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Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 659, 13 June 1878, Page 2

We are informed by the Hon. .Secretary of the North Otago Coursing C'iuo that M:\ It. liiehardsou, of the io.y.ii ilotc-I, has presented a couple of trophies to he run for -i the forthcoming meetings »f the f'lnk The presentation consists of two handsome silver cellars, one for the rumier-up in the President's meeting, and the other for the runnerup at the Waterloo meeting. The collars are of a very chaste pattern, and are well worth winning. If a few more of our coursing men would follow Mr. Itichardson's example, a collection of valuable trophic? might be obtained, which would render the Otago Coursing meeting the most attractive in the Colony. The Tort iJarwin line is all right again. The Oamaru Chrysty's will meet for rehearsal at the Masonic ilali to-niorrow evening, at eight o'clock. A general meeting of the Oainaru '"ranch of the Otago Itaiiway Employes' Benefit Society will be held to-morrow evenius: at S o'clock, in the old Tees-street Hill. A musical entertainment will he given in thei iVgapara School-room to-morrow evening in aid"of the Ngapara Watch Tower Lodge, 1.0.ti.T. An excellent programme has been arranged, and we have little doubt that there will he a large attendance. The regular monthly meeting of Lodge ! Waitaki, j\'o. 1111, E.C., takes place at halfpast seven o'clock this evening, in the Freemason's Hall, Wansbeek-street. We are requested to remind members of the Coursing Club that a meeting will be iietd tomorrow morning, at 11 o'clock, in the County Council Chambers. As some important business is to be brought forward, some of which has reference to the coursing match to take place on Monday next, it ia urgently necessary that there should be a full attendance of members.

The Hon. Secretary of the North Otago Horticultural Society (Mr. Leigh) requests winnersof cabbage garden, children's bouquet, and other private or special prizes at the late show, to call at Stemson and Leigh's and receive payment of the same on Saturday next.

No acceptation of the challenge wired to the Australian cricketers by the Canterbury cricketers has yet been received, nor is it likely that there will be one. The proper treatment of such unwarrantable egotism would be to make no response. Such a backhanded compliment when after congratulating them on their victories, they challenge them to visit Canterbury on their return home and take their revenge for the licking they gave them, is unworthy of men who make pretensions to be gentlemen. To say "Well done" to men who, hailing from the sister colonies, have acquitted themselves nobly, and have so far proved themselves more than a match for those who have deservedly earned the reputation of being the crack cricketers of the world, is quite proper, but it was an insult to add the challenge. We are greatly mistaken in the Australians if they do not treat the addendum with deserved contempt.

The adjourned monthly meeting of the Kakauui lioad Board was held yesterday afternoon. There wcjv pr .sent—Messrs. Elder (hi the chair), Thomson, Gemmell, Macdouald, Morton, Hedley, and Manning. The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed, and the outward corvespondence was read and approved. It was resolved that all arrears of rates be sued for. The following tenders were accepted : —Contract ■I %. P. Corcoran. L 357 14s 6d ; contract 45, Robertson and P-iggar, L 53 15s 6d. On the motion of Mr. GcmiueH, it was resolved to invite the various Boards to send delegates to a Conference of Road boards for the purpose of taking action to secure a fair portion of the money now in the hands of the County Council, by way of subsidies to the Boards. A letter having been read from Captain Matheson, Secretary to the Kakamii Harbour Board, witu reference to the dan-.'erous state of the road leading to the wharf, tho Engineer w;.s instructed to take action in the' matter. Mr. Hugh Wallace wrote, objecting to the proposed' alteration in road line to section 59, block 4, Oamaru Survey District. It was resolved, " That in th ("face of the objection of the lessee, the Hoard will take no further action in the matter at present." Mr. Booth, as Jlcturn- | iiig Ollioor for Lambnurne, having notified 1 that there was no attendance of electors on [ the day of nominntir.u, the Clerk was instructed to tali.- the> necessary ships f.-'V

having a fresh day of itoniinafion gazetted. A report from the n embers of the lueholni" ' Mibilivisii.il witli !■• ference t" road Hues in that Sub-division, was adop.ed. A report from the Enginec- was read, recommending, .-.inonght other thing-, that the grades -'"i;dd be improved'and arched culverts .-uhaiitut'.-d lor 1 .ridges oii the road lines thioogh .s u ath Outuaru township, Tenders ..••re ordered to be called lor the work. Some aeC'.unU having been passed lor payment, the Uoard rose. The body of Mr. O. H. Holmes (a son of the late Mr. Holmes, well known as the eontractor for the lirst <..'anterbury railways), who died in New York, was brought by the S-111 Franciso mail steamer, and arrived by the Wakatij.n at F.ytielton yesterday. The following is the hi'er alluded to in

our article :— '• A Cur.- for ."Slander.—To tin Kditor. —Sir, —Those who have lived in quiet rural districts may have noticed the Jee'ing of unsuspicious security which often exists. Property of all kinds may be loft unprotected, doors unlocked, and household effects allowed to remain out of doors. Presently depredations commence : the wood and coal begins to lessen unaccountably, the hen-roost Millers, and articles of every kind—ev n though of little value —are missing. Eve.vy one begins to suspect his neighbour ; at last neighbours begin to interchange their opinion.-, and the}' eventually discover that a thief has settled in the neighbourhood.. The cure soon suggests it-elf—watch the thief, and if it is possible, Ilu.lt him. Watching him will restrain him, but it is best to be rid of him. "■' Dk nobis /alula nan-alar." 'i he Press of Otago has for many years been fairly respectable. The characters of private individuals has seldom been attacked, and if they have, the attacks amounted to little more than angry criticism. Put lately a slauderer has introduced himself among us. Who he is I do not personally know, neither does the general public ; but he is here safe enough. Only last week a paper was handed a"'.out in the street containing a tissue of vile slanders upon a citizen who has for many years occupied a position of respectability j one who, like all others, lias no doubt the ordinary def. cts of humanity, but who, to say the least ot it, has no greater share of those than his neighbours. The above is one instance. -Many others will suggest themselves to those acquainted with tlie public Press. What is to be done ? We must watch the slanderer and hunt him. bet the tirst who suffers boldly come forward and chow the moral courage to discover and attack him, and I am greatly deceived in my fellow-citizens if lie does not find himself backed by—Yours, &0., Pu'liLlc Oi-inion."

Under the heading " Wretched Blundering,'' the Timaru Herald of to-day contains the following:—A detachment of the O.im.iru Artillery, under the command of Lieutenant CJreenliold. arrived !<y the earh train yesterday lnnn-in'. for the purpose of competing in a friend y match which had been arranged to take pbcewith theTiniaru Aitillery. On reaching the station here, to their gri'.it surprise, not to say disgust, none of the local corps were in waiting to meet them. They wandered up and down the .-'reets for some time trying to find out the, itii ■■ts of the Timaru Company, and when they did so, the latter stated they were in utter ignorance that such a visit w.-is intended vesterdav. Who is exactly to blame for the unfortunate blunder, we cannot say, but we feel it our duty to »>xj>res3 our feelings of sincere regret that the Oamaru men should have had their trip for nothing. From all

we i-an learn they some time ;igo wrote to the i'imaru ArtiPcry asking i'' the 12th inst. (yesterday) would be a suitable date for the match, atj I tliac the hitter replied in the negative, mentioning the 20th inst. This r.-p'ly either went astray or was overlooked, tortiie 0.-imaru men tc-legrapfiedupafewdays since to know if their challenge (meaning for the 12th) was accepted, and were told it wns, the local Corps thinking the 20th was to be the dat- of the firintr. We are glad to learn that although thn "match fell through yesterday, ii., ill-feeling has been engendered between the two bnuerics. as the Southern men have accepted a challenge from Timaru to tire at Oainaru on the 27th. In justice to our local battery, we may say that as soon as they were apprised of the visitors' urrival, they did all they could to get the match fired yesterday afternoon, but some of the Oamaru men, being naturally di-.-gusted at the blunder, went back by the mid-day train, taking their gun with them. The Waikato Times states that a severe accident occurred to Mr. A. A. Fantham on Thursday morning. Mr. Fantham was standing near the chaff-cutting machine, wiien the cloth of his trousers was caught in the machinery, aud his leg severely injured. It wa3 fortnnate he escaped as lie did, but a large portion of the thigh has been as severely bruised as though beaten with a hammer, c^AHOi^^^^MPJlv&^j.gll^ilS