Untitled

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 789, 22 October 1878, Page 2

In an article last evening on the late railway collision we inadvertently stated that the passenger train that collided with the Oamaru goods train was from Dunedin. Although it does not affect the position of the matter in the smallest degree, we might as well state for the sake of correctness that the train was travelling Oamaruwards from Palmerston.

His Worship the Resident Magistrate delivered judgment this morning in the case of Bartley v. Walker, a claim for L3S for wages. The case had been heard some days since, when Mr. Balm or appeared for the plaintiff and Mr. O'-Meaglier for the defendant. The plaintiff had been in the employ of defendant, which he entered on the Ist December, 1577, under a twelve months' agreement at L 52 a year, but was discharged recently for alleged misconduct in the performance of his work, incompetence, and negligence. At the same time defendant refused to pay plaintiff any wages beyond the amount he had already received (Lll), and plaintiff brought the present action to recover the balance. The defence set up was that through the negligence and incompetence of plaintiff in harrowing 20 acres of land defendant had suffered a loss of 15 bushels of grain to the acre. His Worship now gave judgment for defendant on the ground that the plaintiff having been lawfully dismissed, and the contract'feging entire, he was not entitled to sue. His A\ orsSiip also remarked that the defendant, being fully aware of the unreliable character of the plaintiff should not have retained him in his employ so long, or if he did so retain him, he was not justified in electing him to perform work requiring skill and trust, and leaving him without supervision. He (his Worship) said he could not but think that by so doing defendant had contributed to the alleged loss of crop through plaintiff's negligence. Wilful disobedience was, of course, a legal cause for dismissal, but it was not just for an employer to postpone the termination of the contract until the servant had a .considerable amount of wages coming to him.

Above 900,000 acres of native land have been jvitlulrawn from sale by the Government ; the most important blocks being in Auckland district—Tauhara and Kaingaroa, of 106,000 and 143,000 acres respectively. In Wellington district, Tararua, 103,000 acres ; and on the West Coast, near Patea, 200,000 acres.

We have much pleasure in again reminding our readers of the Tasca concert, which is to take place this evening at the "V olunteer Hall, and, as we have not heard this eminent lady and her company, we cannot do better than rsprint the opinions of one who has. A South Australian paper says : " When we state that in addition to the floor of the hall being packed, and the gallery crowded to overflowing, the orchestra galleries on either side of the organ had to be utilised, and when these were full and all the standing room was occupied crowds were disappointed through being unable to get within hearing, it will be understood how desirous the public were to avail themselves of the opportunity of listening to the playing of Madame Tasca on the pianoforte and the grand organ." At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning a seaman belonging to the schooner Jane Anderson, named Charles Stewart, was charged with deserting. He was ordered to remain in custody until the vessel was ready for sea, and to be then sent on board.

' The Philharmonic Society's weekly practice will be held in the Waitaki Hall at the usual hour to-morrow evening. We are informed the Society intend holding their next concert in the Volunteer Hall on the 9th November, the Prince of Wales' Birthday, and that a most attractive programme is in course of preparation. We are again in a position to supply our readers with information concerning the morass in which some of the hon. members of the late Government got bogged, notwithstanding their efforts to prevent such a calamity. The Piako " Swamp," without a railway within twenty or thirty miles of it, is wonderfully valuable for "swamp" land, for Messrs. Walker and Cochrane, two amphibious settlers, have just sold out their properties for L 6 per acre. This is not a bad price for laud that a few years ago did not cost as many shillings.

We are requested again to remind intending exhibitors of salt butter that their exhibits must be lodged with the Secretary on or before the 24th inst. Entries of all other exhibits positively close on the 7th of November.

Messrs. W. J. G. Bluett, Job Osborne, and C. Bourn have been appointed at a meeting of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Society to act as their delegates at the Conference of Societies re the establishment of a National Association, to be held at Oarnaru on the 23rd November next.

"The trout boxes in the gai'dens of the Acclimation Society (says the Press) are teeming with the young trout last hatched out, to the extent of some 15,000 fish, and it has been determined to make a liberal distribution of them amongst the principal rivers in the province that are best adapted to their successful propagation. A very large quantity of healthy young fish will still be left in the boxes, to be disposed of at the uniform charge of 30s per hundred to persons desirous of breeding them." It is to be hoped that those who have suitable streams will take advantage of this rare opportunity of securing a supply of healthy fish. In speaking in the Legislative Council, during the debate on the Counties Bill, the Hon. Robert Campbell alluded to the duties in connection with drainage. He said that in the Waitaki County there was a gentleman who, because the Council would not expend LSOOO in making a drain from his property into the Waitaki River, served the Chairman with a writ for LISOO damages. The case was dismissed by the Resident Magistrate, but it had been taken to the Supreme Court, and was now being considered by that tribunal. He thought the Government ought to introduce a clause relieving County Councils of the responsibility of carrying out drainage works. It would take yr.r. ■ almost, to construct drainage works in compliance with the Act, and he hoped to hear that it was the intention of the Government to repeal this drainage provision in the existing Act. The Moeraki school is about to lose the services of its teacher, Mr. Manning having been appointed to a school near Christchurch. The School Committee have invited Mr. and Mrs. Manning, the parents of children attending the school, and the scholars, to a social gathering to be held at the sehoolhouse on Thursday evening next. Mr. and Mrs. Manning have resided at Moeraki nearly eight years. They both possess talents and abilities which not only fit them for their scholastic duties, but which have frequently been called into requisition at entertainments held to assist Uio various needy local institutions In the districts of Moeraki and Hampden. These services have alwaj-s been cheerfully and ungrudgingly given, and their loss will consequently be much felt in this respect, whilst it is to be hoped that the children will be as fortunate in their new teaching staff as they have been in the old. In severing their connection with the Moeraki school, Air. and Mrs. Manning have the best wishes of everyone in that district for their future welfare and advancement.

The Otago Daily Times says : —-A deputation, representing the residents of Otepopo, waited on Mr. Grant, the manager of the Otago Railways, yesterday afternoon, with a view of securing an alteration of the railway time-table. Mr. Adam Anderson headed the deputation, and presented a petition signed by nearly 100 residents of the district, which stated that, at a public meeting held in Otepopo on the 14th inst., it was unanimously resolved, "That, in the opinion of this meeting, the morning train to the North [from Palmerston to Oamaru] should be delayed an hour and a half or thereabouts, and that, in the event of this not being practicable, the express train should stop at the Herbert Station, as formerly." Mr. Grant, in reply, said that a great many difficulties had to be encountered in drawing up a time-table, and it was impossible to please everybody. The cause of the morning tr; i i from Palmerston to Oamaru leaving at siu-h iin early hour was not due to selfish motive.-, because, as a matter of fact, this arrangement involved additional expense on the department. The reason which influenced him in establishing the present system was that it had been represented to him that previously the trains used to arrive at Oamaru too late to allow children to attend school, and apprentices to go to their business. However, so soon as the South line was completed, he would re-arrange the time-table. In the meantime, he would give orders that the express train, leaving Palmerston at 9.35 a.m., stop at the Herbert Station.

A sale of pedigree greyhounds was lately held in Christehurch by Mr. Hawkes with the following result: —Regent, imported (from Mr. E. Row's kennel, Melbourne), L2 10s.; fawn slut, by Regent—Beatrice, own sister to Russian Emperor, from same kennel, L 5 55.; Venus, by Tarregan—Beeswing, with five pups five weeks old, L 3 55.; Jupiter, brother to Venus, LI ; Vieda, by Bobby Burns—Judy (imported), L2. We (Timaru Herald) understand that an Engineer will shortly be employed to take a flying survey of the Otaio and Pareora valleys, with a view to reporting as to the most suitable route for a branch railway in that neighborhood. Father O'Malley, who is about leaving Victoria to take up his residence in New Zealand, delivered a lecture recently at the Fitzroy Town Hall in aid of a benevolent object. The lecture must have been a very comprehensive one, as the rev. gentleman alluded, inter alia, to tides, volcanoes, recent discoveries in botany, the steam-engine, electric telegraph, telephone, microphone, and phonogragh, —Chronicle. The Khyber Pass, which the Viceroy of India will now probably annex to 'British India, is a narrow defile, 28 miles long, between lofty, perpendicular hills, the road, during its entire length, passing over roeks and boulders, which render a speedy advance or retreat of any body of men impossible. The heights on either side entirely command the defile, and are scarped so that they cannot, without great difficulty, be scaled. They are also perforated with numbers of natural caves, the secure haunts of the savage robbers who have for ages held possession of the Pass. The crests of the hills are further defended by stone breastworks, called sunghas. A small valley, called Gurliee Lall Beg, about six miles from the western entrance to the Pass, is the only open spot to be met with during the entire distsnce.—Sir George Lawrence's Reminiscences.