OTAGO.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 80, 11 August 1863, Page 2

OTAGO.

(FftOK 008 OWN COBBEBPON»EJ»T.) ;*?■ T" „' -\ ' DUNEDIN.-' *J| v w \ y Wednesday, sfith. Augnfl "- 1 despatched a communication to 'm yesterday by the Airedale, containing wi important and exciting ' news from Mafl land. To-dajvtheTitanin having beejfl vivified — new boilers, fresh paint, additjtjfl strengthenings, and all that belongs to aY rough refit, and an increased speed of] 9 .and a half knots an hour— l send by hefJ latest intelligence to hand. fl Things are not- by any means asifl should be on the Dunstan.' -An -affray S taken place which I fear is only the prectfl of a series of outbreaks, unless a remeM immediately applied. The causa is |9 His Honor our Superintendent, proM without considering the consequences, V certainly without the matter having ]■ properly represented to him, has ptrnfl the whole of the ferries on the MolyneiM be leased to one individual, a Mr Hill, anjfl Hill without any notice whatever one morfl raises the price of a passenger across]! river at any point where a ferry exists, jfl sixpence to one shilling. An imposition gross and a demand so extravagantly exifl tant, that lam libt surprised at the di^H indignantly refusing to be- rated at su9 toll. A remedy must be applied at <fl even if Mr Hill's contract has to befl 'celled, arid 1 the government made to «fl severely in a giod round sum as indeiS money. It is the' first ,great mistakeH Superintendent has commltticdj^arid ifl perhaps serve as a lesson to him to be |M cautious in future in concluding contralfl which the interests of> thpusandSSf iifl trious men are so deeply compromised. Daily Times correspondent says : —^J^| leasing of the punts on the- Molyneux |H Hill has produced a perfect storm of i^B nation. So premature and unexpected iH cunenco took everybody by surprise, n^B the morning of Friday last, when large i^B bers of*»men had assembled on the banj^J the river, with the intention of crossingH to their usual day's work, they fl^k 1 Notices' posted up at the ' several fe^B informing them that the f are.yvas faiscO^B sixpence to a shilling, 'by order of His I^B the Superintendent, J. H. Harris,:! JEsql^B course I need not state the. conversational ensued; it may be easily guessed, f^B it was decidedly not over cocnpli^B tary to the Government. ,, -The i^| that this piece of ' unparalleled j^H sition' and hasty legislation ' will : ent^H the miners and the mining interes^B general, let alone the check it will gi^H the prospecting of the country, will yery^H be made apparent by diminishing es^B consequent upon the abandohment^'bf^^H that will not admit of the owners payi^H sum of twelve shillings per week, fanjl^H haps nfoie, in reaching the scene of their^H labors. It was the rule of the boatmej^H parties -working on the opposite' banksjflH river from that on which they lived, un^H regularly crossed over night and morni^B be ferried across at half faros,, but no *v!^H is an end of that, and one shilling mo^H paid either way, and sixpence extra^H dark. Surely the miners have suifere&^H enough already by the floods withbuf^H mulcted in this shameful manner. Ti^H will be tamely submitted to. there isf^H doubt. The lessee of the punts is: extrj^M unpopular on the river ; and the iiffray^B Kawarau bridge I fear is only the begj^H of evil. At the lower Molyneux E^H including those of east and west Taiei^H fare is only sixpence for each foot pas&^H and why, in the name of all that is f^H able, should we, because inhabitants ;^^B goldfields be charge 1 double— because *^M gold diggers, that is no reason we cttn;^H to pay twice as much as other people' ; t^H the average earnings of the miners, tli^H far below other kinds of labor let aloi^H discomforts and risk of life in the ci^^| Previously to letting such an importani^H as the whole water traffic of the golrffit^H one patty for a merely nominal sum(l b^H something like L 500) the wishes of tlj^H habitants should have been taken, as i^H the opinions of the various Wardensi^H gold fields who could very soon;,have!^H an opinion as to the- amount of trafficj^H river, also the rate of toll it would har^H judicious to enforce. It certainly wi^^H vertised in the Govcrntnehi^Guzzettela^^^ ever reads it ? Notices that such g^^B strosity was about to be perpetrated J^^^H just as well have been stuplcup aino^^B snow on the top ol ''Mount' Bengefi'l^M " bomb shell " had suddenly.fallen into^^B dwelling on the goldfields the people cof^^B have been more takeii;by^jsurprise,3|^^B tainly is tantamount to nothing els^^H depriving a large number of hard **^^H persevering men of the means of ;j^^H their living." .^ ....-; ;^.^^M Impressed with the serious conseij^^H likely to result, the Dunstan 'cdrre^j^^H a second time in the same cominuJ^^H sounds a warning note. ; Het^^^^B " There is an immense cxcitem^^H here respecting the •' Pun^g^^^B There will be a serious affray befbre^^H i days; the diggers and storekeepcr^^^^H dignant, in fact the law has been^^^B already. If the Government do not in^^H redress the grievance, I fear bloodsheii^^H | the result. The miners at the.Mani^^H swear they will rescue any one arre)^^H the police for a breach of the, peace/^^H I are a lot of determined men up hef^^H can assure you will hot stand at td^^^B merely write this just to inform yqj^^H you have any power with those whi^^H the head of affairs, to instantly do soj^^H to avert the coming danger." I li^^^H | heard that the lessee in raising t^^^H of the tolls has done 8 9 l^^^l I authority. Still, I have no doubt by fj^^^B ing of the contract, he has full po^^^H him to make whatever demand he ni^^^B proper. The indignation expressel^^^H diggers is equally felt among us in^^^^^ The whole thing is denouncad M^^^M vance which must notand will no£^^^H j with." ' . "I^^^H i The news from the Hogburnis mo^^^H ing. There is abundance of water, ai^^^f large yield of gold has-been got. V^^^H there is brisk, and prices for, all nei^^^H rule tolerably moderate. A large hi^^^H course of erection, and goods are ;^^^H spatched from here and the Duns^^^H -freely. The escort arrived here ycsterd^^^H noon from the Dunstan. The-C^^^H brought down was 3272 oz<;. This j^^^H the' Dunstan proper, and does nqtu^^^^| bralnch escorts. , In future the Gothenburg is to le^^^H bourne on the 14th of every montlil^^^H thus be able to biing on the Engli^^^H when they, do. not arrive' in r timf^^^H Aldinga. We believe the arrangenie^^^H sequent upon contracts entered intg^^^H Southland or Canterbury Govern^^^^H Lhave not positive information to tiij^^^^B ,- ' Seventy-five jnore men are'requii^^^H Wellington Coloniab^Defence 'Forod^^^H cations are received afthe^ office of l^^^H missioner of Police. - '