OAMARU STREET-PREACHING AND PSALM-SINGING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1115, 14 November 1879, Page 2

OAMARU STREET-PREACHING AND PSALM-SINGING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE OAMARU MAIL.

(TO THE EDITOR ,pF THE OAM ARU M'.fr ' i- •■•Sib, —It hajs.;qften occurred to nn> .„ lf i many others" that the police are v \., negligent of their duty to Hie iiih:.il>it ;in / of the town in allowing the—to a yiw majority—obnoxious practice of prcachin„ and psalm-singing in our main street everv Saturday evening. It may be a verv amusing pastime to certain " unco « u id" sects in our midst, who, according to their own vanity, are on the "right road," a nc £ no one but themselves is; but I assure you, Mr. Editor, it is to the great majority of the townspeople very disagreeable, not to say disgusting, that they cannot pass up or dewn Thames-street of a Saturday evening without being annoyed and insulted by these monstrous street reli"j UUs demonstrations. The promoters of this movement might keep themselves quiet and exercise their vocal and oratorical powers for their own particularly gooti sects, and let the grejit majority of the people who do not care to make.a display of their saintliness pass, up and down tho streets in peace. Or .if aro determined to exhibit their peculiar goodness I would suggest that .they should.congregate 011 a vacant section in. Thames-street , at the corner of Kibble-street, opposite a certain boarding-house, where they might succeed in counteracting the attraction of the boarding-house ; and, there are many similar plaoes in Oamaru where, if they really meant to do some good, they could, do so, much better than by congregating in Thames-street. Here is how they treat; such obstructionists in England (or Wales, rather) at the present time. . Accordion to the last mail, a sect there .who call themselves " Salvationists," and who were addicted to street-preaching for the edification of the miners, have been sent ta hard labor for obstructing the roads. The account states that " one of the preachers is a Miss Locko, and she,, with her coreligionists, has been sent to 'pick oakum.' (fide Morning Herald November 11.) I wonder if the same laws exist in New Zealand as in England. If so, and the police were made aware of the fact, it might induce them to do their duty and have a salutary effect oil the leaders these " unco guid " folk, and thus 03 of this obnoxious street-pre" jmn g on Saturday nights.—l am, X.Y.Z, ! Oamaru, Noveiv^ 1 ' T0 T ,-a EDITOR OF THE OAMARU" 53A11,. MR, —Can you enlighten me as to the reason why the pays are so irregular on the Windsor-Livingstone Railway 1 According to the promise made by tho Government, the men were to. get paid on the Ist of each month. In the present instance, a fortnight has elapsed since the announced pay day, and yet there ia not the least sign of our wages. Surely this state of things is too bad. This line, I presume, has been thrown open for tho benefit of the unemployed, the majority of whose earnings is scarcely sufficient fa their maintenance, and who, until tliif are paid for the month's work, are all bft destitute. Consequently, they are placed I at the tender mercies of the butcher lnd storekeeper, who do not forget to furiish them with their accounts monthly, ind who are, I must say, not the most g!nerous of mortals. Several instances lave come, under my notice, in which;tho above-mentioned gentlemen refused to supply the men with provisions becau o o£ their inability to pay for last' molth's supply. The result is that not a fep of the men are placed in a position bordjring on starvation, hot through any faut of theiv own, but through the culpable ifcgligence of those in power in failim to comply with their promise. Had they been more punctual in their paymenjs, it would, in a great measure, suppress.this growing evil, and would save many all industrious man from experiencing . the luxury of an empty stomach. This ii not the first time the men on this lineliave had to complain of the irregularity oj the payments. It is a grievance than has existed since the line was commenced. Hoping there ' will be some meroures taken to counteract this oppressive and hateful system. —I am, &c. One or the Oppressed. Windsor, November 14, 1879. [lt is very sad. We quite understand that the unemployed did not solicit wort simply for the sake of the love they heat it. What they wanted was, money to I enable them to keep body and soul together. But we fear that the Govern' ment cannot help their negligence. They are groaning under the distressing epidemic of which aur correspondent, and, in fact, all of i*s complain. It is hard I but we suppose that, like ourselves, and many others, the poor workmen will h»w to grimly grin and bear their hardship till relief arrives from the Old Country in ii' shape of a loan. This can be our only deliverer. We would suggest, however, that the complainants should lay their case before the members of Parliament for this district.—Ed. O.M.]