THE Otago Daily Times.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 143, 1 May 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times.

" Inveniam viam aut Jaciam,"

DUNE.DIN, THUESDAY, MAY 1, 1862.

Without in any way ignoring a fact that we have been at some pains to impress on our readers, that emigrants from Great Britain will find in Otago a peculiarly suitable field for colonization, it should yet be borne in mind, that valuable additions to the population may accrue, and should be encouraged, from neighboring colonies. In two points of view, direct immigration to Otago from Britain recommends itself. First, as regards the immigrant, he has the advantage of coming to a climate similar to his own, and, therefore, one to which he is able immediately to accustom himself; and next, as regards the Province, the advantage in getting immigrants direct from home, consists in the more stable nature of the population. Men who come 16,000 miles with the purpose of locating themselves in the Province are not likely, to prove such " rolling stones " as the nomadic followers of gold mining pursuits sometimes show themselves to be. Then, again, many who visit Otago from neighboring colonies, do so with the intention of only making a temporary sojourn. They look upon the colony they have left as their home, and the shorter the distance from home, the less to be relied on is the stay of the visitor. The first workers of the Victorian gold fields were visitors from ; South Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, and New Zealand, but the bulk of them were only temporary sojournerj The development of the gold fields of Victoria is principally due to the subsequent emigrants from Great Britain.

But if the proposition we have referred to, —that the shorter the distance from which the immigrant has come, the less to be relied on is his stay —be true, there is another one no less so, and that is, that the longer the emigrant stays in a place the more accustomed he becomes to it and the less anxious he is to leave it. Thus, those of the visitors of the neighboring colonies who ultimately made Victoria their home, probably when they went to it had as little idea of remaining in it, as had those who went with them and who returned to their homes. Circumstances however prolonged their stay, and as they grew more accustomed to it the wish to leave it became less, and ultimately they resolved on settling down in it. If therefore, visitors from neighboring colonies could be attached to the place for a length of time, we have as little fear, but that they would become as permanent settlers as the immigrants who 'come from Britain. It so happens that there is a very numerous class of men in Victoria who will be only too anxious to leave it, and whom Otago, whilst consulting its owa iaterest would be in a position to bind to . the place. We allude to the laborers and navvies on the pnblic railways who shortly by the completion of- these works, will be thrown out of emplo3r ment, by thousands. .In a late article we drew attention to the financial condition of Victoria, from which it is very evident that that colony will not be in a position for many years to come, to enter upon fresh public works of equal magnitude with the railways now approaching completion. Indeed, from the falling off of the revenue, the ordinary general expenditure on public works vrillhavelto be curtailed,

so that instead of occupation being provided for the unemployed of the railway laborers, their numbers will -tie increased by the unemployed from other works.— As we have hinted, an inducement might be offered to them to raak.e, Otago their home. Why should not so favourable an opportunity of obtaining a a plentiful supply of labor be availed of to construct a railway between Dunedin, and Port Chalmers, It is frightful to think of the miseries to which the poor fellows will be subjected when throw,n out of employment in Victoria; they will tie glad to get work on any terms, and certainly change of residence would not be a serious point of objection. The gold fields of Victoria are almost shut to the miner without capital. Expensive machinery, and laborious and lengthened operations, are necessary now to the searcher after^ gold, and even supposing the railway laborers to have saved up money, their forma", experience on the mines will not make them artxiqus to invest it in a pursuit at which the bulk bfethem before going oh the railway works were unsuccessful followers. We presume there can scarcely be two opinions that a railway to Port; Chalmers from Dunedin must sooner or late%be found an absolute necessity, the only question is, whether the time for it has yet arrived. Supposing we allowed, which we do not, that, it is premature, the question might still be pnJtwith great force, whether the opportunity presented by the release from employment of the Victorian laborers, is not so favorable a one as to make it worth while to anticipate, in some degree, the ultimate necessity for the Port Chalmers Eailway. If the railway were commenced, about a thousand men could be set to work on it, and during the time they were so employed they would become accustomed to the country and cease to desire to leave it. Besides, the demand for other public works would have grown up, and in a country, the resources of which have not been crippled, as in Victoriai by too lavish expenditure, the power of carrying out the works will not 'be wanting. Thus, we shall have the right to look upon the railway laborers as permanent settlers, and they.will form a very considerable and very desirable addition to the population of the country. It is mooted to offer inducements to immigrants, in the shape of twenty acres of good land worth, at the least, twenty pounds. Looking upon these railway laborers as equally desirable « migrants, they represent to the Province the value of £20,000, the amount which would be given for bringing out an equal number from home. But the Port Chalmerß railway has already become a great and paramount necessity, and the consideration of its construction is not one whit premature. The whole community is taxed for want of this railway; the charges on goods, not alone for lighterage, but for delays, are enormous, and the extra cost entailed falls on the consumers. The passenger traffic also would be very considerable, and the contingent advantages arising from the increased value of the land along the route of the line, would also be a very noticeable item. Canterbury, with far less revenue and population, entered upon a railway at least twice as expensive, to connect its.Qhief town with the sea-port, and Otago, with every' circumstance more favorable, and with an equally, if not more imperative demand for the work, should not hesitate to set about it,- The cost, we believe, would be far under what is generally supposed. A single line of railway would suffice, the whole course is level, and the expense for the purchase of private property, or for constructing bridges to avoid streets, or tunnels to get through hills, or viaducts to span creeks, will be very slight. We have before us the report of Mr. Doyne, the engineer to the Dun Mountain Railway, on a line it is proposed to construct ia Tasmania, between Launcestoa and Delqraine. He estimates ;that the cost will be at a very much less rate than the railways of Victoria, or than those of the United Kingdom. £9179 per mile is his computation, including rolling stock aud stations, interest on inonejl-, and maintenance for one, year. In an interestingtabulated statement he has gone through the prineipcl items', wherein consist ths reduced cost of the railway he proposes, on that of railways hi the Mother Country. The average cost per mile of ten of the principal railways in ; Ireland was £16,048. He divides this into various heads, and under each shows the respective cost of the Irish railways, and the proposed oue at Launceston. The following is the statement. It will be seen that in almost all the items in which there is a sensible reduction, the same may be anticipated in the Dunedia and Port Chalmers railways :— L.andD. , Ireland. Railway per mile, per mile. 1. Preliminary expenses, Act ot Parliament, &c, .... ,231 •• 70 2 Land and compensation ..1627 ... 00 3. Contract works ... ... 6924 ... 3623 4. Permanent way 2/33 .. 2obi 5 Stations, sheds, and workshops 782 ... 000 6. Rolling stock .. ..1254 .. 632 7. Engineering- and survey .. 421 .. 400 3. Law and valuing .. .. 540 .. o0 9. Sundries and interest .. 109G ... 1000 10. Direction and office expenses 335 .. 114 Total .. £1(3,048 £9179 We trust that the Provincial Council will take the matter into consideration. We believe there are parties prepared to come forward and undertake the construction on the receipt of a guarantee for minimum interest from the Council. The difficulty about passing a private bill through the next session may be got over by a suspension of the Standing Orders. In short, if the Council recognise the necessity of the railway aad appoint a sub-committee to consider the best steps to be token to provide for it, we do not anticipate that any difficulty will be found iv arriving at a satisfactory conclusion.

The "iVeu> Zealand Examiner .(London) of February 17th, says : "The 'Association for establishing a Colony of Nonconformists in New Zealand' has been making satisfactory progress during the past month. More than two-thirds of the required number are already on the books, and the committee are fully assured that the entire number will be completed within the next few weeks. The deposit money will be payable daring the last week of the present month and the first- of the ensuing month."

"By the Vistuln,we have Auckland papers to the 1 lth" April.' There are no items of general news likely to interest our readers. The Southern Cross of that date says :— The Provincial Revenue for the three" months ending 31st March last, was stated in the P?O\'.in^ial Council last night. It was stated to be-^ttustpms, L 6,392, or L 27,968 per annum ; land reveajw> t l'l|2Bl, or L-5,124 per annum ; ordinary revenue^ L 621, or L-2,484. — This showp an increase in 'ih^ gross of L 3,000 on the1 customs' revenue, bweV^he corresponding ', quarter of last year. . '«" > ' ! ' We are pleased to notice tha,Vthe New Zealand [ Examiner, a journal published ifa, j«ondon, but de-, ', voted, to New Zealand affairs, qtto,tes very, largely ! from the Dunedin papers, and especially that' it i: reproduces an article from the Witness of November 16th, containing a complete resume' of-the state of the gold fields, and the arapunt actually produced up to that date. This can' scarcely fail to have a favorable effect on emigration. We are glad to recognize that the ?ost-offlGG authorities have lately shown a laudable (Jesire to consult the convenience of the pnbUCj^aijd that a very creditable degree of efficiency hais been attaiued iti the department. It must/ hoover, 'be evident that--while the social requirenjeniis^of the people are continually on the iucreas^ there must always be room for improvement. We have lately received several lettera suggesting-variojjf^ alterations —some trivial, and others "of'donbtfiil utility. The following, however^ seeing to us to. be of sufficient importance to deserve publication. An easy remedy to,the inconvenience. complained of might" be found in. the clearing of the receiving, boxes every Monday morning, as well as> afternoon : — ■. •■> ■ v,l To tfa Editor oj: the Daily Times. "-,,;. ' Slit,- The : District Post-office boxes are, I am given to understand, emptied every day except Sunday, at 5 o'clock. Any letter, therefore, posted on a, Sunday iv Ifuch offices will remain there till the Monday, afternoon." . • ■ • ,'-.,',> No ratip'nal man will doubt the uufairne^iNrf this, arrangement. Urgent' cases will arise^ and it is,, hard thfcetters should not,be' forwarded b,y tlie inaii on Monday at 10 a.m. to the Southern districts,-siin-ply because they are'posted on a Sundays It is to'be hoped that a aotiiie of this in your-paper will rectify the matter. I am sir, yours truly. '■ South. Dunedin, April 30th, 1862. We have so often dwelt upon the necessity of sanitary precautions in Dunedin if an epidemic were to be averted, that we are really tired of the subject,but a "shockiug example" may sometimes do as much good as all the preaching in the world. We quote the following from the London Builder .—A respectable inhabitant of Clerkenwell, last week, stated at the Clerkenwell police court that, should any poison wonder why the mortality amongst children here was so high, they had only to take a walk to the church of St. Peter, Great Saffron-hill, "and proceed across the "ruins" to the arches of Victoriastreet, at the rear of the church ; there they would flud an issue of sewage of the most abominable description ; not. a mere oozing, but a bond fide flowing out, at the rate of several gallons per minute, which has not only filled the arches of Victoria-street for nearly a hundred yards, but has formed a pool of large dimensions, into which have, been thrown dead dogs, cats, fish, &c, till ho words can convey an idea of the abomination that exists. The pool is dammed up by the walls of the church arid schools, where upwards of a hundred poor children are daily concentrated. This horrible nuisance had now existed for more than a month. He was referred to the parish authorities. It-is stated^that fever prevails iv the House of CorrectionT ■ . The offence of furious riding is becoming so serious a nuisance that it will, we fear, be necessary for the police to make a few examples of offenders! An instance occurred yesterday morning, when a butcher was riding along Princes-street at a great pace, and as he was passing the Bank of NewSouth Wales a lad narrowly escaped being run over. The probable revenue derivable frorii various Provincial sources for the half year, (financial,) from the Ist April to 30th September, 1862, upon which the present Appropriation Ordinance has been founded, embraces the subjoined items :—Crown lands, L 60.000. Customs, 3-Bths of gross receipts, L 30,000 ; Gold duty, L 25.000 ; Licenses", gold fields, L 5,000 ; do auctioneers, and victuallers, L 1,400 ; harbor pilotage, L 5,000 ; do do Jetty dues, L-600 ; ferries and other properties (rents and tolls ), L 750 : sheep assessment, L 450 ; interest on banking accounts, L4OO ; dog tax, Ll5O ; hospital, 1.100 ; interest due by Town Board on loans, L4OO ; immigration (repayment, of bills ), L,5000 ; debentures, proceeds of sale, L 25,000; balance in Treasurer's hands, L 44---,-832, 7s. 7d. We have before us the Estimates of Expenditure, as prepared by the late Executive; but, as some alterations are being introduced into them by their successors, we refrain from publishing them until we can obtain a copy of the Estimates as amended. To-night Mr. Tom Fawcett is to take his benefit, at the Princes Theatre, when the now burlesque of Aladdin will be produced. The Escort from the gold fields, which will arJ rive to-day, is bringing down 4557 oz. 10 dwts. of I gold, of which quantity 3555 oz. are from Tuapeka, and 1002 oz. 10 dwts. from Waitahuna. There is no Escort from Waipori this \reek. Last night the Provincial.Council, in Committee of. Supply, voted the under-mentioned departmental items: — Executive Council (non-official members expenses), £150; Provincial Solicitors, .£275 ; Audit, £225 ; Treasurer, £425 ; Land, £1,867.105. (including contingencies) ; Survey, £5,831 (including contingencies) ; Provincial Engiueer, postponed ; Public Buildings, postponed ; Police, £16,702 11s. 3d. (including contingencies) ; Harbors, £5,903 ; Gold Fields £3,125; Gaol, £3,237 10s.; Sheep Inspector' £500; Hospital, £6,405 ; education, £2,258 55.; j Immigration, £243 ; exclusive of various sums voted for the main trunk roads. A member the other day gravely proposed that the Provincial Council should be removed to the Lunatic Asylum. He referred to an exchange of buildings, but the members, alive to the. literal meaning of his proposal, were exceedingly amused at the proposition, the reasonableness of which, perh'ips, some of them could not help perceiving. We understand that steps are being taken to endeavor to have the seats of Mr. Brodie and of another member—whose;name has escaped us— at the Mining Board, declared vacant on the score of an -informality in their election. The grounds; we believe, are, that they did not make the required notification of their intention to eoine forward within the time required by the proclamation regulating the election. The fact that tiiey intended to come forward was mentioned in the letter of our Gold-fields corresponpent within the required period ; but it is maintained that this could not be considered a sufficient notification, inasmuch as it was not authenticated by the signatures of the candidates, and might be set down as the mere statement of a rumor.

. The accentuation, of some of the'honorable" members of the Council is very peculiar. For instance, one of them insists upon pronouncing Lunatic Asylum with the accent on.the'last syllable of the first word, and on the second syllable of the second word, conveying to them a very peculiar sound. This reminds us of an honorable member of the Upper House in Victoria, who once asserted there was not a skintiller (scintilla) of evidence, and of an hoiiqjable member of the Lower House who spoke of the purloins (purlieus) of Collingwoqd.