DUNEDIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 720, 30 August 1870, Page 2

DUNEDIN.

(from our own correspondent.) August 22. All doiibt and speculations regarding the gold robbery at Clyde have been Bet at rest by the arrest of the p?irties implicated, and the confession by, one =trf-^y»nr:: of the whole particnlars of the* deed". I sent you a note early on Monday, that rumors were afloat of the discovery, aud in the course of the day the -whole par---' ticulars were made public". It seems a new reading of the old proverb— " When rogues fall but, honest folks' get their own." The thieves could not keep their own counsel. With the exception of a small parcel of the notes and some of the gold, all the booty has been recovered. A \ magisterial inquiry into the case has been '? commenced for seven days. — The gold . lost by the Chinaman, Ah Hoon, has not yet been heard of. y • ' r No sooner has the excitement about the gold robbery been quieted, than another source of sensation crops up. This time it -is" the labor question. For some time back there has been a good number of people either totally '6v' par- 1 n tially unemployed in and about the' town v These haver been added to rather considerably by the late arrivals per the E. P., Bouverie and the Leucadia from fiome^ and matters have thus come to a crisis. - , In the liope of the railway works starting, ' a good many workmen have been hanging about town for months back, but, nothing has been done In that line yet. First of all, the new; chums complained 'of .Beffig^' deceived 1 , that things were riot at* ail iq | the colony what, they had been cracked ■'" up to at home. Wages lower, work difficult to be had, and n0,. ; demand j. .; for their labor. The Deputy-Superiri-tendenfc was interviewed, and the complaints, made ; but they turn cut to have very little foundation. Then the general body of unemployed got up a cry,-; held a meeting, appointed a deputation, to wait on the authorities, &c. This catne off on Thursday, and the, deputation ■'# .were informed that no man need be idle" that was willing to work ;, tjiat stone- ' breaking would be provided at 3s per yard at the Water of Leith for married , i > men ; that there were sundry roads in the district which were to be formed at so much per chain, at vhich single men used to the pick and shovel would be employed. To this the deputation objected that they bould not make wages at the prices v offered. But the Deputy-Superintendeuf > j informed them that this was ! only in the meantime, and that this would soon alter for the better. And so the matter stands — meatjwhile a large numberiof juen are ,) employed at the various pieces of work at the prices offered. All the young: women who arrived by both vessels have been, absorbed, and ; more are wanted; but some? £ of the married people and their families, fi as well as most of the; sj^ngje men, still remain unemployed. BijV, after all, things are not half so bad bow as they were about seven years d<*o', when the Dimstan rush subsided, and/ many hun-, > dreds of men were idle and were glad to accept work on Bell Hill at, 5s pe^day,j „ the general run of prices of provisions^ > •«sc, being more than double what they, " are at present. : ' •"'■ ' '*'"' ; '■' We have received both the: Home mails this week— the Suez one on Thursday,., after having gone the round of 1 all 'the "" coast ports, and the San Francisco one

yesterday, its usual several days late. wi™- oi+j-^CLiunoU-jjujt- qu JWe9iies3ay and transacted a large amount of business.* . Among the items brought forward, letter// were read from Messrs Watt and Turnbull, who had been acting as Magistrates during the absence of Mr Birch, the late Mayor, at jWellington. Some, cases had been brought before them by Mr Nimon, Inspector of Nuisances, but- which theyi considered trivial and injudicious, and consequently dismissed. Nimon wrote a letter to the Council) commenting ratherj } cheekily on the Magistrate for dismissing^ ;V the cases, and set up his own opinion* above theirs. This the Magistrates pointed out to the Council, and accordingly Nimon was suitably admonished' and cautioned. The disputed election for Bell Ward has been before the Supreme Court, and will likely yield to a jury si trial. y No fewer than fear coal-laden batges arrived in port during the week, bringing about 2000 tons among them. We hear nothing of : the coal from ;your river now/ '. ''■; though equally good with- 'Newcastle. The iron clipper ship Leucadia arrived from London this week, too, with a large j cargo. '■--.' •• a Mr Heller has been bewitching the people this week with his really clever performances. 1 What be does' niiistf be seen to be believed. But the way he throws money and other things' about, \ and brings them out of the most impos- ■* sible places, is something wonderful, while the pianoforte playing is astonishing. He is to perform another week, and then go North. The weather has been very changeable all week ; lots of. rain. " *