EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26618, 14 November 1947, Page 4

EIGHTY-FIVE YEARS AGO

FROM THE FILES OF THE ©tago ©ail’s Himes

DUNEDIN, NOVEMBER 14, 1862

“ The escort which is due in town to-day will bring down the following quantities of gold:—From the Dunstan, 96450 z; Tuapeka, 56690 z; Waitahuna, 16960 z; Woolshed (Tokomairiro), about 6000z —or a total of 17,61 loz, and an increase over the previous escort of 21050 z.”

“We would remind the gallant Volunteers,” says the Daily Times, “that a meeting for inspection of arms is to take place this evening at 6 o’clock in the yard behind the immigration barracks.”

“At Elm row, Dunedin, on the 11th instant, Mrs B. Sievwright of a son.”

“ Several complaints have been addressed to us,” says the Daily Times, “ on the subject of light-weight bread, and we are asked if the tradesmen guilty of selling such are liable to punishment. . . . There is a properlyconstituted inspector of weights and measures appointed by the Government, and tradesmen guilty of using incorrect, weights are liable to heavy penalties'”

“ Since the unfortunate night that witnessed the. wreck of the Lord Worsley, the southern Natives,” writes the Taranaki correspondent of the Daily Times, “ have added insolent taunts to their former boldness. They now speak with perfect confidence of . the. designs they have formed of ultimately driving away the English, with ' their innovations, whilst they themselves return to the primitive and 1 simple ways of their forefathers. So ' much for the forced intellectual cul- . ture of the missionary! The Native has never been fed with strong meat ' and treated as if his powers were insufficient for his digestion.”

Seven nominations have been re,ceived for the three-mile New Zealand Champion Race, and the Daily Times states that there are not likely to be any more. Mr David Corson s Antonelli is the only entry from Otago. There are three entries from Nelson, one from Canterbury, one from Tasmania, and one from Victoria.

“We have received a letter signed ‘A Carpenter,’ in which the writer professes,” says the Daily Times, “to be the. mouthpiece of the unemployed carpenters of Dunedin, and complains of the artisans on the Government works being employed overtime. ... ‘A Carpenter’ says that he and his fellow-craftsmen ‘ cannot handle the pick and shovel.’ All we can say to this is that if such is the case they are. but little fitted for colonies such as New Zealand, where a man, if he would succeed, must use his thews and sinews to some purpose.”

“From a recent report it would appear that the Nokomai is not turning out so rich as was at first expected. But it is only fair to say that except in the upper part of Victoria Gully the ground has not been tested owing to the heavy influx of water and the want of proper appliances to keep it clear. The depth of sinking to the bed-rock is about 20ft to 25ft through loose shingle, and the slate bottom dips rapidly from the head of the gully.”