ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 108, 21 March 1862, Page 6

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

POST-OFFICE IRREGULARITIES, To the Editor of the Daily Times.

Srr.,—You. are doing your best again and again to expose the. various abuses and deficiencies in our public oftices, but the ease 1 am now to bring' under your notice mid that of the public, is so flagrant that the facts only require to he stated to call for some immediate,alteration in the working- of our Postoffioe- machinery. On the 3rd of February 1 wrote to Government on very important business to me and my partner, and waited patiently for a reply,—calling again'and atrnin ; 1 may say, almost day by day, but still the old answer—" none." You may imagine my gTeat surprise, on my calling- again fo-dny. I received a letter, which, when opened, 1 found to be the veiy Government letter I had been calling- so repeatedly for—the same having lain in the office from the Bth February! ! - Not receiving the letter in duo time, when it was actually waiting for me, has put me, I assure you, Sir, to very great inconvenience indeed, independent of expense.

May I ask, is there no remedy for such gross mismanagement ? Have the publif. offices in Dunedin been'always so miserably managed? If so, surely the sooner n remedy is discovered the better. This case is in itself all the more glaring, as the letter is franked "0.H.M.5.," —and still this most unwarrantable neglect of public duty, which must rest on some parties or other responsible to the general community. I am, Sir, Src, Meucator. Dunedin, 20th March, 1862. -*»i_

To the Editor of the Daily Times. Sir, —A paragraph appears in your paper to-day, to the effect that the "Phasnix," for' Auckland, taking 40 passengers!, was fitted up with only 26 berths, and that the Customs authorities here give publicity to the statement •' with a, view of exposing so ilagrant an abuse." I think it would have been more becoming if the authorities, before acting cm an ex parte statement, i had satisfied themselves of its correctness. As you have given it publicity, Ijvill thank you to give the same publicity to my reply. The statement of the passenger is ijuite an error ; the carpenters had not completed putting.up all the fittings when the passenger saw them, nor has he even counted correctly what he did see. There is good accommodation for all the 44 passengers, and, though the Customs authorities have "no power in the ease," I invite their inspection of the vessel. They will find several of the passengers enjoying cabin berths at steerage rate, as 1 had arranged with my captain previous to any word of complaint being uttered.

. I must again express mi' surprise that the authorities made no inquiry as to the correctness of the statement of the agent of the vessel, before sending it forth to the public as a " ilagrant abuse." I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, Dunedin, March 20, 1862. J. K. FEY.

TO A. C. STRODE, ESQ., R.M., DUNEDIN.

Per favor of the Daily Times.

Sir, —With refeience to your remarks in to-day's Daily Times respecting a case that was investigated before you, in -which ease I was fined ten shillings and costs, for allowing my cow to wander in the public streets. As it would appear from your uncalled for and unwarrantable remarks, that the cow in question was systematically allowed to stray about to the annoyance of the public, allow me to distinctly tell you "Sir," that such is not the case, that since I became possessed of her, I have used every precaution that was necessary to prevent her from becoming an annoyance to the public. And as to your "bombast," (tor I cannot look at it in any other light), by your saying that my cow is worthless, if twelve quarts of milk per day is any criterion as to her " worth," your ideas about the value of cows must be "worthless" indeed. I am, Sir, yours, &c, Thomas Ayres. Pelichet Bay, 19th March, 18G2.