The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 735, 17 August 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1878.

The telegram received from the Press Agency, published by U3 last evening, to the effect that Mr. I. N. Watt was appointed as K.M. at Oamaru is misleading. The fact is that Mr. Watt has been appointed to the position rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr. Murdock. He will, therefore, havp charge of the Oamaru district where Mr. Parker's jurisdiction ends to the Waitaki, including Palmerston and WaikouaitiWe suppose that there is not a man, woman, or child in this community that will not be pleased to learn that the lad U hite, who was lately charged with stealing by means of a dog, a carpet bag from the shop of Mr. Solomon, music seller, and sentenced to a month's imprisonment, was released last night, through the kindly interposition of Mr. Hislop, M.U.K., and bis Worship the Mavor. The boy is now the only breadwinner" in the family. The father, who fractured his right arm while working at his trade— bbeksmithing—and who has since had his arm removed piece by piece until there is only a small portion remaining, will Curtly have to undergo another operation, and is quite incapable of working. 'ihe niother. who is given to industrious habits, and who helped to maintain her maimed 'husband and children by carrying on the of charwoman, has injured her wrist so badlv as to be com jailed to abandon her calling : a daughter is an myah.l ; and the lad who got int- trouble has, with : the assistance of the Benevolent Society, for some time past supported the family. He. too, is not in sufficiently vigorous health to bear much responsibility. It will be seen that the circumstances we have just mentioned would he sufficient to arouse sympathy iu the heart* of the most unsympathetic; but when we consider that the charge was not proven against the lad there is double cause to feel pleased that the Attorney-General on the repre-j sentation of the two gentlemen whose names we have mentioned, ordered the prison doors to bo thrown open for his release. A too well trained dog, incited by a companion with whom the lad White was walking past Mr. Solomon's, shop, was the innocent cause of the trouble. The hoys have been in the habit of amusing! themselves by sending the animal after objects of various kinds, and the companion of White thoughtlesslysent bmiafterthecarpetbag. Meanwhile the lad White had passed the shop, and was unaware that the dog had taken down the carpet-bag until apprised of j the circumstance by his companion. Had the lad White been able to explain this to Mr Parker, all would hav* been welL But he was not. He is afflcted with a stuttering tongue, and ill-health aggravated his nervousness and his •tattering. Nobody could understand what he meant, and he did as little good in self-defence as though he had remained silent. The lad bears the name of being of remarkable good character, as well as industrious, and it seemed harsh that,

•with the apparently insufficient evidence-ad-vmcecHft auppol t -ttf'the charge, Ke" sK&uld have-been consigned to prison for a month. he is now enjoying liberty once more, and let us hope that his experience will deter boys from playing practical jokes, and from making companions of those that. are given to interfering with other people's property, although only in fun. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, three seamen of the barquentine Vixen, named Patrick Murphy, George Peeke, and Richard Mellon, were charged with neglecting to join their vessel after signing the articles, and so delaying her departure. They were reprimanded, and ordered to join at once. A conference of the Hampden, Otepopo, and Kakanui Road Boards was held to-day, for the considering what action should be taken with a view to securing a share of the County funds. The delegates present were —Otepopo, Messrs. Henderson, Falconer, and Ross; Kakanui, Mpssrs. Hedley and Gemmell; Hampden, Messrs. Cullen and Findlay. The chair was occupied by Mr. Henderson, who explained the object of the conference. Mr. Gemmell pointed out that while other Countries had subsidised the Road the Waitaki County Council had refused to do so. After a discussion, in which most of the delegates took part, the following resolution was carried unanimously : " That this conference is of opinion that the Road Boards can spe ; nd the money belonging to the respective districts with greater economy to the ratepayers than the Countv Council, and therefore prays that the Council will take advantage of section 189 of the Ceunties Act, 1876, and that instead of taking over roads throughout the various ridings, the Council will grant to each Road Board (after di'ducting the amount spent on County Pvoads in each riding) a fair share of the monev now at the credit of the respective ridings, more especially seeing that the County receives subsidy on the collective rates raised by the several Road Boards." It was decided t» forward a copy of this resolution to the County Council, with a request that it will be pleased to express its approval thereupon; also to send copies to the several Road Boards within the County. " A Poor but Honest Publican's" letter is again crowded out. At a meeting of the Racecourse Trust, which took place yt-sterday afternoon at the Kmpire Hotel, the" following gentlemen were present—Messrs. Steward (chair), Maudo, Clowes (Hon. Sec), and Dr. De kautour. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. In reply to a deputation from the N. 0. Turf Club, consisting of Messrs F. W. O. Grant, l.intott. ami G. i

Taylor, which proposed that under certaii conditions the Trust should transfer the lease of the Racecourse Keserve to the Club, the Trust resolved tbat it could not come to any decision until it had consulted three members of the Trust, who were now absent in Wellington.