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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 381, 13 July 1877, Page 2

In the absence of any better argument, and evidently thinking that the Maerewhenua I'as- was so much out of the world that they c..uld make any statements they chose with impunity, the Dunedin morning newspapers have attempted to damage the prospects of the Oamaru-Naseby railway scheme —not by throwing cold water on' it, but by creating snow on the Pass wdiere it is seldom known to exist. We could not authoritatively contradict the assertions of our contemporaries at the time they were made ; but, knowing the love of the Otago Daily Times for falsehood, we were led to doubt the statement. Since then -we have made inquiries from those who have had occasion to travel from the other side of the ranges by way of the Pass at all seasons of the year, ami they positively assert that there is never more snow where the line is projected to go than could be found on the lines in some parts of England, and that the ohjection that the Dunedin papers set up is a stan ling joke amongst all acquainted with tiie locality. Owing to pressure on our space we are compelled to hold over a quantity of matter, amongst which is a letter signed "Two. thirds of a Truth."

This evening the Calcined Coi konians will five their second performance in aid of the Oamaru Hospital, when an almost entirely new programme will be submitted, with the additional attraction of reduced prices—35., •25., and Is. We understand that a large number of tickets have been disposed of, and a fuii house is expected. Me-srs. Council an 1 Clowes will sell by pubic aacti m, at their stores, Tync-street, t :-:norrow, at noon, a quantity of shrubs,

fruit trees, etc. .Mr. A. 11. Mav.de will holl a, sale by pubic auction of freehold and leasehold properties, household furniture, etc., at noon tj-morro.v, at his stores, Harbour-street. Tlu leases of a larg; number of allotments will be ottered for sale by public auction at 1100:1 to-morrow by Messrs. Fleming and Hedley, at their stores, Tyne strt ct. They

will also tell at the Commercial Yards, at same time, a cpuitity of contractors' plant.

Oil Tuesday afternoon the scholars attending the district school at Utepopo presented .Mr. George dimmers with a gold albert watch chain as a maik of respect and of the esteem in which he has been held during the ir.c years he has acted as pupil teacher. Mr. I'irie made the presentation on behalf of the scholars, and Mr. Simmers replied very feelinerlv.

A deputation from the Oamaru Railway Co-.innittee, consisting of Messrs. Gihbs and M-z-ro, waited upon the Waiinate City Council yesterday re the setting apart by that Council of 1:j0,U00 acres of land as an endowment for the i>rojceted OamaruXascby railway. Despite the representations made to them, which clearly proved that undeniable and considerable beiiefi: would accrue to their County, the Council declined to accede to the request of the IJ ail way Committee It is surprising that business men, uncommonly shrewd in other matters, should be wanting in the capacity to see at a glance that their acceptance of the proposal of the Oamaru-Xaseby Ii ail way Committee would have made their town and County, unini[ ortaut now for want of ample railway c mmimicatiou, more prosperous than could be accomplished by any other means. I'he timber that is now lying in large quantities in the bush, and by Miiieli Waiinate principally exists, would find a ready market in the interior, at prices in advance of what is usually obtained for it. Goodness only knows what YVaimate is about. It is pretty clear that she is sacrificing her best interests because of her unwarrantable jealousy for Oamaru. The Otepopo Foresters celebrated the anniversary of the founding of their Lodge by a soiree and concert on Tuesday. The aspect of the weather was not ve;y propitious, and the night was very dark, which will, in some measure, account for a rather thin audience. Those, however, who put in an appearance seemed to enjoy themselves to the full. All the arrangements being complete, no hitch occurred, except at the commencement of the concert, when the Secretary, .with his report, was found to be wanting, which caused a delay of 20 minute?. The eatables, of which there were a great abundance and variety, were supplied by Mr. Davidson, of Oamaru, who is a member of this Lodge. It is seldom that such a witness as Hugh M'Laren, who was one of the witnesses called iu a case of fowl stealing brought against Catherine Ramsay to-day, appears in the box at the Resident Magistrate's Court. Mr. M'Laren, on being eiois-examined by Mr. O "Me.i-her, entered upon a flowing account of the particularly great go d qualities and virtues of the fowls in question. X > price would be sufficient to buy the n. v roiu £o Mr. O'Meagher rose, by gigantic ctiitles, up to £IO,OOO, to all of which sums

ihe witness replied, "No, I would not-sell them for that." Mr. O'Meagher then asked if a million of money would not tempt his disposal of his much-prized Brahmapootras. "No; it would not," replied the witness, with a burst of enthusiasm. This was too much for the gravity of the Court, a loud laugh greeting M 'Laren's assertion that no sum of money would buy the fowls from him. The witness' estimate of the value of his Brahmapootra* proved too high for Mr. O'Meagher, who abandoned all hope of arriving at the value of the fowls, and entered upon another line of attack. Mr. O'Meagher then became somewhat inquisitive with regard to the truthfulness or otherwise of his j son. To this interrogation M 'Laren replied that his boy was as truthful as Mr. O'Meagher. This was not sufficient for the learned counsel, who evidently did not care to ' r measure other people's corn in his own bushel." Question after question from the learned counsel only met with impertinent and personal replies from the witness. Eventually Mr. O'Meagher elicited from witness the information that the boy was a perfect pet of a boy, never having been guilty of a falsehood. Some questions of a more domestic nature were then put by Mr. o"Meagher, the witness refusing to answer his questions. Mr. O'Meagher insisted upon replies being given to his questions as to whether disputes were not of frequent occurrence between himself and his wife; but witness, with a majestic toss of his head, replied, "I will not answer that question for any man." On Mr. O'Meagher pointing out what would be the consequence were witness to persist in refusing to answer the question, M.'Laren said, " You may hang me, but I will not answer the question." The assistance of the Bench was then called in, and after M'Laren had received a lecture from his Worship, he vouchsafed a reply to Mr. O'Meagher's question. The next witness (Mrs. M'Laren) also spoke of the virtues of the fowls, stating that they were quiet fowls, and never made a noise. This fact may account in some measure for the extravagant value placed upon these Brahmapootras by M Laren. Mrs. M"Laren also placed immense value upon these fowls, and said she would not sell them at any price. When addressing the Bench, Mr. O'Meagher referred to the nature of the evidence given by M'Laren, expressing his surprise at a man making such statements as had been made by him. He pointed out that but little faith could be placed upon the evidence of a man who could swear positively a million of money could not buy the couple of wretched fowls produced. "The man must be mad—mad as a hatter," said Mr. O'Meagher. He suggested that the expression, " Mad as a hattjr," should be changed to " Mad as M'Laren."