The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 35, 1 June 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1876.

Tub dreary monotony of every-day life in our district is occasionally relieved by the eccentricities of certain persons, or corporate bodies. Amongst the latest additions in the way of amusements to wile away th< dull hours is the Otepopo Road Board. It is not often one is able to pick out much from the report of this Board's meetings that would in any way interest the outside public ; but the one held on Friday last finds us food for an amount of atmtsenient we could hardly have anticipated in our wildest {lights. After the usual format business incidental to load hoard meetings had been disposed of, a letter was read from the Clerk to the Waitaki Board relative to petitioning the Government h> rttHK thr X>>r Zxilnm) jn>rtn ttytimt ftw hnpotinlUm »f Eirroperint slock. It is much to be regretted that when the clerk favoured us with the report of this meeting he did not include a little of the discussion which must have arisen on this important communication from the Waitaki Board. The proposal is so absurd that we confess we were unable torealisethe full meaning of it at the first glance ; and is just on a par with ttie proposition made by William Stitt Jenkin.s, the Father Matthew of Victoria, who, on one occasion, modestly wrote to llKit Majesty adrising Iter to take the pledge, a3 an example to her household. An answer was received to the missive, but scarcely such a one as William Stitt relished. We give the experience of that gentleman as a hint to the wise men of Otopopo. " Tc petition the Government to close New Zealand ports against the importation of European stock." Well, it is an extraordinary retprtest to make to any Government, and one which we should say will be treated with the respect it deserves. We can fane}* the air of importance with which Mr. Bos-* would propose that no more European stock be imported to New Zealand, and how the assembled Road Boarders would listen to his utterances in breathless silence, grasping eagerly at every stiggestioti tlirown out by the proposer of this motion. Then what a commotion there would be when Mr. Mathew Morton rose and boldly seconded the resolution, that no more European stock should enter the Colony. Only imagine the :veight this petition from the Otepopo Boad Board will have on the future destinies of the Colony ; how Sir J curs A'ogel will enquire in what part of the Colony Otepopo is situated, and who are the local legislators, Messrs. Ross and Morton, that they should be so anxious to prevent the improvement of Colonial stock by the importation of European. Sir Juxirs will wonder that he lias never heard of Otepopo before, and he will look through his list of unfilled billets and offer Messrs. Ross and Morton appointments as Commissioners in Lunacy. Then Otepopo and its sapient Road Board members will for ever pray. For our own part, we scarcely ever recollect seeing a more ridiculous motion in print, and we can only hope that the motion was carried simply because those who supported it were entirely ignorant of its full meaning. It will be interesting to notice how the

Jforthern Agricultural and Pastoral Association will view the matter at their meeting on Saturday next, and whether the action of the Otepopo Board will be endorsed by them. We think not.