The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 861, 18 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. SATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 1879.

Tftrc vagaries of the. setf-mndint,' harvesters, which were under the charge of tin' railway department f ■ »r transportation Eniin- Lyttetton t>> ♦ 'amant a few days atji>-, are si> amusing to- thus** who were a,>t the victims i"f the fctn. that we ft.iv>' th-om/ht them- worth recording in "itr columns. %V shall endeavor t.i pome a moral as well as adorn a tale ; even at the risk <>f having a. charge of incessanr grmuMim: at tlur railway department uv.uk- against us.. *>u the f-.urth *>E the present mouth ten of WoodV setf-hindm-luvrvrsf.ycs were placed tut the raitway trucks at Fort Lyttcdton. consigned to Mr. J. CKt'wiE, Oamaru.. Portions of oisrfit of these arrived o U the i»th. and the remaining p'Tti'ms of the eiyht and the vvtmte of the other two arrived mi the t Ith. The agent seareety munnured at what in other countries would he considered £" bear a very close resemhtanee to rtriti'>i:--i-It;fay ; hat, grateful that the Railway Department hail condescended to forward the machines at all. tost. n» time in awing that two of them were sent to W;«motu ««d two t" To I .■ EtK>r.\KEKs Siding, in »rder t.n prevent as tar as possihte any further disappointment.. Everybody know* that TKHi'W.MAKfin'* Siding and Wainiotn are hut a few tulles from«>amanf.yet threat-fit to the firstt mentioned place did it"t math there till the J"th. whilst the two consigned to Wsiiinvotit were sent to VVaimatt?.'" The consignee at Waiinate was enraged, and the agent, discovering from the" railway officials at o.imartt the whereah<>uta of the machines, once mure heaved a sigh of relief. There was yet a faint hope that they might he safety landed where he wanted thent t» go. The Railway Department set the wires in operation, and the resntt was that the- truck coataiuifig t-fie mai'httKfl waH oit«> niort* in ♦ truant.. " Here was an event •►ver which the aaent wmtltl have s{'■'>«» ttitt> et-stasic* futf, a iiay hefore; httt ftt* tt* toning- heart. TherewiM some fatality ahtutt these W«»m» They mr;-ht he v«ry jcoott things* i-'U farms-. *>nt the tltthetttty wat to li'et thein there. With a faint heart he saw theut make another ilepartHre for soruewht't-e - sortth thw time. At all yvent* that vena sortie why re tiearer the mark. A ste[» in the rl-ht tlireetiott hail hee« taken, »»•{ his heart fwramt! tighter a* hv sat ihtni in his otfee yhair arul eotisoletl httuself with the thought that the- machines mi::ht vet reauh Waituottf. IVit the *!«.•'it wa* in the machine:*, ami when they \Va:areka JuftttioM he tttvtinketi the •■onpliny.-f. anil the trtii'k entttaintni: them was* left there tilt uml-tlay of the «tay on whieh tlvev startetL The engineer who had itntit* to- Watmottt to put the maelnncs tou'etlwr found awaiting thtlr arrival a Uttl'y {nonotonotM, and aetortlin.u'ty he. for the safco t.f variety, retitrnett to. ttomaru. Here the ajji-itt antl the engineer eompared tu»terf. and it wa* sw!»seipterttly arrn.nitetl that a special t'nytne shoirld tonvtv the- machines tu the now celeHrated Wanuotu. The engine «£rew the truck ki .titaitunir the niat'hines to Waiovotti - it drew" it even to Otepopo ; whilst the engineer that had o»me atf the way from t'luist.:hurch tit erect tfie machitie.-* heya-v to-wish himself out of thi.* nistriet an»t safety at home, and that he eotthl ho relilted of the nf settmg »l> niachln** that appeared to he hewitchttl. llitr.. to the? eiurpriso of t.-veryliody cic nvned. the machine* were safely L-iiuLhl at Waimottt at last, after tkdaya and tips and tlowr.-t unparalleled tit :>e history or machinery or anything eNe. Of (course those who-ordered the maehtne3 will low coiuhterahly thro.t_'h the failure of the Kailway i>«,-p;trtnu-nf to fnftil what appears to ordinary peot.L' to lie tf:-. ;r ohliu'iuiijus. Ilwt we nodersitand that the railway authorities* intend to not eharye anytbtne «xtfi», twtratwt' the machine* to«>k of the department and travelled W t>r'» grwater extent of country than was twt«n«tedJ»y 3ntic»n*yns,-o*. lint. , singular thtottgh tt may appear, those per-: stJftst are- «ibsatisfie«t with s«ch an atrrangementef'thenraliter. Th«>railwayanthorittes gaay escmv tttenuctve» vi any W;«ue for

the delay that occurred between Lyttelton and Oamaru, because the machines were acnt during the block which occurred on the line through the damaged state of the Rangitata Bridge. Hut what can they say in extenuation of the more aggravating and stupid delays that subsequently occurred? —Notaword. The Department is highly blamable, and should be made to pay the penalty. but the adoption of extreme measures will ever imbue railway officials with a correct estimate vf the value of time to fne people for whom they work, and put a atop to the extraordinary delays of which we hear ever}' day.