Oamaru.

Bruce Herald, Volume x, Issue 957, 13 November 1877, Page 6

Oamaru.

(From our own Correspondent.) j Public feeling has been runnihg very high agaiust the Hon. Matthew .Eiolmes for the course he has pursued in reference to the opposition he has raised to the. Oamaru Reserves Bill, iii its progress through the House of 'Assembly. The object of the Bill is to-re-serve to the municipality "the jyery important plot of'land OH th^^ west side of Thames-street at present devoted as the site for the gaol, Gbver'nriient buildings, police paddock, &c. Those of your readers who are acquainted with the town are aware that the spot in question is iv ' the/ very centre of the township, and that it isperhaps the most eligible site for the erection of buildings of a commercial or business nature. It has also been thought that it is riot desirable to have the prison and police station in so prominent a placed ancl, besides that, it has been considered inexpedient to" absorb a frontage line of about 4UO feet in' purposes of an uuprOductive nature. For these and bther reasons, the Municipal Council were" prepared to provide a i -'new_site for the governmeut buildings in a less conspicuous but equally suitable situation, and to bear- all the" expense connected with the removal of buildings; &c; r - It ia very-dif-■ficul t, under these f circumstances', 'to understand the motives which '-induced. Mr M.. Holmes to endeavburto frustrate the scheme, and it is not to be wondered at that' he has rendered himself iriost unpopular in the district.- ftbtwithstandiug- ' this inexplicable opposition, the Bill' has' been read'a second time, arid there is ! every reason to hope that the measure will' pass through the House, during the session." : " ; - -■; ;

The .'consumption s of -gas is becoming so prevalent and popular that the Corporation have found it necessary to obtain another gasometer in f addition to :: that' 'already in use, arid I hail it as a matter of : cohgratulation that the contract' has-been s'ubmitteel to Messrs : 'M^Nab and Aimers, the' local eogirieersj - for competition. ' I am not aware that any sim\liir work ! lias Deen v ~ executed in Bny other towu in' New Z'tiaJaud, and, at any rate, I am sure that it is the only instauce in which it has been performed-in a

country township," 'and it speaks Well for the enterprise arid capabilities of Oamaru. ;J

•■On a former occasion I rioted f the' fact that, movements' were afoot for the establishment of an Acclimatisation' Society and a Hunting and Coursing t^lub. They have each "been securelyformed, and are- rioAv in full working order, and -for the: purposes of the former the Corporation- have; determined to grant, by way of an endowment^ ' a plot •of land, comprising about six acres, part of '"the Garden Reserve. -' ■:;■;;;) -; : :-,-'' r:,M

Tl^e se^ baths were "tli rown open to-^ the :public last weekj-and/ have vprdved-' to be a; great success', and, bearing this ? fact in mind;, it will doubtless be interesting to your readers to learn . something more about 1 them..- .Thebaths have- been constructed through the. means of a public company on the; beac^j a e^or^ d|stt\qce frftin. the ..Gas <Works,;.at a : total cost of about .^900. . The architect for, the, building was Mr Thomas Glass, of ; this town, and_ the. contract has heen, performed by:,Mr , Hector, .Miinro, :- Thg : ;^th/^tgelf is gonstsrvjcted «P; stftue' . ; and; ; ; concrete, an(jco vers an area upwards of ;Q0 feetrin Jcpgtb, \yifh a- width ,of 40 feet. .There ; are :1.8 dressing-rooms attached" to thei. bath—- eight at each end, and the water supply .is obtained ... by means of a pump of' the most approved principle, * manufactuj-gd, -by' Messrs B.urt jgrother§. coypl'e have been engaged to take charge qf the bntb, .during- the. hathing -sea.sQn, a.nd , tjje tariff has been; fixed at the following very-reasonable' "rates, viz:— rFamily season-tickets, £2; single season; tickets for ../nen,>£_l:'; and, for ladies ; and' boys under. 15s, 10s | weekly ti.cket| ?; ga^ single ;balh, f t " „:■>' . ; ;; ; N At the last ; sitting of the^ Ejistrict ...Qoijrt, 1 the appeal, of John Chalker against a cqnvici tionfbr keeping an, illicit: stilLand other [distilling apparatus, When the; appellant 'was sentenced -., t<> weight mouths' ; imprisonment : \yjth:-jU.ard laboiir,- wa§ ■heard, '.Judge dismissed. the appeal and -decided that the conviction must^be^ sustained; .^he appeal of, - Mr .; J. L. Lpngfordjithe proprietor. #. Jljf §^f; W# W«r fell *lf «! ,

tencetD'Btctlrig -ujpou him a iiuVfor fVriiiittinji' billiards to be played after the authorised hour; met with a similar fate, and a like result ensued in tbe appeal of Robert Keena-.. who bud teen fined £15 for sly-grog selling 'At this sitting a' niunbei 'of '-'applications ia bankruptcy were also disposed of, but itbt only matter of public interest arose out 'of aii application^ in the estate of Thomas Hilli&er to compel' Sir James Scoular; : bf DunedinV to attend and- verify the' balancesheet filed by'him as trustee" of ' the estate; when Judge Ward acceded to the'.appiicationand directed that a summons should be served' on' Mr Sjcoular for liitn to attend before the "Court oh" the Ytb instant. " V " So far as the number of entries is con-' cerned', the prospects, or the forthco'iring show of the Northern Agricultural aud Pastoral Association fiked.to take place on the i'flth and 16th instant, are.of a, most cheering "description. . J Iti no previous year lias the number of< entries attained the grand total of between.. 900 ,and 1000 which, the books exhibit this year, and in other respects as well the Committee confidently anticipate a success far exceeding that of any past Show. The facilities afforded , by- railway comniinii-' cation jraust inevitably prove an, important ite.m in producing: such; a result,, and in addition to that the: fact .that the Ciiristchureh' and-Timaru Shows are ijust pveT is sure to swell the list of exhibits ami visitors. Raia is greatly wanted 'iu this district, for With . F.he exception oF a, slight down fall about avweek ago, .there, has-been, an uninterrupted drought of three .mouths' duration, and during the last week a hot north-easterly gale of unusual vehemence has been blowing, which' "has tended !t greatly to parch the soil and raise clouds of dust, to the great discoriifert of our inhabitants. ■;•.,' - " .-.' The subscriptions towards the Indian Famine Relief- (Fund have flowed in most satisfactorily, and : the sum already collected is close upon £500; and as all the returns have not yet been' received, there' can be little doubt' ■■ that the sum named will be' reached, and most probably be exceeded— a result highly creditable to the charitable dia- ! position of the subscrib'ersi-^ — ■ ■Cricket-has now' commenced in earnest, the first match : of the season between two scratch teams having taken place on Saturday. The new ground outside the "town boundary being not yet quite free for use; the members of the Club. 'continue"" to- use their old ground in front of the Grammar School." ~ : " ' ' ■:•'■ ' '' ■■■:■■'-■■'■■' ■"■• = '"'.■""■