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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1234, 1 April 1880, Page 2

Mr. Murray is using every endeavor to persuade the Hon. Mr. Oliver to erect a verandah at tkc railway station at Milton. What an absurdity. Who and what is Mr. Oliver? He was but a few uxeks ago the Minister for Public Works. But he js not so now. Hi 3 duties are being performed by a commission. The members of this body having undertaken a task the difficulty of which terrified the Minister for Pnblic Works, it is nothing less than an insnlt to them to refer such a matter as that of a station verandah to that effete Minister. Wc want a station with a verandah, a conrtI house, a gaol, and a custom-house. We j have wanted for them for years; but we have concluded that the responsibility of granting saieli things is too great for any representative Government, and we intend to rcpo3C ottr confidence in the Commissioners a3 re-, gards the station—they are jolly good fellows—and shall, of course, get it; but, as for the others, we sitppose that we shall have to await the appointment 'of a few more other Commissions before we shall get Ihtm. People of Milton, put not yottr trust in princes. These arc not the day of representative but of vicarious Government. Mails for the Australian Colonies close at the Bluff at 11 a.m. to-morrow.

From what we can glean, the /price now ruling in Oamaru for prime sampler of .wheat is 45., although some of the merchants refuse to operate at that price, considering itfto be too high. Captain Edwin telegraphs-that there are indications of a strong wind from east to' north and northwest, with a glass fall. As Mr. Alexander Paterson wa3 proceeding home on foot last inight, at about halfpast S or 9 o'clock, a man stopped him opposite Myers' butcher's shop in Thames-street, and complained to him that he had been robbed of his watch in one of the dens of infamy in Trent-street, and asked him to go with him and endeavor to recover the stolen property. Mr. Paterson, of course, declined. The fellow then asked him if he was a policeman, and immediately on receiving a negativereply, hethrustbis fingers inside Mr. Paterson's shirfc collar, and pressed his knuckles against his throat with such force that it luckily gave way. Mr. Paterson, feeling himself relieved, grappled with his antagonist. After a severe struggle he threw him on the ground, and held him until Mr. Myers came to his assistance, bringing a rope with which he hobbled the culprit's legs. He was then, with the .aid of a constable, conveyed to the lock-up. This man was to-day brought before Mr, Parker, charged with assault, and fined L2, with the alternative of a week's imprisonment. It is questionable whether or not the penalty imposed is as severe as the circumstances of the case demanded. That the assailant was muddled by drink should not be viewed as an extenuating circumstance, Men have no right to partake of drink until they arouse their savage natures. Had not Mr. Paterson's pluok and skill enabled him to turn the tables on his assailant, the consequences might have been serious, That the aggressor did his best to injure a man who, it appears, had not given him the slightest cause to do so, there can be no question, nor can it be disputed that he succeeded fairly well in his designs, for a drunken man. This appears to be a case that bears some analogy to that of the man Butler. Both, it seems, wreaked their vengeance on the innocent in order to be equal with what they viewed as cruel society. The agent of the great vh?li»iste, Madame Camilla Urso, informed us yesterday evening that this accomplished lady will visit Oamaru in about three weeks' time, and give concerts assisted by a company of clever pianists and vocalists.

There was a very fair attendance at the Volunteer Hall last evening, when Mr,, Mrs. and Miss Hart appeared for the last time, The entertainment was again thoroughly enjoyed, and the performers were frequently applauded.

The vital statistics for Oamaru for the month of March were—Births, 36; marriages, 6; deaths, Id. The meeting of the Waiareka Road Board called for yesterday lapsed owing to there not being sufficient members present to form a quorum. The meeting was adjourned until Wednesday next. It is notified that the mails which hitherto closed at half-past 6 o'clock in the morning will close at 6 o'clock.

To-morrow evening Mr. and Mrs. Florence, assisted by a number of amateur vocalists and members of the Dramatic Club, will give an entertainment in the Volunteer Hall, The programme prepared is a very excellent one, and should draw a crowded house. The Hon. Mr. Rolleston is visiting the Ohinemuri, Katikati, Tauranga Te Puke, and Pahe districts, with a view of opening up all the lands available on the deferred payment system. Two large blocks at Patutchi, two at "Wairoa (Hawke's Bay), and a portion of the Te Puke block, near Tauranga, will be opened at once. Mr. M'Kerrow, the Surveyor-General, will also visit the districts north of Auckland, for the purpose of inspecting suitable blocks for opening under the deferred payment system.

Many of our readers will no doubt remem» ber having seen in a recent number of the C4raphic a likeness of Commandant Cecil D'Arcy, of the African Frontier Light Horse, upon whom the Victoria Cross has been bestowed for repeated acts of bravery in the field, but especially for giving up his horse to a wounded trooper when hotly pursued by the enemy. Commandant D'Arcy is the son of Major D'Arcy, of the l-Bth Royal Irish and Cape Mounted llifles, and was born in Wanin ISSI. He is described to us by one who knew him as being a thorough man and a gentleman in every sepse.

Commenting upon our special correspondent's report of the Christchureh Review, the Otago Daily Times makes the following remarks, with which we think the majority of the public will heartily concur : —"lf the charges made by the Mail's correspondent can he proved the leaders should be punished by dismissal from the ranks, and we think the Brigades would be benefited by being purged of the presence of a few thoroughbred larrikins, whose misconduct has brought disgrace upon agenerallyrespectable and efficient body of men. It is almost impossible, in the face of what has been stated, to believe that the charges are entirely groundless, or that the conduct of the Volunteers was not more than might reasonably be expected from a lot of high-spirited young fellows out for a holiday. We are glad to hear that Captain Goldie, of the Port Chalmers Naval Brigade, j has instituted an inquiry, and we hope his. example will be followed by the captain of the other company whose good behaviour has been called in question. The New Zealand Herald says that failing securing the services of Mr, JJigginbotham as consulting engineer to the . Railway Commission, an attempt should be made to induced Mr. Elsdon- to accept the position. He, it-appears from the representations of our contemporary, is an expert in railway patters, and, some time ago, was the manager of th,e Hobson's Bay Railway Company, and visited Europe and America on behalf I of" Victoria, to report on railways in those countries. From what we can learn, however, it is the intention of the Commisgion to depend upon Mr. Blair for professional advice, Manvood, the English hangman, said the other day in Sheffield, at a religious lecture delivered by him in that town, fhat Queen Victoria"was a Bible Queen, England a Bible country, and the English people a Bible people. Religion is evidently advancing in Sheffield.

The Mount Ida paper, in writing about the Maniototo Flour Mill Company, says that if what is stated be true, that sufficient oats have been grown this seasoir to last the district for at least two years, it is plain that the farmers will have to turn their attention: to wheat, that it is desirable for their sake, as well as that of the other inhabitants of the district, that a mill should be provided. It says that the mere saving of cartage from Palmerston would mean a difference of from 7s to S3 per 2001b bag of flour. The price of the 41b loaf should, therefore, be reduced or 2d—that is, instead of being lQd, as now, it should then be about Bd, I

It is announced in another column that Professor Hughes will not appearin Oamaru this evening, because of his : success in Timarti. The date of'his entertainment trill be duly advertised. , The following matters of interest to this district occupied the attention of- the Waste Lands Board yesterday :—Mr. E. Menlove applied for compensation, under the Forest Tree Planting Act, for planting an area of land.—Government to be recommended to grant the application. Frank Edward "Eley applied to purchase a haK of section 39, now section 57, block ■ V3H,; Otepopo, district, presently withheld from sale as a reserve for timber—Referred to Ranger for report.

We see by an advertisement in the Otago Daily Times that Mr. A, J, Towsey will shortly resume the practice of his prefession, and will give lessons in the pianoforte, organ, practical aud theoretical vocalisation, the physiology of the human voice, Italian school of singing, harmony, and composition. The Otago Daily Times says ; —The Education Board will shortly send home for their annual supply of books, and country library committees who wish to secure additions to their catalogues must forward their lists without delay. We have heard a suggestion with regard to country libraries which we fancy deserves consideration. It is that provision should be made for the return or exchange by committees of books which have gone out of circulation. In small districts it frequently happens that many of the books first obtained- haye been read ■ over ■ and over again, until they become, so. much dead stock on the shelves. By a system of exchange, one library might receive from another books which to the one were stale and to the other fresh; while new libraries might make up a gopd portion of their list at reduced rates from such stock,

The " New Zealand Poet" (says the Timaru Telegraph).has obtained fourth place in the competition re an inaugural cantata for the Melbourne Exhibition. His nom de "Lyre Bird," Mr, Meatjen, a draper at Collingwood, won the first prize. We suppose that " the New Zealand Poet" is Mr. Bracken. If so,, the. successful compeiitor's effort must have been an exceedingly good production. We had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Bracken's cantata read by the author before it wqs sent tp Australia, arj4 had Mr. Bracken, been honored, with the prize we would not have been at all surprised. We suppose, however, that the public will have the pleasure of judging of the "New Zealand Poet's" production themselves, as it wjjl doubtless be published in the Saturday Advertiser, and other Colonial public journals.

The Mount Ida Chronicle says :—" 'Hotcross buns' are three words which one would think wonld hardly make a good subject for a sermon.. Yet the Rev. John Hobbs ipade them the corner-stone of his sermon last Sunday. The rev-, gentleman waxed very warm in his discourse, and said that the practice was a 'most horrible one;' 'it was an insult to Almighty God.' The idea of a person irreligiously eating a lot of buns with a cross on them made him almost shudder. It is no doubt owing to our 'lamentable ignorance,' but we must confess that we have hitherto demolished hotcross buns ou good Friday with an easy conscience. We do not know how this bit of ignorance compares with the ' rotation of colors' business, but we evidently are very much in want of ritualistic education, It might be remarked that if anyone but a clergyman had said that eating hot-cross buns was an 'insult,' &c., it would have been considered blasphemy. In some churches now-a-days, however, clergymen seem to have carte blanche to say and do whatever they like." The Chronicle has treated the rev. gentleman far too harshly. Mr. Hobbs, like newspaper editors, may sometimes have a difficulty in treating upon a subject when he has chosen it, or, perhaps, it may be as difficult to really enter into the spirit of some of the rev. gentleman's sermons as it is to understand some leading articles. But we confess that we cannot see anything " most horrible " in eating hot-cross buns. We have, from our earliest infancy, partaken of them fresh from the hands of the manipulator whenever we could get them, and innocently supposed that we were injuring nobody but ourselves. But if the rev. gentleman's ideas on the subject of hot-cross buns be orthodox, what a mountain of guilt some people liave piled up. An Act should be passed to abolish hot cross buns, and missionary societies should instruct their servants in benighted countries like New Zealand and Patagonia to inveigh against the practice as "blasphemous." It would probably take some little time for the religious fire peculiar to Hobbs-to uproot the evil; or rather cause the worshippers of this new form of the golden calf to swallow sanctimonious notions more indigestible than the buns themselves. But, then, if the Rev. Mr. Hobbs and those .who think with him, could only get people to do this, what else might they not; accomplish. The greatest difficulty that the crusaders against these hotrcross buns would haye to accomplish would be to persuade people that in judging of things they should use Mr Hobbs' qr any other man's conscience instead of that which their Creator has given them. J ' ;f -