The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1877

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 388, 21 July 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, JULY 21, 1877

In our paragraph regarding the war in last evening's issue, by a typographical error, the word "old"was substituted for " sick," in speaking of the "Sick Man of Europe. '

We have been favoured with an inspection of the addresses prepared by the members of the Harbour Board for presentation to Messrs. Walker and Peynian, the former contractors for the construction of the Breakwater. The addresses have been very nicely illuminated by Mr. Thomas George, of Dunedin, and framed in a suitable manner. They will be presented to Messrs. Walker and Peynian, we believe, in the course of a few days. In order that there may be no misapprehension on tho part of some of our readers, we may mention that the cost of these illuminated addresses has been defrayed by the members of the Harbour Board privately.

Parliament will resume its sitting on Tuesday next at 2.30.

A meeting of the Calcined Corkonians •was held last evening, when it was decided to profer the services of the troupe for an entertainment in aid of the Kakanui School funds, the performance to take place before the end of the month.

Mr. Joseph Booth, of our town, has, we understand, completed arragements for the disposal of the business he has for so many years conducted so successfully, with the object of diverting his energies and capital into some other channel. We are gratified to learn that Mr. Booth does not contemplate immediate departure from Oamaru, and that when he does leave us, it is not at all probable that it will be "for ever." He has become so much identified with our town and its institutions that we believe his hearty co-opera-tion with the citizens in any work that is calculated to be productive of social and commercial good would be sadly missed. We trust that Mr. Booth will yet alter his determination to leave Oamaru, even for a season, and that, at all events, he will not resign any of his public positions until absolutely necessary.

That there is a large amount of money in New Zealand available for investment has been fully shown lately by the large number of shares applied for in almost every part of the Colony in the Union Insurance Company. We have previously recorded the number of applications for shares in several of the northern towns, and to-day we have to record the fact that in Dunedin, through Mr. Bradshaw alone, applications have been received for 20,000 shares. Nor is the Union Insurance Company the only new concern in which people seem desirous of investing their superfluous cash. Messrs. Guthrie and Larnach's Woodware Factory is meeting with an equal amount of support. We learn by telegram that in the short space of two clays no less than 25,000 shares have been applied for in that Company in Dunedin. These facts are of the most encouraging nature, as they evidence an earnest desire on the part of capitalists to invest their money in institutions carrying on their business in the Colony, and the consequent keeping of the money in the country.

The following remarks appear in the Timaru Herald in reference to the Kakanui and Oamaru harbour works, as the result of the visit of inspection of the members of the Timaru Harbour Board :—" On arriving at Kakanui, the party were conducted by Mr. Hardy Johnston to the harbour works, and every effort was used to explain their construetion to them. The general impres-

'"' ' '"V" 6 " L1 '° engineer's idea was good, sufficient funds had uot been placed at his disposal to carry out his plans in an efficient manner. It was also the general impression that, to complete the present harbour works, a very heavy expenditure would be required ; and, after careful inspection, a doubt was expressed as to whether the scour would be sufficient to keep the channel clear after the extension of the Breakwater. On their return to Oamaru, the party at once proceeded to the Breakwater there, where they were met by Mr. M'G-regor (the Engineer) and Mr. Peyman (one of the firm of Peyman and Walkem, the contractors for the first portion of the work). The party spent all their available time (about an hour and a half) in the careful examination of the works, which are now extended to a distance of some 700 feet, in a solid and satisfactory manner. They also saw several blocks of concrete, 'weighing some 28 tons, deposited in their places. The greatest depth of the present Breakwater is 17 feet, and when (as is proposed) it is extended some 200 feet more, the depth will not be much increased. The evident advantage which the Oamaru Breakwater possesses over that of Timaru is that it springs from a headland running out to the south-east, I which enables the works to be carried out in a direction parallel with the coast line." With reference to the manner in which the work has been performed by the first contractors, we endorse most cordially the remarks of our contemporary; and we also agree with it that " the evident advantage which the Oamaru Breakwater possesses over that of Timaru is that it springs from a headland;" and we go even further, and state that it has the advantage of being constructed, whilst that of Timaru is only at present in Indian ink. That it will, however, be carried to a successful issue we do not for one moment doubt. But our contemporary, whose journalistic respectability is usually irreproachable, will pardon us if we point out that it has committed a slight error in its statement of the depth of water at the Oamaru Breakwater. From the most authentic sources, we gather that " the depth at the most extreme point completed is 20 feet at low water, and 27 feet at high water level; and we have •very reason to believe that when the whole work is completed the depth will be greater. "We wish our sister town success in the great work which she is about to undertake, and we think that the remarks of the leading newspaper of that town were not made with the object of disparaging our harbour, but for want of correct information upon the subject.

A special meeting of the Committee of the Mechanics' Institute is called for Monday evening, at 8 o'clock.

A meeting of the Oamaru-Naseby Eailway Committee will be held at the Council Chambers on Monday, at 11 o'clock. A " gentleman" whose presence in Oamaru has been urgently required for about a year and a half, but whose friends in Lyttelton have been averse to his leaving that place until now, arrived here under escort this morning by the early train from the North. The individual in question is one William Clark Earl, alias William Clark, charged with having obtained two sums of money from Mr. William Jamieson by means of false pretences. In all, the money alleged to have been fraudulently obtained is L3O, consisting of L 5 received at Waitaki Bridge on the 13th December, 1875, and L 25 obtained in Oamaru on the 16th of the same month. The reason of William Clark Earl, alias William Clark, not having been brought to account for these trifling delinquencies before now is, that he has been undergoing a sentence in the Lyttelton gaol. On his being liberated therefrom, he was apprehended on the above charges, and sent on to Oamaru. It is just possible that he may be afforded an opportunity of being still better acquainted with the way in which our gaols are managed, and should become an excellent authority upon the subject.

The juvenile Good Templars of Oamaru indulged in a reading, reciting, and spelling tournament last evening at the Oddfellows' Hall, when there was a very large attendance of the young folk, besides a good sprinkling of adults. In the reading competition for children under nine years of age, the first prize was gained by Maggie Ogilvie, Janet Galbraith being second. In rccitatiou for the same class, Mary Thomson was first and Janet Galbraith second. Amongst the competitors of ten years of age, John Wilding took the first prize for reading, and Jane Brownlee the second, after a keen contest. In recitation, for seniors, John M'Laren gained the first prize and Norman Leslie the second ; and in a second competition of seniors, in recitation, John Og'lvie gained the first and Kate Waddell the second prizes In a further competition in recitation, E. Milligan, A. Barclay, and J. Ogilvie gained the first, second, and third prizes respectively. The time allotted for the competition having expired, the various contests in the spelling portion of the tournament were postponed until Friday evening next. At a meeting of the Committee of the South Canterbury Football Club, held last evening, at Timaru, it was resolved, "That the Secretary write to the Oamaru Football Club, challenging them to play a match on u >x«.u - the Rugby Union Kules to be observed." Also, " That the Secretary write to the Christchurch Football Club, and inform them that we are unable to accept their challenge to play this season." We commend the following paragraph, clipped from a Northern exchange, to the consideration of our football players : —" The serious casualties from football are now multiplyin . We learn that in the accident to Mr. EL Culpan, of Te Awamutu, son of W. Culpan of Auckland, the muscles of the leg were torn clean away from the bone beneatli the knee, and now lie rolled up in a ball on the upper side of the leg. Mr. Culpan has been removed to Hamilton, his condition requiring constant medical attendance. A broken leg for one player, and a severe shock to the system of another, attended the last game on Saturday. In Auckland, on Saturday, Mr. Eai-le broke his collar bone while enjoying the pleasures of this delightful pastime. These accidents surely point to a considerable modification in the rules of the game. It has become a question whether the barbarous practices connected with football, as now played, should be abandoned, or the game given up altogether."