The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1188, 6 February 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1880.

We yesterday save the 'Mayor of Wellington credit for being a sensible man, because he had decided not to take any action, in view of the unpropitious nature of the times, in connection with the Rowland Hill Memorial Fund, and wc must now give the same credit to the Mayor and Councillors of Oatnaru. At last night's meeting of the Council the following telegram, addressed by Mr. A. T. Maginnity to the oiiicer in charge of the Oamaru Telegraph Office, was read : —L'iease ascertain from the Mayor of your town if anything has been done about Rowland Hill "Memorial. Cable authorities inquiring. Keply." Several Councillors at once said, "Reply 'No,'" while one Councillor boldly said,""'And say that nothing is going to be done," a remark which very evidently met with the approval of the whole Council, including his Worship the Mayor. No resolution was come to, but it was generally understood that 110 action would be taken in the matter. There seems to be little room for hope that the present Ministry will agree to an exchange of the police paddock for another gaol site. At the meeting of the Municipal Council, last evening, his YVorship the Mayor said the Council could not hope for any exchange of sections, as the Hou. Mr. Rollcston was decidedly opposed to the Government parting with a single section. He stated that he believed the Hons. Messrs. Oliver and Rolleston would visit Oamani early next week, and it was agreed that the Committee appointed to interview them should meet at an early date, and prepare a statement of what was required for the town.

At the Resident Magistrates Court today, before T. W. Parker, Ksq., R.M., John Morrison, charged with being drunk and disorderly in Thames-street yesterday, was discharged. It appears that after all the new uniforms 'for No. 1 CoinjKiny did not arrive by the ! mail steamer. They wore shipped on board | the steamer City of London, and are probability. They may consequently be expected ! here in the course of a week or so. j His Worship the Mayor of Christchnrch has cot himself into a very foolish position. It will be remembered that some time since the Mayor of the City of the Plains, amidst itutch enshing, presented a diamond ring to Miss Beatrice, the actress, m the presence ot' the audience, declaring that it was from "a number of her admirers and friends." All this sounded very wonderful, and sensible people began to ask what on earth Miss IJeatrice. a capable but by no means brilliant actress, had done to entitle her to such a presentation. 'I he very ugly cat is out of the bag now. Mr. D Orsay Ogden, Miss Beatrice's husband, found it necessary to tile his schedule the other day in Christchnrch and to bolt afterwards. Onet-f the items in the levanted and lamented Ogden's schedule is a claim for Ll2, the value of the ring presented to Mis 3 Beatrice. As the Sun says, neither the diamond ring, the "admirers and friends," not the Ll2 due for the bauble are to be found anywhere. The only thing left in connection with the " presenta'ion " is his Worship the Mayor, at whose expense the public are enjoying a good hearty laugh. Owing to the rooms being otherwise engaged, the Christian Young Men's Association Tonic Sol-Fa Singing Class will not meet thi3 evening, but will resume work next Friday evening. In a town slightly sonth of Oamarn a painful accident has just occurred, which has cast quite a gloom over the community. A gentleman who administers refreshing draughts to the weary traveller and townsman jaded by the turmoil of business, intimated to one of these persons who had favored him with hi 3 patronage day after : dav, month after month, that the principles i Btjpn which he was enabled to continue i granting his benefits to the human race were ' based upon the exchange of commodities. The subject of the letter felt annoyed that j tie pleasure of the festive occasion should be ! marred by the introduction of such sordid ! considerations. But he concealed well his ! annoyance. He is.a man who has a soul above ' taking oHfeuce at such trifles, and the demand ! that he should pay a long score was met by | the greatest good nature. He indulged in refreshing pleasantries, ;i n the midst of which his friend, the dispeuser of cooling beverages, suddenly rendered one of his organs of loco- | motion rigid, and as suddenly the debtor was j to have felt a shock as though the comet had fallen. But he did not. Dexterously catcliI in" the lever that was to have impelled him i j n to the road, he upset the fulcrum. There ! wa3 SMC Ii a crash and a smash, and the ! doctor had to set the elbow joint of the i vanquished. It is a very queer tale. But it is not all told. The man who owes the ctfeer man the money, and broke his arm, brought an action for assault against the •latter, and had him lined lis. Moral:— | Never ask debtors for payment of what they owe you. whom yon leave behind may have to defray the expenses of a i funeral.

When the idea of holding a bazaar for the purpose of raising funds to assist the Athenwum was first mooted, it was doubted by aome whether the game would be worth the candle. They feared that not more than L2>o would be raised. How agreeably deceive/1 they must have felt to find that their estimate was too meagre by UiO-K The receipts from the liazaar were Lsoo—a handHome addition to the funds of the institution. This amount, with L2OO reserve fund, an .value of building and books, and .-rrivp.rs <!:!•• by subscriber*. gives a total of Lltj.">n as the "assets ot the institution. The thanks of the community ;ire due to the i.f.,r tii- ir editions in connection with t'i': 1 :tznr. Nearly the whole of the success is slue to the earnestness and assiduity with which they engaged in the good work ; the t<:vian*.'>; of" tii-;*Kn«x*C£S i* tine to the inde-lV.:i-rtfii!ity at Messrs. H if lop and Forrester, ablv assisted by other warm friends of the institution. Seeing that others have done no much to maintain, or, rather, increase, the efficiency of onr public library, it would not, ue think, be out of place to remind those subscribers who are in arrears that their amounts would be very acceptable to the Secretary. The institution cannot be carried on wit&out a little ready cosh, and indebted

subscriptions might easily provide what is necessary •without feeling any pressure themselves. About S o'clock this morning an accident, which might have proved fatal, happened to a well-known resident in the town named Peet. From what we have been able to hear of the particulars, it appears that Mr. Peet was ou the top of a chimney at the back of Messrs. Menzies and Co., engaged in cleaning the same, supporting himself by tlie coping, which suddenly gave way, and he was precipitated to the ground a distance of. about 40 feet. Assistance was propptly rendered, but it was about ten minutes before he recovered his senses sufficiently to ask to be conveyed to his own home, where he was attended to by Dr. Fleming. So ,far as is known, no bones have been broken, but he is severely bruised on the right shoulder, side, and back. Mr. Peet certainly had a narrow escape of losing his life, as, in his fall, he only missed the corner of a small building by about an inch. A complaint has been made to.the Harbor Board, by residents in Humber-stveet, of the annoyance caused 'by loungers' on the' 1 each, and the Board to-day decided to ask the Municipal Gouncil to take steps to rid beach of the nuisance. - A meeting of the Ladies' Committee of the Oaniani Coil'ce Rooms was held to-day. It was reported that the result of the five inonlis' opcrations'were highly satisfactory, ilio rooms hot only having paid expenses, liiit loft a considerable balance to the good. It was resolved to refund the amount to the gentlemen who had kindly paid the first three months' rent. Votes of thanks were accorded to Mrs. Clowes and Mrs. Mirams for the manner in which they had managed the aliairs of the room and kept the books. A vote of thanks was also passed to Mrs. I'ator.son for the highly satisfactory manner in which she bad conducted the rooms. A meeting to arrange matters in connection with the proposed visit to Oamaru of Pastor C'hiniquy will be held at the Young Men's Christian Association Rooms this evening, at half-past 7 o'clock.