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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 955, 10 May 1879, Page 2

A ranting of the Committee of the Nprth Otara Azrifoltnral and Pastoral Association w"h«i3 thL afternoon. The President (Mr. John field) ojipaptcd the chair, and filers was a good attendee of members. TUe Chairman briefly expresae<ili;3 thanks to the Society for having elected him Prudent. It was dtwls'd that the meetings shoaid »« h«M on the tLirti Tbnrsday in each month, ttt -j a.m. JLr. CfcuivJa vtas re-elected Ssecretary sA a salary c# £ y tar - J.**®* resolved to contfibttte JUJ» a towards the AußierLTTJuar. The following Conrmitteo vexe appelated;—Cap and medal,

Messrs. Bonayne Henderson,. Hedley, and Comiell; Finance, Messrs. Connell, Ronayce, and Hedley; Printing and aadadvertising, Messrs. Young, Toad, and Hedlev. It was resolved that the programme should be discussed at the meeting on the tbirtTThursday of June, and it having been decided that cheques should be signed by the Treasurer, President or Vice-President, and the Secretary, the meeting terminated. 3£r. Pryde (Secretary of the Otago School Boird) and Mr. Somerrille (architect to the Board) have been on a visit to Oamaru for several days past, their object being to arrange for certain much needed improve-, tncnis to be effected in connection with our school buildings. At the Resident Magistrate's Court today, before T. W. I'rtrker, Ivsq., K.M., J. P. M'Nally was brought up on remand from yesterday on a charge of receiving money by false pretences from one Samuel Levy, and was sentenced to 40 days' imprisonment. Neil Cameron, charged with being of unsound mini, was ordered t_> be sent to the Dunedin Lunatic Asylum.

It is notified that in future the services in tonne. tiou with the Congregational Church will be held in the old Tees-street Hall, and Mr. Jeffreys will h<>l<l his services in the Volunteer Hall. Wt: would ."iL'nin remind owners of dogs enteral for the North Otago Coursing Club's Derby Stakes, to be run on Tuesday next, that final payments must be made to the Hon. Secretary (Mr. Konayne) before 8 o'clock on Monday evening. The drawing will take place immediately afterwards. At the sale of Messrs. Gifford and Evans' property on Wednesday last, Mr. Fleming offered a veritable Colorado beetle for sale, when the bidding reached ss. Our Teaneraki correspondent writes to say that a slight shock of earthquake was felt on Friday morning about a quarter-past twelve.

"An Observer" writes from Livingstone as follows:—"Sir, —A concert has recently been held at Livingstone in aid of the funds of. the Macrewhcnua Miners' Association. To the unenlightened this will appear a questionable mode of augmenting their means. To disabuse the minds of those of your readers who may have noted this, a few remarks in explanation will not be out of place. The Association appears to have been called into existence in March, 1873, for the purpose in the first instance of opposing the sale in one block of 10,000 acres to one individual. This was done because the proposed sale included not only a good deal of known auriferous ground, but some good agricultural land. They were successful only to the extent of changing the situation of the block so as to exclude their workings. I As they began, so have they continued, not I only defending to the best of their ability ! their recognised rights and privileges, but in the absence of a Borough Council or Progress j Committee, they have, as necessity arose, ' tilled the jjosition of both in the interests of ' the district. They have endeavored to pre- < serve for legitimate settlement the lands of ; t!ie locality from the grasp of the monopolist, j They it was who first moved in the matter [of a -v'rooi tor the children and a post office for the gnidheld, improved roads and tracks

for t'.v.v. Uero. a bridge for the convenience .'t r-siii.ciifrf on both si<l>*s of the river, and rr.rfow other matters: so that i~ is not only in the tiiSt-rt:sti: of miners pure ami simple t;: ti their cilbrts have been put forth, Imt for the general benefit of the district and the public at large. Tiiey ave thus heavily handieappjd. TJieir struggle ill this direction has been continuous. A recommendafii.ti: tii'.-y recently made to oi)en lands 011 both sides'of the river for settlement seems tn haw .•'.roti.-ed the ire of the neighboring .-tttfUtt-rs. judging by their recent conduct. Tltu -;>tm-'r.-t are sensible of the fact that their .• - is a very unequal one. there being .-.l'lT.vi-i: ag.iinst them wealth, power, and d::r>:i>-ity. Little wonder then that they and tiieir means unequal to t|ie tax upon tiii in, and ask the public to contribute a small portion of the necessary funds to enable them to effectually carry on the war." The Tiiiiam Herald says :—" On passing a certain bank in Timani at an early hour this morning, we observed that that institution wr.a ornamented with a sign in the same in.-.niiur as were the bank.-: of former days, viz., with the three balls of Loinbardy." A correspondent in the Timani Herald complains that the local immigration oflieer refused to>necept the nomination of a person p.-i an immigrant because he is Irish, and says that if such restrictions have been put in force the fact should be notified. The Herald says that it lias discovered through enquiry that labor having becomo more plentiful now that the grain season is over, and as but few ships are leaving here for Home- the nominated list must be curtailed, ami a fair proportion of emigrants allowed to each country. Out of every 14 souls, 7 are to be English, 4 Irish, and 3 Scotch.