DUNEDIN NOTES.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 122, 12 March 1872, Page 6

DUNEDIN NOTES.

By O.P.Q. March 8. The Clairellen, a new iron vessel, arrived in the early part of the week, deeply laden with rolling stock and other material for the Port Chalmers railway. With the exception of the heavy tunnelling work at the Port, the line is almost completed ; so that, before many months have elapsed, we may reasonably hope that we shall be enabled to have a trip to Port Chalmers and back by rail. With the exception of a few packages for some of our mercantile houses, the Clairellen is tilled up with railway plant, and is consigned to the promoters of the railway, Messrs Proudfoot, Oliver, and IJlph. The approaching race meeting of 1872 at the Forbury is beginning to excite attention, and in the early morn, Forbury Park Las presented quite a busy aspect during the past week or two. The entries this year are very numerous, and one of the best meets that have taken place in the Province is confidently looked forward to. Many old favourites —well-known throughout the Colony —have been entered for the various events, and, with a good sprinkling of new blood to give additional excitement to the contests, wo may look forward to some close runs for prizes. With the desideratum of fine weather vouchsafed to us—and the doubt on this point is always a bugbear in discussing projected amusements in Dunedin, —the Forbury Races of 1872 are bound to be a success.

The Maori prisoners who have for the past two or three years been incarcerated in Duneclin gaol are shortly to he liberated, the term of their imprisonment having almost expired. They have done good service during their stay in Dunedin, and have conducted themselves in a most orderly and praiseworthy manner. They have left sad mementoes of their temporary sojourn in the South, in the graves of no less than eighteen of their friends and relations, —asthma, consumption, and such like diseases having decimated their numbers.

Of soeml questions, the Saturday half-holi-day movement has taken first rank during the past fortnight, and judging from the energetic measures which have been taken by the employes in the various retail establishments in town, and the apparent willingness of most of the employers to co-operate with the agitators, there is every prospect that early closing on Saturday will become an established and universal custom in Dunedin. It is questionable whether drapers and grocers will be found to be unanimous on the subject of the afternoon holiday, hut as between 3000 and 4000 persons have already pledged themselves to do no shopping after one p.m., they will probably have to make a virtue of necessity, since after that hour there will be no customers.