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Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 346, 2 June 1877, Page 2

The unpleasant duty of apologising to our subscribers for the irregularity with which The Mail is delivered is forced upon us. We are very anxious to supply all who are desirous of reading our sheet regularly, but there are difficulties in the way at present that can only be removed by thoroughly systematising the running, and this will take us a little time to accomplish. In another column we publish a request that those who suffer disappointment of the kind we have just mentioned, will be good enough to send their complaints in to our publisher. Some few have complied with our request, and we have been successful in administering a cure ; others, however, who appear to have felt equally the disappointment, have borne their loss in silence, so far as we are concerned, and we have .been indebted to others for the information which has called forth this explanation. Runner-boys are not the most tractable and reliable section of our race, and no one knows this to the bitter

extent that an evening newspaper proprietor does. Of course when he is informed of the omission, the delinquent is easily traced and dealt with according to his desserts ; but in consequence of the silence of the majority of those subscribers who suffer from neglect, a newspaper conductor is compelled to seek his couch night after night with the knowledge that he has unwillingly caused numerous disappointments, and that his revenue is less than it should be. Our supporters may depend upon this, that they are not more anxious to receive than we are to supply, and we promise that every notice of neglect shall have our immediate and most earnest attention.

The amount of Customs duties collected in Oamaru for the month of May just ended was L 739 65., while, for the corresponding quarter of last year the amount was L 1027 16s. Sd.

The regular monthly meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Benevolent Society will be held on Monday evening, at 7 o'clock, at Mr. Church's office.

Another arrest has been made in connection with the robbery of a large amount of money and valuable papers from one John Brown, which occurred at Craig's boardinghouse on the 12th May. It will be remembered that, some little time back, Craig himself was committed for trial on a charge of stealing the money. A few days ago Mrs. Craig was arrested on the same charge, owing to some fresh evidence having been obtained which is said to implicate her in the robbery. When brought up, the case against her was remanded until Monday next. A third arrest in connection with the robbery was made last evening by the police, the accused in the present instance being a man named John Madden, who is stated to have been connected with Mrs. Craig in the theft. He was brought up at the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, and remanded until Monday next, when he will be placed in the dock with Mrs. Graig on the charge.

There was another large attendance at the Masonic Hall last evening, when the panorama of the Mirror of England was exhibited for the third time. The audience appeared to be highly pleased with the evening's entertainment. Mr. Lewis again performed a number of illusions in his neat and finished manner. An exhibition of the panorama was given this afternoon for the benefit of children, and was largely attended by grown-up persons in addition to those for whom the entertainment was specially given. This evening the panorama will be on exhibition for the last time in Oamaru, on which occasion a large number of gifts will be distributed amongst the audience.

Mr. G. B. Barton's much-needed, concise, and neatly-printed work, " The Practical Statutes of New Zealand," is just published. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times says that the statement with regard to the dissensions in the Cabinet is well authenticated, and is generally believed in Wellington. In the local referring to the induction of Mr. Byng to the pastorate of St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin, two blunders occurred in consequence of the paragraph having escaped the notice of the reader in the hurry-scurry of publication. Induction was made "indiction," and pastorate was twisted into "pastoral."

A meeting of the Committee of the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held to-day, at the Secretary's office ; Mr. Maclennan in the chair. After the formal business of the meeting had been disposed of, some discussion ensued regarding the medals for the next exhibition. It was then decided that the show should take place on the 16th and 17th November, in order not to clash with the show to be held by the Timaru Association. The various classes on the programme having been taken seriatim, and passed with a few emendations, the regulations were considered, and the meeting, which was a very fully-attended and satisfactory one, dispersed.

J We had the pleasure, this morning, of sampling a hogshead of bitter ale, from the brewery of Mr. Augustus Moore, of Christchurch notoriety, but who is now resident at Timaru. It is what it processes to be—an honest light bitter beer, and possesses the estimable quality of leaving no unpleasant consequences after imbibition. As an evidence of one of the advantages accruing from railway communication, we may state that the hogshead to which we have alluded was wired for at 10 o'clock yesterday morning, and arrivecT here at 2 p.m. the same day. The journey produced no turbidity in the ale—indeed nothing could be brighter. Mr. Moore exhibited a hogshead of his ale at the Victoria Exhibition of 1566-7 ; and although he had to compete with all comers—not excluding prime English brewers—he was successful in carrying off the gold medal.

We have received a letter from a person signing himself "Progress," whose nom de plume is an anomaly, for his progression is evidently that of a crab. His language is coarse in the extreme, and, what makes it worse, it is aimed at the most respectable portion of our community, who, we have no doubt, have never, in any way, rendered themselves amenable to him for their good conduct. He wants Mr. Bright to come amongst us to preach his so called " Religion of Humanity." If that lecturer's advent would teach Mr. Progress, and others like him, better manners, we would render every assistance in our power to carry out his wish. If it is morality our correspondent requires, let him read his Bible, which, we may reasonably expect, is an inch thick with dust, for there he will find a code laid down peculiarly adapted to his case. " Judge not, lest ye be judged," is an axiom, the observance of which would transform such as our correspondent into more desirable neighbours and colonists.

A meeting of the Oamaru-Naseby Railway Committee was held this morning at the Road Board offices. There were present:— Messrs. Steward, Borrie, Menlove, Gibbs, J. Bee, Sumpter, J. Sutherland, T. H. Brown, Reid, Evans, E. C. Smith, M. Miller, Connell, and Duncan. On the motion of Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Evans, Mr. Steward was elected Permanent Chairman of the Committee. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, and some correspondence read, the Chairman reported verbally what had been done by the Sub-committee appointed at the last meeting to consider the best method by which to have the line constructed. He said the Subcommittee had not arrived at any definite conclusion upon the subject, as they thought it would be better that the matter should be discussed in full meeting. A lengthy discussion took plaee, during which it was pretty generally agreed that it would be useless to ask the Government to construct I the line, and that the only other means of having it constructed would be to have it made by the co-operation of the different County Councils, or by private enterprise. During the discussion, Mr. Sumpter moved a definite resolution upon the subject, but it was decided to postpone the consideration of the motion until next meeting. On the motion of Mr. Reid, seconded by Mr. Sumpter, the following resolution was adopted:— "That application be invited from competent persons willing to undertake immediately a flying survey, determining the best route, with estimate of cost, for a railway between Oamaru and Naseby, stating qualifications and terms of remuneration, to be in by

Friday next at noon ; also, that applications be received from persons willing to construct the line, stating terms ; advertisements to be telegraphed to Christchurch and Dunedin." It was decided to send deputations to the Maaiatoto and Waimate County Councils, for the purpose of obtaining the co-operation of those bodies. Messrs. Steward, Miller, and Smith were appointed to wait on the Maniatoto Council, and Messrs. Evans, Jonnell, and Gibbs, to interview the Waimate Council. It having been decided that the Committee should meet again on Friday afternoon next, the meeting adjourned.