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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1216, 10 March 1880, Page 2

The Government are taking measures which are necessaiy to facilitate the transportation of grain to market during the season upon which we are just entering, In doing this they are not only granting the settlers that to which they have a right, but they are fostering the traffic of the railways by providing feeders in the shape of sidings, &C, here and there throughout the district. The experience of past years I indicated where these feeders, were required. Growers complained that they were shut out froin the advantages of railway carriage : because ordinary and necessaiy appliances for trucking produce were so distant from their farms that adherence to the old system of carting their produce to Oamaru paid them better than sending it by rail. The "Whitstone settlers, amongst others, agitated for a siding in their district. This work was undertaken by the Government, and is so. fast approaching completion that it will be ready for the present season. Jhtf Tye hear that the value of this siding to the settlers depends upon the action of the "Waitaki County Council. The approaches have yet to be made, and it appears that it is the .duty of the County Council to make them. It is probable that the matter will be discussed at the meeting of the Council to be held to-mozTOW. If the siding is not to remain absolutely useless to the settlers —if growers are not to be put to serious ineonyenjence at a time when they can ill afford to suffer- them—the Council will have to discuss this matter to-morrow. "We will not say that they must decide upon immediately giving orders for the peiformance of the work in question because we know that it is unnecessary to do so. The members of the Council are practical men, gnd a glance at the question would be sufficient tq convince them of its importance.

The rains that have fallen in this district since last night, will, it is feared, have an injurious effect upon the grain that is in stook. It is unfortunate that rain should have fallen at a time when so many of our fanners had resolved upon adopting the system of threshing from the still more unfortunate th-it the weather seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

A special meeting of the Municipal Council will be held at 11.o'clock to-morrow for the purpose of confirming the resolutions in reference to tjie special and general rates.

The monthly meeting of the County Council will be held to-morrow, ni noon.

The Palmerston annual race-meeting will be held on Friday next, and should provide $ good day's sport. The entries are excellent, and of the quality of some of the horses engaged at the meeting there can be no doubt. The railway department announce, in connection with the races, that ordinary single-fare tic! ets issued from any station between Oam.-.ra and Duneclin to Palmerston will be available for return op the same day. Tin's should act as an additional incentive to those who are desirous of a day's outing and who can afford the time to pay Palmerston a visit. It will be remembered that, owing to the case of drowning which occurred at Ngapara about a fortnight ago, it was rendered necessary to postpone the concert and dance announced to be given to provide funds to pay off liabilities in connection with the Caledonian games. The entertainment will be given oh Friday evening, and we hope to be able to record fchc fact that it hasprovedhighly successful, for nothing conlcl be more deserving of encouragement than efforts to free any society from debt. We are informed that a large number of brown trout jjave been deposited in a portion of the bed of the Jiakanui River thr- ugh the subsidence of that stream. - Thousands of small fish of this description are spattered over the shingle, The information is such as to cause pleasure and regret—pleasure because it proves that these fish are becoming plentiful in the stream, and regret that so many promising little fish should have met with srach an untimely death. Mr. J. H. Wheeler, who has been chief clerk in the Oamaru Telegraph Office for about two years and a half, is about to be removed to Waikari, Canterbury, where he will take charge of the office.' His successor will be Mr. W. Gordon, at present in the Wangahui office. All who have been brought into contact with Mr. Wheeler, while regretting to hear of his removal; will be pleased to learn that he has obtained welLeamed promotion.

The ranger of the Kakanni district was a few days ago presented witjj a hare weighing over lOlbs, which he says js the largest he has ever seen in the district. It was the victim of a snare, and was discovered with a wire loop round its neck. It is well for the unprincipled slayer .that he is unknown. The Waimate Times adds the following remarks to our statement that a large herd of deer had been seen in the Morven Hills County:—"If they are red deer there can | be no doubt that their origin is as stated. If we remember correctly it was about eight or nine years ago .that a young stag and.two hinds were brought up by steamer to Oamaru, and their landing superintended by Messrs.. Waddell, WTieatley (some tjnje deceased) And others, of whom the writer was one, These animals, or their progeny, have since been frequently seen about Morven Hill 3, though this is by far the largest herd yet counted." When the Commission to investigate the Waimate Plains affair was ' appointed: we took exception to its constitution, and pointed out that the natives would disapprove of the appointment of Sir VV. Fo::. If we accept the statements that have appeared in the most reliable section of the Colon|al. Press, we were, correct in our prognostications; but judging from what has appeared hi -thpsa papers which are thick-and-thiu 'supporters of the Government wfi/werc' in error, '. The 2fdw Zealand Herald, a paper that has generally approved of the policy of the Government since it entered into the compact with the four Auckland secedcrs, gives the following from its own correspondent at Hnwora;—"The Commissioner* have, for the present, closed their sittings at Hawwa. Groat efforts have been made to havo it appear that their mission to some extent will be successful, but it is notorious that not a single native' who acknowledges the mipromacy of ;Te Whiti has approached the Commission, while those outsiders who liavo attended, ajtor gravely advocating preposterous claims, have joined the crowd of natives outside, and

made the inquiry a subject of ridicule and laughter. _The Commissioners' employ, tools? of the Native Department to.? staTad in roadway outside the building in which sit to stop passing Maoris, and;iihplore them te come in, and make some kind-'of claim—anything, so long as the Commissioners have something upon -which to base a report. The -whole thing is humiliating aud contemptible in the extreme in the eyes of both Europeans and natives. Apart from objections to the personnel of the Commission, principally as regards Sir WiUiamJFox, the native mind cannot grasp the-idea of'a-new-executive body inquiring into their clJMmfc.'' The authenticity of thfe"damning' statements contained in the above .'has "lateen de'rne'd in the Government Press. But not a single, paper has had the courage to assert that the v Commission has been successful in performing the work for which it was appointed, and it is generally understood that the operations of the Commission will be brought to a sudden and unsatisfactory termination. The Waimate Times says of the jWaimate Courthouse, "It is the best-looking temple of justice we have seen in the Colony," and then gives a long and particular account, the reading of which convinces us that this assertion is not without/foundation. We regret that the Times' excellent description of the building is too long for our ! oolumns in their present crowded state.