The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1878.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 755, 11 September 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11, 1878.

Mr. Shrimski, who has been detained in Oamaru by matters in connection with his public position, is residing at the Star and Garter Hotel, and will leave for Wellington to-morrow morning.

The station site discussion has not yet died out. Some would like the passenger station to be here and others there ; here and there means, as a rule, where such people have their stake, and the word stake being interpreted means property, from a hairdresser's shop to a cabbage garden. Woll, to bo near a railway station would be a great thing for a hairdresser. Supposing, now, that instead of having a business depending entirely upon the ordinary traffic of the town, situated say somewhere opposite the Royal Hotel, a railway station were so placed that all the traffic therefrom could be diverted into that locality, what a capital business might be done in the haircutting line. Supposing that the passenger station were placed just opposite Eden-street, what a magnificent prospect there would be for a cabbage garden somewhere in that locality. The gardener could, on hearing the signal for the departure of the train from the Oamaru station, unearth a bundle of cabbage plants, or a few Wellingtonia giganteas, and while his porridge was cooling, take them to the station and dispatch them to fulfil some up-country order. Some people might say that the matter is involved in a little difficulty, as the two parties could not be accommodated by the same station. It is for us to invent some means of escape. Let there be two stations, and may the period be hastened when every man shall have his own railway station. Speaking for ourselves, we feel that it is exceedingly hard that, on the score of expense, or for some other absurd reason, we cannot have the station next door to our office. The Government know little of the inconvenience that we have to suffer in having to send our parcels two or three hundred yards in order to catch the train. We have read on packets of yeast powder '' Every man his own baker," and on the covers of books " Every man his own lawyer;" but these things would be nothing when read beside the glorious motto *' Every man his own railway station."

The Christchureh papers are advocating that excursion trains should be run for a fortnight or so between Christchureh and Dunedin, and we commend them for the idea. Many persons, who have never yet had the pleasure of travelling to Christchurch or Dunedin by rail, would be able to take a trip, in company with their families. The reduction in prices would enable them to do this, which would enlarge the little people's ideas and promote their benefit in other respects, and, at the same time, result in an actual gain to the Railway Department. We hope that the suggestion will be carried out.

The supplementary bazaar in aid of the Parsonage site of St Luke's Church, is, we understand, to come off very shortly. Mr. Sumpter has kindly placed at the disposal of the promoters the spacious room in which the Governor's luncheon party were recently entertained, and the tasteful decorations are kindly invited to hasten their preparations and to have them left at Mr. Sumpter's office, Tyne-street, or sent to Mrs. Gifford, at the parsonage (as may be most convenient), by Tuesday, 24th inst. The monthly meeting of the County Council will be held at the usual hour tomorrow morning.

The regular monthly meeting of the Lodge Waitaki, E.G., will be held at half-past 7 o'clock to-morrow evening. A general meeting of members of the North Otago Rifle Association will be held at the Royal Hotel this evening, at 8 o'clock. There seems a probability of some unpleasantness taking place with reference to one of the races at the late annual meeting of the Oamaru Steeplechase Club. The facts of the case are somewhat as follows :—The owner of Silverstream, the winner of the Maiden Steeplechase, forwarded his nomination through a member of the Committee, but failed to forward the horse's age. A member of the Committee—Mr. Paterson, we believe—mentioned that the horse was aged, and in order that the nomination might be received, Silverstream was entered as an aged horse, and was so named on the cards. Just before the race started Sheenan, Silverstream's rider, declared that the horse was only four years old, and after some consideration the Stewards allowed the horse to run as a four-year-old. A protest was afterwards entered by Mr. W. H. Hankins, the owner of the second horse, against the stakes being given to Silverstream on the groundof his having run under the wrong age. The matter of the horse's age was referred to Mr. Gronvall, veterinary surgeon, with the result that Silverstream was proved to be an aged animal. The Committee thereupon upheld the protest, and the Secretary on the 21sfc August wrote to Mr. Osborne, demanding a refund of the amount of the stakes and the payment of LI Is., the veterinary's fee. To this communication Mr. Osborne replied at great length. He stated that "in the nomination " the horse "was rightly described as an aged horse," and urged in proof of this that he was so placed on the race cards. The writer further stated that he was at a loss to understand how it was that any person was allowed to alter the nomination of a horse entered by him and running in his name ; that he was unaware that such an alteration had taken place ; that Sheenan had no authority to interfere in any matter ; that he had since had an interview with Sheenan, in the presence of Mr. Dundas, who had heard Sheenan admit that he was wholly to blame in the matter. Under these circumstances Mr. Osborne protested against being called upon to refund the money, and urged that those who had caused the nomination to be altered without his authority should be held responsible for the refund. A meeting of the Committee of the Club was called for last evening to consider the matter, but owing to several members wishing to go out of town, the meeting was held during the afternoon at the Empire HoteL There were present—Messrs. Grant (in the chair), M. Taylor, Paterson, M'Kay ; and Greenfield (Hon. Secretary). After the correspondence on the matter had been read, the Secretary was instructed to write to Mr. Osborne, informing him that unless the money was refunded within fourteen days, the Committee would proceed to disqualify him and his horse Silverstream. Tho Secretary was also directed to write to Sheenan, intimating that unless he gaye a satisfactory explanation of his conduct he would be disqualified. Altogether the matter is one of a peculiar kind, and it is difficult to foretell how the disputs will end.

A sad accident occurred to a man named John Smith, employed by the brothers Forrester at Papakaiao. He was driving a waggon laden with wheat, when he fell off, and part of the vehicle passed over his neck. The horses seemed to feel the resistance offered to their progress, because the poor fellow was found with his neck under one of the hind wheels. Medical assistance was procnved, but he must have died instantaneously. To make the matter worse, he leaves a wife and family. An inquest will be held to-morrow morning at the Boundary Creek Hotel.

All accounts against the Reception Committee must be sent in to Mr. Sumpter's office by noon to-morrow. At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before T. W. Parker, Esq., R.M., Andrew Fearns was fined 7s. 6d. for being drunk and disorderly in Severn-street yesterday. Mr. Edward Devine's thoroughbred imported horse Ringleader, we are informed, will be in Messrs. Fleming and Hedley's yards, Oamaru, on the 16th and 17th inst., for inspection. We have heard that he is a fine animal, and that he will be an acquisition to the. Oamarn, Palmerston, and Waikouaiti disti ■ i s. However, those who feel interested in . ,ie rearing of good stock will have an opportunity of judging for themselves.

The following tenders have been received for certain additions and alterations to school buildings in Oamaru : —Additions and alterations to High School, Grant and Robertson, L 547; North School, John M'Combe, L 463 ; alterations and repairs to Rectory, L 79 10s. Ploughing matches are growing in interest. Challenges are the order of the day, and are promotive of additional emulation, which will make better ploughmen, better ploughing, better crops, and better returns. The last thing in challenges is that of Mr. Alex. Balfour, who, it will be seen in another column, bets LlO that he will plough Mr. Jas. Campbell on the 21st Sept. at Papakaio. We have endeavored to discover whether anyone has said that Mr. Balfour would not plough Mr. Campbell, and what, if he does, will be the consequence. Because, it will be observed, Mr. Balfour only bets that he will plough, and not that he will plough better than that gentleman, for LlO. For this reason we were surprised that it should have been deemed necessary to insert a saving clause that if Mr. Balfour loses Mr. Campbell is to give him 30s. for the use of his horses and plough. He cannot lose ; and we contend that, if the ploughing comes off at all, Mr. Campbell, according to the advertisement, must lose. The old billiard-room of the Star at.l Garter has been transformed into an exii.i vagantly nice coffee-room, and the biih.ii.aroom has been placed in another po.-tion of the building. Ihe habitues of the old room will not suffer by the exchange, for the new one is superb in every respect. It was thrown open to the public last night, when a large number of gentlemen were present, who were lavish in their admiration of the new arrangement. It is the largest 2-table billiard room in the Colony, and it is certainly the best; in fact, we have heard it stated that there is nothing in the metropolis of the southern hemisphere to equal it. The furniture is very nice and appropiate, and the walls are enlivened by handsome mirrors and pictures. But cheerful and beautiful as the room looks, the design of the architect has not yet been entirely carried into effect. The walls are yet to be empanelled and the cornices enriched by the process of gilding. The room is a credit to Oamaru, and more especially to Mr. F. T. Somerville, the architect, and to Mr. E. Roland, who so faithfully and well carried out the designs. Mr. Jago's lecture on '' The Economics of Total Abstinence " attracted a large attenrli_i. .»uoiog. Mr. jvimigan occupied the chair; and the proceedings were opened by the singing of a temperance hymn by the choir, and prayer by Mr. H. Dewsbury. The lecturer gave some startling statistics, and adduced strong arguments in support of his theory, and exhorted those present to embrace Good Templary. The proceedings closed with the benediction. The lecturer has gone on a lecturing tour to Christchureh, and will probably advocate his cause at some of the towns en route.

We had the pleasure of seeing, a few days since, two of Mr. Studholme's foals, which I an equine connoisseur would, no doubt, term "perfect pictures." One—a dark bay or brown filly, by Pertobe, out of Zigzag, by Malton out of Gipsy Queen —is a beauty; but the bay or brown colt by Pertobe, out of Flying Pish, is considered by its owner to show the most "quality" of the two. Flying Fish is own sister to Templeton's dam, but is a much bigger mare than Belle of the Isle ; so that the colt, with the old Panic blood in his veins, should occupy a leading pop-'.ion on the turf in a few years—if properly cared for, as no doubt he will be under Mv. James Keen's charge.—Waitangi Tribune.