail on the following morning, or, failing that, by the Comoraug in the afternoon, it was kept in Dunedin till the Wanvanm sailed on Wednesday. The opportunity of replying by the return mail was thus needlessly lost to the people of the Southland district.

Now, the fact is that the postal officers did all they could to expedite the sorting of the English mail on the occasion referred to; and had the railway department put on a special train for the conveyance of the mail to town on that particular Sunday the Southland mail would not have been delayed, but forwarded the next day. In the last issue of the ‘ Wakatip Mail’ appears the following : The Queenstown allotment of immigrants per Wild Deer, have arrived—at Kingston and will come up by the Jane Williams to-night. Altogether, there are about forty, out of which there appear to be seven married couples with families, three or four single females, and one single man. According to report, their welfare —in a moral and physical point of view at least —has been anything but properly looked after. They left Dunedin on Saturday for Bluff, and on Tuesday started for Winton, reaching Kingston last night—their only sleeping accommodation during the latter stage being on the top of eight tons of luggage in two covered American waggons, which brought them up. _ Fortunately there would be plenty of ventilation, otherwise we should have had something sensational to record in the wav of death by suffocation. It is to be hoped that in future any immigrants sent to this district will be better provided for, otherwise—whatever may be the result -employers will not bo very strongly impressed in favor of such a class. It will be rocollcoJd that a deputation waited upon the dup.rintendcut last week, and pressed him to cause some immigrants to be despatched to Queenstown without delay. His Honor immediately gave the necessary instructions to Mr Colin Allan,

who lost no time in despatching by tbc Express, ou her last trip, nr, ar rf w r suitable people. Every anang-.ment for their comfort on the passa m down was ma-.-c here, and no doubt theimmigtation officer at Invercargill acted upon bis instructions to pay them every attention there. They were conveyed as far as Wintou by rail, thence to the head of the Lake by waggon, and from Kingston will proceed by s Learner to their ucstiuation. They could not- be coached from Wintou to Kingst ;n, because immigrants must travel with their luggage and bedding, which the coach proprietors will not carry. After all, one i iglit in a waggon is not such a great hardship. Many men and women in have had to rough it a great deal more, and felt none the worse for it