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Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 730, 12 August 1878, Page 2

Tiiekk seems every probability of the opening of railway communication betwe r Christehurch and Duneclin, which is ■ ;■:- pected to be accomplished in three ivcu.-, being celebrated in a manner befitting the occasion. As yet the matter does not appear to have been definitely arranged, but efforts are, according to the New Zealander, being made to get the whole of the members of Parliament to take part in the ceremony of opening direct railway communication between the two first provincial capitals to be bound together by an iron bond of union. The proposal is that the members of both Houses of Parliament should, providing the services of the Government steamer Hinemoa can he obtained for the trip, leave Wellington on a Thursday evening fi.r Lvtteltitn, and then do the journey t<> Dunedin and'back by rail, leaving Lyttclton bv steamer on Monday in time to be in Wellington for the Tuesday's sitting. Could such a course be adopted, the trip would probably do more good than a sore of long speeches dilating upon the I>nluress and requirements of the coimtry ro bo travelled over. Jf short stoppages con Id be made at all tin: principal stations ..n the line, members would be able to learn i'rn'.ii p.-i-sniial observation that which would be of value to them in their legislative capacities. More especially would such we think be the case in Timaru and Oamaru, about both of which towns and their surrounding districts members of Parliament as a very general rule know precious little. Scores of times have we, in stiit-.- of the gravity of the subjects under discussion, been forced to smile at the utter H,'ooi-a!:a: which some members of Parliament hav._- displayed with reference to this portion of the colony. Many of those who are called upon to discuss matters of imi.ortanec to 2Corth Otago, and to pass measures relating specially to this portion of the Colony, are in. a state <>i blissful ignorance as to anything beyond t' e bare fact tiiat there is such a place as ■ imaru, and that the distriet of Waitaki is a grain-growing country and returns two members to the House of Repr -ntatives. Could they be induced in p.." us eve:: a iieeting visit, we think we i -:ild eoiuince tiieui tlisit Oamaru and its ?tirfnundi'i'_' <iistricts are not such insiuniiicai.: spots upon the face of the Colony as some of them really imagine. The sul stanria! mwmvof our Ureakwater, the wo•-del-Mil amount of work that has been p-rformed in so short a time for providing by artilicial means security for the Ia:-_re~aml inci-i-asi:i'_ r number of vessels visiting our port, and the growing facilities for carrying on an extensive shipping business, would tend greatly to convince legislators that the money which we have hoi-rowed by the sanction of Parliament has been well and judiciously expended, and that it has not been cast into the sea to no purpose. Then, again, even a cursory glance at the handsome and substantial 'nature- of our principal buildings would show thorn that the prosperity of this portion of the Colony i= equal to. if not greater than, that of any other part ; and that the residents in Oamaru have confidence in the future of their town and district. We have drawn attention to this matter in the hope that should the proposed trip be undertaken, some steps may be taken to induce the party to remain for a short time in Oamaru. If members agree to do so, we can safely guarantee them a hearty reception, and will promise to shew them some things wellworth seeing, as well as to teach them many things worth knowing.

The fortnightly meeting of the Commercial Building Society will be held this evening at Mr. W. Aitken's office. It is scarcely necessary to remind our readers that Cheevers, Kennedy, and Bent's Minstrels will give their first entertainment in the Masonic Hall this evening. The company is a really excellent one, and should command a bumper house. The new church at Waiareka was opened yesterday by the Rev. Dr. Stuart, who preached in the afternoon a sermon appropriate to the occasion. The church was crowded by a congregation from all parts of the district, and presented a most interesting spectacle. The building, which is composed of «'amain stone, is built upon a slightly elevated position, and adds greatly to the beautv of the landscape of the pretty locality in which it is situated. But what is of more value, we should think that this addition to the facilities for public worship will prove a great boon to the residents of the district. We direct attention to the advertised programme of the next annual Show of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, which appears in our supplement. The handsome prizes offered should induce a large and spirited competition amongst agriculturists and graziers. It will be noticed that the hours for admission of exhibits to the grounds are not yet fixed. Snllicieut intimation will,-however, be given, when the hours of arrival of the various railway trains are fixed for the month of November.

An entertainment will be given on Wednesday evening next under the auspices of the Early Closing Association, the proceeds of which, after deducting expenses, will be handed over to the Benevolent Asylum. The programme will be a popular one, comprising vocal and instrumental music. I I here are, therefore, two reasons for anticipating that success will crown the ellbrts of'the Early Closing Association—the popularity of the music ami the charitable object. The monthly meeting of the Waitaki Road Board will be held at 11 a. im tomorrow, and a special meetiug of the Waiarel;a Board will take place at 1 p.m. There was a good muster of foothallists on Saturday afternoon, when a s-crateh match was plaved between sides choosen by Messrs. Caverhill and Ferens. Some very good play was shown, although some of the players, from want of practice, did not appear in as uood form as they should have done. A Committee meeting was held in the evening M the Royal Hotel, when it was decided that the -earn to represent Oamaru in the | match wi ■. !i Timaru on Saturday next should i '■•avo I- Timaru by the 7 a.m. train. he following players were chosen to ~j battle on behalf of the Club : Messrs. Baxter, Caverhill, Castelli, Evans, Finch, Ferens. Grenfell, Hardy, Honour, T. Kerr, Lambert, Little, Snodgrass, Sunley, and Thompson. It was decided that the team should meet for practice on the old Cricket Ground every evening, and if they hope to make a decent stand against the Timaru men, they will have to practice hard, and learn to work well together. A challenge from the Christchurch College to play a match on the Oamaru ground on Wednesday, 21st instant, was accepted, and the meeting shortly afterwards terminated.