The Evening Mail. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 98, 14 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. MONDAY, AUGUST 14, 1876. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

i A well-appointed hansom cab mi'U' it.* appearance in Oamara oti Saturday la>t. ! The jproprkUn- U Mr. John I'tank, late of J fbri-it'-hnr.-h, and we have no doubt hi- irnI porta'ton will be supported by the |>ublL\ Hveivtt'.s HU'emieon Troupe j;,l\V a istl*ltby porformarice on Sat unlay. and, toji.ddcrini; the unfavorable state of the weather. : vw.v fairly patronised. They al.-<»> appeared i tu fclvj e\ enir.g. ami met with their u^ua! | sutcd.-j-i. t:»yry performer receiving mark.-? of ! approval from ait appreciative audience. The j .--.mp i.p.y wtH perform again this evening. I an'! thfy purpose devoting the proceed* of | t->-morrow night's entertainment to the benefit ! 'i" i.Uf local Hospital. We cannot close this I j 1> ;■■!' notice or" Saturday evening * pertormi j>:! v without JvEVrriiH* to the disgraceful i<»n- ---; i'w i <■>( -ome fettow.-t who «i».t;ctj>ic»t thv front ; s ■..•!• . The eantat observer would designate ; tlu'tt; *■* gentlemen, but anyone witnessing tlicir behaviour during the evening would {Hit them down a,s the moat concentrated type of confirmed larrikins. If there ia any more of thi* sort of tiling at the Masonic Hail, we ahall certainly publish the names of I the offender*.

TheOamam Football Club played a scratch match on Saturday afternoon last. In consequence of the rain of the previous day, the ground was rather slippery. There was a strong muster, about thirty members being present. Sides were picked by Kicolls and Smith, and the former having lost the toss for choice of goals', kicked off the ball. Some elf>:-«; play then took place, and the game was kept up for upwards of two hours. The nth h were Rugby Union, and hi consequence running with the ball was practised a good deal, but the state of the ground prevented any long runs being made. Both sides showed good play, and when time was called, Smith's *ide had secured one goal and two tries while their opponents' score was two trie.-'. Saturday's game was the best of the piw-on, and if the Club will practice we expect to see them give the Punedin men a warm reception on Saturday week. We are pleased to learn that at last it hr»s !'.<."jii decided to open the Awomoko M.-.iev.henua line for passenger traffic. Tie i;..<-.rnmeiit Engineer inspected and passed tire permanent way last Thursday, and on Wednesday next trains will commence to run regularly. We are unable in the present isiiie to publish the time-table, but shall do so in "if. - next.

As two gentk-mr-n were walking along the beach yesterday morning, having with them a- large d'>u belonging to Mi. Paterson, of the -Albion Boarding-house, they noticed it tai:«: a sudden bound into the breakers and makf for .some object at a distance. On reaching the spot the dog, which is an old • •lie. and ii"t well supplied in the matter of teeth, appeared ti> have a hard tussle with bis foe. but ultimately succeeded in bringing vii shore a splendid specimen of a frost-fish, measuring four feet .-ix inches in length. The denizen of the deep did not seem much the worse for his combat, and a considerable time elapsed after reaching terra firma before it .-biiklLil off the piscatorial coil and gave up the ghost. The dog is a cross between a retriever .-.nil a Newfoundland. The sum of £7 lis. has been handed over to the Hospital Committee, being the proceed* of the concert lately given by the Star of Hope Lodge, 1.0.0. T., for the benefit of the o.uunni Hospital. This must be extremely gratifying to those ladies and gentlemen wh-.so exertions have been attended with such gratifying results.

Some little time ago, a Wellington corrcspotideiit.of th.- " New Zealand Herald " made a series of charges against the Press Tele" graph Agency, broadly accusing the managers thereof of unduly favoring the Government side, and "' mis-reporting and short reporting" the Opposition in their summaries of Par-!i.-<.i,iciitary proceedings. As so grave a charge was calculated to inflict material injury upon the Agency i" " business point of view, ami as, moreover, it is alleged t-> be entirely unfounded, the managers of that institution have instituted legal pro. codings against the proprietors of the '•Herald." "We ("Post"') believe that a writ has Wen issued, and that the case will shortly come before the Supreme Court.

At tilt- annual meeting of the Christchurch LtiTii.-vil Victuallers' Society, held on Thursday last, m reported by the " Lyttclton Time.-,'" the members present unanimously r. -T-lvcd to guarantee a certain office in ilel" botsnin A'lO.'>,ooo worth of insurance to start with. They also resolved that they would encourage their friends in the trade to insure jn the same office as snnn as their present policies expired. One of the speakers remarked that it was a monstrous fact that hotel-keepers were paying four per cent, per annum, while the destruction of property arising from fires in hotels in this city for fifteen years had hec-n nil. It was not to be wondered at, «id the same speaker, that • •flice."* in »'ew Zealand declared half-yearly dividends of seventeen per cent, per annum, besides adding largely to their reserve fund. Other speakers expressed similar opinions, and thought there was much cause for the complaining of hotel-keepers on this subject. A wandering horse suffered a painful death on the Hutfc Railway recently. When the o'.lO train was within 400 yards of the Upper Hutt station, the driver noticed something ahead, and at once reversed the engine. It was too late, however, and the engine struck the obstruction, experiencing a severe shock in doinq c-n. On arriving at the station, lanterns were procured, and a search party wont b.-.ck to the place, where an unfenced and quite, unprotected crossing is situated. There was blood all round, and caught in the "cow,v.;riii i-" (the erasing place composed of ii;tr.« of wood with wide interstices) was one «f the fore ieet of a horse. The animal itself, miiiiH tin: foot, was found close lry, in a dying condition. It had, apparently, been trying to CIO.-.4 tin: line, when its foot caught in the bars. Tlie engine coming up struck it in the hind quarter*, the cow-catcher in front of the engine throwing it aside, and the force of the •;oneiH I T-;ii actually tearing off the foot at the fetlock joint. ft is contemplated, if the House votes the monty. to have a new tire-proof Parliamentary Library, at a cost of £14,000. Plans and specifications have been prepared by the Colonial Architect.