OTAGO.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 204, 3 February 1875, Page 4

OTAGO.

{From a correspondent of the Press.')

Dunedin, January 28

To a person re-visiting Dunedin now, after a three or four years’ absence, the change in the place must bring to mind the gourd-like erowth of some of the towns in the Western States of America. Whole rows of ancient and shabby-looking shops and warehouses have been pulled down, and been succeeded by handsome stone and brick buildings, which would be no discredit to the streets of Melbourne, or even a larger city. The Princes street reserve, over which so many a stout Parliamentary battle has been fought, now furnishes a site for a fine warehouse belonging to Messrs Briscoe and Co, hardware merchants, which occupies the corner where the old wooden Post office formerly stood, while adjoining the Union Bank of Australia has erected a stone building, with noble Corinthian fronts, facing Princes street and the Government offices. Almost every commercial firm of note has erected, or is in course of erecting, new premises, invariably of brick or stone, and the designs, while sufficiently attractive as a rule, are happily free from meretricious ornament. Despite

the usual defect of want of harmony in the style and character of adjacent buildings, which it seems impossible to overcome in colonial towns. Dunedin might in time become a handsome town, were it not for the unfortunate narrowness of the principal streets, which will defy the architect to remedy. A better sign of substantial prosperity than is given by the new buildings is the establishment of manufacturing industries upon a large scale. There are now two large clothing factories in full work in the town, one belonging to Messrs Sargood and Co, the other to Messrs Hallenstein and Co, both employing female labor, Engineering shops have also been opened ; and the old breweries have developed in an astonishing manner, while Mr Copland has recently started one on his own account, which is said to be-the largest establishment of the kind in New Zealand. The teetotalers would, however, I suppose, hardly consider this a mark of progress. I was almost forgetting, among the improvements, the First Church (Presbyterian), which is now completed and in use, and an excellent specimen of church architecture it is, although defective in some of its details. From its site, the building forms the most conspicuous landmark in Dunedin. One might congratulate the Presbyterians upon the magnitude of the work they have accomplished, were it not that the cost of the building has been paid out of funds derived from endowments provided for the church in the early days of the settlement. The progress of Dunedin is particularly noticeable in the extension of its suburbs. Caversham, formerly a congeries of two or three dozen houses, is now a small town, with cabs and a railway station. The once marshy tract lying between Caversham and Anderson’s Bay is also being rapidly built over, the owners of the land having laid it off in townships, which seems about the easiest possible way of making money. Leaving Dunedin for Port Chalmers, we find the little seaport completely transformed. There is now a fine pier, alongside which the biggest vessels can lie, with the railway station at its foot and the rails carried to the end of the pier, so that ships can load and unload direct from the trucks. The graving dock is in full swing, big warehouses have been erected here as in Dunedin, and the troops of ship laborers and mechanics to be seen going to their work in the morning makes everything en regie.

These remarks show that an active state of business prevails, the extent of which can be best appreciated by referring to the Customs’ returns; but with those, no doubt, you have already made your readers familiar. It is, however, admitted on all sides that trade is inflated; that there has been much over-importation; and a good deal of apprehension is felt as to what would be the effects of an increased stringency of the money market. Trade is in fact in a ticklish position, and merchants are not blind to the signs of the times. Nor are the banks, as they have indicated in their own peculiar way; The screw has been applied, though very gently, but its pressure is felt. When one considers the obloquy which has been cast upon the opponents of the financial policy pursued by the Government since 1870, and the indignant scouting of the idea that anything but continued prosperity could result from that policy, it is certainly rather odd to hear people talk as they freely do about a financial crisis being sure to come sooner or later, and may be at an early date ; and it is perhaps not unlawful to wish that should such an event unfortunately occur, those who have the most strongly supported the Government will be called upon to bear the brunt of the storm. The wheel of fate, however, frequently turns round the wrong way. Our railways are not progressing very fast owing, the Government say, to want of, labor. Mr Carruthers came down the other day, and was forthwith seized upon by a deputation, who complained bitterly of the slow rate at which the Winton-Kingston railway was being constructed, Mr Carruthers offered the usual excuse of want of labor, but promised to see his Minister on the subject. People are rather unreasonable in the matter of railways. They seem to think that as soon as the construction of a line has been determined upon, it ought to be finished. Nevertheless, there are very good grounds for complaint in this instance, and want of labor is not a sufficient plea for the Government to offer. It would be a truism to say that labor is not plentiful; still it is not scarce. A local company was recently formed to construct a railway from town to the ocean beach, and ultimately another line to Portobello. Now, it is only a month since the ocean beach line was begun, yet the major portion of the formation has been finished, and the managers of the undertaking promise to have the line opened for use in time for the Jockey Club Meeting. It is just another illustration of the superior activity of private enterprise. To an outsider, however, it looks very much as though the superior activity displayed by this company would not be properly rewarded. The Ocean Beach line is about two miles long. It connects with the Government line by Anderson’s Bay road, runs through a township yet to be built, and will find its terminus on the sea beach. Hence, there will be no goods traffic worth mentioning, and although the passenger traffic may be extensive enough on holidays, on other days, and especially during the winter when people rather avoid an exposed sea beach, it can scarcely be sufficient to keep a railway going profitably. But there is quite a mania for branch railways in Otago just now, and as the General Government will not help, there is nothing for it but to get up local joint-stock companies, which the Provincial Government assists in the way of surveys, &c. Lines, to be constructed by this means, are projected (1) between Outram and Greytown, on the Southern Trunk railway ; (2) between a point about two miles north of the Clutha river, where it will join the trunk railway, and Kaitangata, which, it is expected, will materially promote the development of the Kaitangata coalfield ; and (3) to Gatlin’s river, with the view of opening up the forests there. The line between the Southern Trunk Railway and the Green Island coalfields is nearly finished. Whether or not these branch lines will ever pay it is almost impossible to tell ; they are the merest speculations, about the success of which a variety of opinions exist. It would be satisfactory to get reliable information about the financial state of the Port Chalmers and Green Island railways. The latter, certainly, ought to be a paying concern, although an excessive price was given for it —so excessive that one of the promoters of the line has gone home to spend his share of the profits derived from the sale of the line by the company to the Government, but which it ought to pay, rumor asserts it does not; i.e., its returns do not cover the

working expenses with interest added. As to the Green Island line, one would not be surprised to learn that the balance was on the wrong side of the ledger. The average number of passengers per train seems to be from half a dozen to a dozen carefully distributed through two or three carriages, so as to follow the rule adopted by this wicked world, and keep up appearances. As to the goods traffic, tha trucks will not be worn out prematurely through being overladen. Of course, the line may do better when it is carried further up the country, but at pre sent it must be living on hope.

The Southland people are very angry. It was part of the conditions of the reunion of Southland with Otago, that every third immigrant ship despatched to the province should proceed direct to the Bluff; but so far from this stipulation being fulfilled, the unfortunate Southlanders cannot get any immigrants at all except by way of Dunedin, and after “ a batch ” of immigrants has been filtered through the latter port, the residuum left for the Southlanders is not of much value. What makes the matter worse, is that ships laden with railway iron are sent to the Bluff after having previously landed immigrants at Northern ports. When the Provincial Government is appealed to, it declares that the irregularity is the fault of the General Government, and when the latter body is called to account, it lays the blame upon the Provincial authorities. Hence, a “ Southland Railway and Immigration Committee ” has been formed, and after much strong talk and passing of resolutions, has telegraphed to Mr Vogel, at an expense which has been duly stated in the local papers. I hope Mr Vogel will set matters straight, |for the Southland people are undoubtedly being much wronged, but it is certainly a queer systenrof Responsible Government, when the pubnc instead of looking to the minister for immigration to redress a grievance peculiarly connected with his own department, looks to the Premier, as a matter of course. Moreover, there is a screw loose in the management of immigration when the responsibility in so important a matter as this cannot be fixed. The country settlers, too, complain much of the bad management of immigration, so far as they are concerned, more especially of the inefficient supply sent to their districts. The authorities apparently find it easier to get rid of immigrants in Dunedin than to incur the trouble of sending them into the country; the result being that the country is starved, and the extension of settlement, for which we are supposed to be borrowing millions, checked, instead of being promoted. Upon this topic I may have somewhat to write on a future occasion. A short time ago the Government erected capital immigration barracks at Queenstown, to the delight of the settlers, who thought that at last their wants were to be satisfied. But, having put up the barracks, the Government rested content, and the barracks have not yet given a night’s lodging to an immigrant, although shiploads have arrived.

Public feeling on the subject of provincialism is practically dead. The newspapers have occasional articles on the topic, but it is the dull season, and they write on provincialism just as they might write on the ser-vant-girl question. I don’t think people here care two straws whether the northern provinces are abolished or not. The Otago people have always been noted for their good opinion of themselves; and a silly idea prevails amongst them that the North Island is a valueless portion of the colony, which may as well be under one form of Government as another. Should, however, the abolition touch Otago, the result might astonish Mr Vogel. It would be something like touching the exposed nerve of a tooth. Miscellaneous news is not plentiful. The Presbyterian Synod has been in session, but the proceedings of Presbyterian ministers and elders, when they meet together are seldom of a lively character, and still less frequently interesting to outsiders. Perhaps the most important act of . the Synod was the passing of a resolution in favour of the union of the North and South churches. There was a good deal of opposition, based chiefly upon the instrumental music difficulty, the old school of Presbyterians opposing the introduction of music into the church services as a most dangerous innovation. The leader of the opposition was the Rev Mr Bannerman, clerk of the Synod, who, on being pressed, admitted that he thought the use of music in the church was “ a sin.” Mr Bannerman must be worth knowing. He and Mr Darwin may be regarded as types of extreme modes of thought —quam longo intervallo I The Otago University has been endeavoring to arrange with the General Government for the sale of its present building. in order to erect a University building on a more suitable site, the present occupying a position in the midst of the business part of the town. No price could be agreed upon, and the negotiations fell through, while the U niversity being without a Crown Grant for its land, cannot sell without the consent of the Government. The Otago Daily Times insinuates that the grant is purposely withheld, so that the Government may get the building at less than its real value, but the Daily Times is fond of making insinuations. The probability is that the Government do not want the building at all, for although pretentious outside, it is an extremely inconvenient structure within, and unsuitable for a Supreme Court House, to which purpose it was proposed to devote it. A new Supreme Court House is wanted badly. The present structure is a disgrace to the town. It is nothing better than a wooden shanty, yet within its walls are kept valuable documents, and a fine law library. Mr Ulrich, mining lecturer at the Melbourne University, who has been employed by the Provincial Government to make a professional survey of the mining districts, has pretty well completed his task. According to unofficial reports, he has formed a highly favorable opening of the prospects of the known goldfields in the province, as regards quartz mining and deep leads. In many places he has condemned the system of mining as inefficient ; on the other hand he appears to have been struck by the magnitude of the sluicing operations at the Blue Spur. Mr Ulrich has made himself a favorite with the miners of the districts which he has visited, and his recommendations have been listened to with attention, a compliment which miners do not always pay to suggestions from scientific men.