The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1877

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 370, 30 June 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1877

The information contained in a late issue in reference to the number of immigrants nominated in Oamaru by their friends in response to the advantages offered by the' Government will, doubtless, be eminently satisfactory to all. The statement for the mouth just expiring shows that 98 persons have been nominated in the Colony to become fellowcolonists, of which total Oamaru scores 27—a number which, in proportion to our population, is a handsome one, and augurs well for the popularity of the scheme, and confidence in the future of this district. We predict that the results of the nominated system which seems to have been resuscitated by the Government, will be most gratifying. There are numbers of good hardworking, honest people in the Colony who would long since have sent for their friends but for the insurmountable barrier of expense. This difficulty is now being met, and we think that there

will be no necessity to revert to the old system whereby this country was fast becoming too much like a penal settlement to be pleasant, througli the mismanagement, or conniving with those anxious to rid themselves of the superabundance of scum in the old country, of our immigration agents, of which, in all conscience, there was an array sufficiently strong to conduct immigration for the Australias, had they been anything approaching adapted for their work. It was one of those showy strokes of policy by which the Yogjel Government endeavoured to throw the people of this Colony off the scent. It looked like business to see announced in the colonial newspapers that a number of vessels had been laid on for this Colony freighted with some thousands of immigrants. But it was not long before it was discovered, even by the greatest admirers of this grand immigration policy, that we were being treated to quantity, regardless of quality—that we were, in fact, borrowing money, and labouring to pay interest thereon, to import criminals and good-for-nothings who could not fail to taint the morality of our rising generation.

The steamer YVaitaki, which left for Dunedin this morning, was almost crowded with passengers. A great number of these are witnesses in the cases against Daniel Quarrie and William John Craig, which come on for hearing during next week at the Supreme Conrt, the criminal sessions of which commence on Monday. The calendar is a rather heavy one, and the sitting of the Court is likely to last some time. Amongst the passengers w r e noticed Mr. O'Meagher, who has gone to Dunedin to defend Craig and Quarrie. The latter prisoner was also forwarded by the Waitaki under the care of