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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 2 September 1880, Page 2

It is only fair to remark in connection with the rejection of Mr. M'Combe's nomina<tion yesterday that the omission of a portion of Mr. M'Combe's qualification from the roll was the result of a change from the Otago Ordinance to the Municipal Corporations Act, IB7jß, Under the former Ordinance a ratepayer had only one vote, and there was no stipulation as to Any special amount to qualify a candidate. It was therefore nnnecessary to state, on the roll tho whole of the sections in respect of which a bargees paH rates, and for this reason the course asaalJy followed was merely to enumerate one or two sections, which fully entitled tbe ratepayer to all the privileges conferred by the Ordinance, The roll pnder which the election was held yesterday prepared under the old Ordinance and in Jtbe gsiial form. The omission therefore of a portion of Mr. M'Combe's property from mention op the roll was not a fault bat a misfortune.

At the meeting of the Fire Brigade, Iwt evening, subscriptions were acknowledged from Mr. A. J. S. Headland, L2; and Mr, J5. G. Lane, LI. It was also announced that Mr. % falconer had presented the Brigade ffftbaytferfawik.

In order to fittingly wind up the day's celebration of the opening of the Waterworks, the Band of No. 1 Company have determined to give an open-air concert this evening on the Old Cricket Ground. Members will meet in plain clothes at half-past seven o'clock sharp. Oamaru is to receive a visit from Batchelder's American Combination, including "a colossean pantascope" of a tour through America, and Chalet, a ventriloquist. The first entertainment will be given on Wednesday evening next. A pigeon match is announced to take place on Saturday afternoon at Kakanui, and ah express will leave the Commercial Tards at 12 o'clock. The Rev. J. Crump gave a very interesting lecture on " Music" last evening, in Wesley Church, in the presence of a very good audience. Mr. J. Lindsay occupied the chair. The rev. lecturer, in opening his subject, said he wished to take a practical view of the matter, and claimed the indulgence of any proficient musicians who were present while he dealt with the elementary part of music. All nature was musical. Music was intimately connected with the highest part of our nature, and even a contemplation of heaven was impossible without musical associations. Thirty years ago, he recollected how, in a Shropshire choir, a tenor had sobbingly retired during the rendering of an ordinary psalm tune. When interrogated as to thejyeaspji of bis sadness, he acknowledged his inability to understand it, except that the music seemed carried to a higher sphere than that with which it was associated in every-day speech. The lecturer himself thought that at present we only caught the fringe of the garment: in another world we should understand music in its pnrity. Speakipg pf the alleged unmusical character of the English, he saidlie feared this charge had foundation, and as a proof of the nnmusical age in which we live, the fapt that in one of the best of our New Zealand PjlPirs pot more than three members could read at sight the simplest tune. After alluding to the successful competition of an English Tonic Sol-Fa choir in Paris some years ago, the rev. gentleman spoke at some length on the steps to be taken for the recovery of our lost ground in musical proficiency. Musical science should be studied as well as the art practised, Instrumental niusio jiqt take precedence to the detriment of vocal. God had given th£ best human voice—to every home j and this could be used without the aid of a costly piano. The lecturer concluded by showing the merits of the Sol-Fa system, and by urging the gratification of the infantile ear, which was very impressionable to musical sounds, and which migljt easily be trained. Homes without song mußt necessarily Jiave a saddened aspect, which might be driven away by the musical training of the young. During the evening Mr. D. Booth sang several solos in capital style, and the choii" effectively rendered three anthem?. A phildreij'j? choif also illusrated the adaptability of the Tonics Sol-Fa system. Miss Crump presided at the piano, and Mr. Powell accompained with the cornet. A vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, and the Benediction closed a pleasantly-spent evening. The monthly jjjeptjng of tho Road Board was held at the offices, Tyne : street, when there were present i—Messrs. Gilchrist (in the chair), Aikenhead, Collis, Elder, Hedley, Manning, M'Donald, Morton? M Thereon, and Walker. Mr. G. M. Barr, engineer, was also in attendance. After the minutes of previous meeting had been read an 4 confirmed, two letters were read from Mr. Herdman, of Reidston, complaining of the culvert in Stone-street, and fifing that the same be removed. It was decided that no action be taken in the matter. Mr. W. H. feschemaker waited on the Board, and asked that two culverts and a cutting be constructed on the rqad.-line pn gectjqns) 19 and 20, block 5, Kauro.o, an.d offered to hav.e the gtone carted to the place at his expense. It was resolyed that a sjim not exceeding Li 5 be spent under the eupepinr tendence of the Engineer, The Otepopo Road Board wrote, stating that they had agreed to ask the Waitaki County Council to take over the bridge and approach at Kakanui Mouth. The . Engineer's report was ppafl, and the following decisions were arrived at. That tenders be called for j works on re opened road tp faJVyyay station, as soon as the Board's title tp the land shall have been assured; also, that the New Zealand and Australian Land Company be asked to hand over private road between sections 20 and 54, block 5, Oamaru District. 2. That maintenance metal be supplied to fill up ruts on Fortification-road. 3. That the gistfasr pf repairs to road-line opposite sejtion 29, blpck Qarngftf Dj§triet f stand over untij. the ne?t meeting j also, that 0. letter be gent tp Mr. Tesghepjaker, stating that the Board is of opinion that 3. pwblip road should be opened to his railway siding, and inquiring on what terms he would be willing to grant the land required. 4. That

the surfacemen have rats filled on road-line in section 16, block 9, Oamaru District. Tenders for contract No. 71 (forming roadline at Tptara woolshed) were opened, and that of P, was accepted. The Chairman suggested that the piembers should bring up an estimate of expenditure required within their respective sub-divisions at the next meeting, with a view to striking a rate for the current year. Several acconnts were passed for payment, and the Board adjjopnigd, . A Mjelbflurpp paper has the following ! curious Btory On Sunday J4st ? tjie pre? mises of Mr, Crockett, of 109 Yjctoria.-stcepfc, Hotham, were broken into, and a casb-box and a number of private papers of consider? able valuo to the owner were/abstracted. In the box were about '2s in popper, and no doubt the thief thought he had secured a valuable prize. He appears, however, to have been disgusted at the result of his raid. On Tuesday Mr. Crockett received the following letter Mr. Crockett. —Sir, — You will find the contents of your cash box at the Hotham Post-office. I cannot think of returning the cash-box after all the trouble 1 had with it for nothing. Leave some money in the next one, and then I will be able to put a sbamp on the letter.—l remain, sincerely yours, but—Soarly disappointed." With the latter came through the post-office two unstamped packets, containing Mr. Crockett's cheque-book, bankbook, and the private papers referred to. There iB, after all, good in the man who acts as this thief has done, and some risk to return papers which are of j}o value to him. Mr. Crockett desires tq thank the unknown culprit for the papers, and though Mr. Crockett cannot wish the thief better l#ck next time, }ie entertains and ex r presses ttye hope tfyat the individual whq was considerate pnQngjji tg jrpfjffrp fria j?ap t ers will mend bis w%ys." A valuable p#per on f J?errj)an,eqt Pas.tare," prepared by Messrs.. Carter aqd Co., Beed merchants, of JyO#4on, was recently read to a farmers' club. The followipgg^

tract 6a renovating grass lands will be read with interest:—" Suppose for instance, a piece of grass land baa become foggy and mossy, and requires a little seed properly pat in to restore it to its former freshness,' we should recommend the following plan. Pat the heavy harrows over the grdund in different directions until all the moss and rough herbage has been loosened ; collect this with a horse rake and remove 'it, give a liberal dressing of a good compost, snch as earth and lime, drill the seeds in, weighting the coulter well, and finish off with the roller. Possibly this plan iB adopted by many, and may be known to all of you; but, as we are frequently asked how to put in the renovating mixture, it has occurred to us that some difficulty is experienced on the subject, and so we take this opportunity of suggesting a method." An accidentjhappened to the express train from the North to-day, on account of a horse being on the line. The cow-catcher caught the animal, but did not throw it off, and the engine left the metals, requiring an hour and a half to replace it, consequently the train did not arrive at Oamaru until p o'clock. The accident hap* pened about ten miles Afirth of the Waitaki Bridge, and the horse was completely cut to pieces.

draw the attention of our readers to an advertisement in this issue concerning the New Zealand Agricultural Company's Estate, situated in the Southland distriot. Messrs, Bastings, Learjr, and Co, are nqw in a posisioi} tp depose of portions of this estate in areas and on terms to suit purchasers. The advertisement gives full particulars of a nature that we think, the quality of the land, contiguity to a railway and other advantages considered, will tempt agriculturists to invest.