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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 24 December 1880, Page 2

We remind advertisers that the Mail will be published on Monday morning in time iat the early trains. Intending advertisers -should ia their advertisements accordingly. We have received the following true version of the interview that lately took place between the Minister for Public Works

and Mr. Gibbs, at Dune'din, in reference to the supply of water to the railway department here. Mr. Oliver said he thought that some concession should be made to the department on account of the large amount'of water that they would consume. Mr. Gibbs very properly pointed out the following objections to the making of such a concession :—He said that if the department was supplied at a lower rate than that fixed by by-law, the Council would not only lose the difference in the rate on the amount they supplied to t' e Government, but they would also be Eecc.: iry.ted to make a similar concession to others; that LI 30.0(H) had been expended by the ratepayers obtaining the water supply, apd that the financial necessities of the Council rendered it imperative that all who participated in the advantages which it was capable of conferring.should contribute a fixed and equitable proportion towards the liability which had been incurred; that the department had no better claim than any one else to the concession which they sought to securp, .seeing that the Council had paid them full rates qq all the waterworks material which had beeij carried fin the railways ; that the Council's charge was a liberal one, inasmuch as it amounted to only Cd per tank, and that the department were now'carrying water fron the Waitaki at a cost which must be greatly in excess of this rate. He alsp said that he could not understand why the department should object to the fixed rate of Is 34 P er 1000 gallons being imposed for a supply of water to the depaptjiiept at Oamaru, as in other places it paid from Is to Is (3d for the same quantity. The Minister for Public Works said that he did not blame Mr. Smith "for endeavoring to obtain the water as low 33 he possibly could," but that he would look into the matter, and|that a reply should be forwarded at aij early date. The Telegraphic officials are to be permitted an opportunity of enjoying the Boxing Daj' festivities to take place on Ai onday next. This concession has been made by the Premier in response to a petition to the Hon. the Superintendent of Telegraphs, asking that Sunday hours might be observed. Tlje telegrahpic offices will, therefore, oil Monday be open only between 10 a m. and 10 30 a.m., and between 5 p.m and 5 30 p m.

A complaint has been lodged with us that the hour at which the meeting of settlers is called at Otepopo to consider the representation proposals of the Government regarding this district namely, half-past seven —is an inconyenjenp pne for those whose residences are distant from Otepopo, and that a large number of sucli persons v/il' npt ; the'" 6 ? o1 * 6 ! be able to attend. We understand that an endeavour will bo made to have tlje meeting fixed for th r ee oVloek, which would be deemed a more convenient hour by those who object to the present arrangement. The accounts which have been published regarding the. interview which Mr. Gibbs hall with the Minister for Public Works have been misleading. They have created an impression that Mi'. Gibbs not only conferred with the Minister upon matterd connected with the town, but that he introduced the subject of cattli"! yards. We are authoritatively informed that the subject of cattle yards was introduced by Mr. Oliver, who took the opportunity the interview afforded him of attempting to defend his action in reference to this vexed question. The loading of the Bernica will be completed to-day, ?nd she will lose no time in getting to sea with her cargo of between 500 D and COOO bags of oats, which have been taken on board since mid-day on Wednesday. The captain is pleased with the port and the expedition with which he has been enabled to load.

At the meeting of the Borough Council last evening it was resolved that an advertisement should be inserted in the local papers, warning persons about tp build or make alterations to present buildings, that it is necessary ikst to give notice and submit plans to the Council, and to notify that otherwise they are liable to heavy penalties, which in all cases will be sued for. Copies of the by-laws may be obtained at the Council Chambers for the price of Is, and those interested should not fail to make themselves acquainted with them. At thp Fyiendly Societies' Pic-nic Committee meeting held in the Oddfellows' Hall last evening, the final arrangements for the fete were made. It was reported that Mr, A. J. S. Headland had kindly given twp pairs of yages as special priz.es, and it was decided that one pair be given to the winner of an eighty yards rape for girls under 16 y ears —the other pair to be given to the winner of ail eighty yards race for girls under 12 years. Mrs. S, E, Shrimski has kindly given a writing-desk, for boys, and a wopkr box, for girls, to be competed for by members of the Juvenile Temple, 1.0. G.T., only. Members of the different societies are requested to meet at the Oddfellows' Hall at 8 o'clock .on Monday morning. The procession will leave the Jjall at 8.30 a.m. 'J here will be a carol service in St. Luke's Church this evening, commencing .at 10 o'clock, on which occasion all sittings will be free to the public. To-morrow "Divine service " will be held, when there will be a •"special offertory for the Oamaru Hospital." This (T.oi'ning, we received from the officers of the Postal Department an exceedingly neat Gard bearing the appropriate motto, "The officers of tfyc Ogmaru Postal Department wish you the compliments of the season." We reciprocate. But let us say something of the vicissitudes of this.Christmas card, Wehappenedtoturnover back, leaving it lying upon our desk. When we again saw it, some wag had written upon 3. representation of a tombstone which is placed ia one corner, "R.I.P. In memory of ISSO. Here lies our ten per cent.; there lies the Government," By an oversight Mr. W. M'Kay's Little Fraud, lata Ned Kelly, was omitted from the list of acceptors for the Kakanui and Publicans' Handicaps. Anne Sherry, of Dunediji notoriety, was charged this morning at the R,M, Court with being drunk and disorderly, with being a common prostitute, and behaving herself in an indecent manner in Thames-street last evening. The charge was fully proved, and Miss Sherry will spend her Christmas holidays in Mr. Caldwell's establishment at Dunedin, where she will be a resident for one mouth. M!es3i*3. Maude and Shrimski were the presiding justices. Captain Edwin reports ( —Bad weather is approaching from any direction between north and west and south-east. The glass will further fail, but will rise again after eight hours. Subscribers and the public are notified that the usual meeting of the Commercial Property' and Finance Company for the receipt of subscriptions &c., will be held on: Tuesday, 2Sth, instead of Monday, 27th. In another column we publish a notice pf the Caswell Sound Marble and Portland Cement Company (Limited), the share-list of l which will close ou the 31st January. We note that Mr. John Lemon and Messrs. Fleming and Hedley have been appointed! brokers to the Company. We have already referred to the advantages which this pro- j ject appears to offer to investors. ' The Presbyterian Church Sunday School picnic will be held in Mr. Falconer's paddock on Boxing Day. Teachers, scholars, and friends will assemble in the Church at 9.30 a.m., and wjll thence proceed to the grounds. As the spot selected js within a distance from the town, it is expected that there will be a large attendance. j The Telegraph appears to be an Ishmaolite amongst the Christchurch newspapers. It writes of the Times, Press, Star, and Globe —the two mprnipg papers and their satellites —as being " gill in a bag," It has discovered that the proprietor of the Lyftleton Times, driven to desperation by the striking g.tti r tude of his compositors, made friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, and contami* nated the pages of his journal by importing into them matter lifted bodily from the pages of the Press. Par par en these, we wonder what malady the inoculation of such matter would remedj or correct. One of these papers is a downright—we might almost say, an unscrupulous government supporter, whilst the other is an indefatigr able, although, in our opinion, scrupulous supporter of the other side. It would, therefore, be scarcely in accord with ordinary notions of consistency for the I Times to insert the Press leaders. What a spectacle would be presented if the Times had appeared with a» article soundly rating Sir George Grey. What consternation In the mnks of the Liberals and satisr faction in those of the Conservatives. A political revolution would ensue ggeh 33 has never yet rent the vail of the temple in twain which separates the sheep from the goats. But what matter did the Times insert from the Press ? Did it compromise its high

and unflinching character in the hour of it' 3 difficulty by promulgating what it has more steadfastly .and indefatigably than any other Colioniaj newspaper taught us to .believe is hefcetical ? No.. It merely inserted matter in which there was no political significance.' if its action in this respect gave any ground of it was that those who are readers of both the Christchurch morning papers were treated; to a literary rechauffe. But, although this iteration may have proved annoying, it was quite pardonable under the circumstances. Yet the Telegraph writes of collusion between the two papers, and, after thus adorning its tale, it points a moral by saying—- ." When journalism is insulted by such collusion, it is time for the independence of the Telegraph to be asserted, and we appeal-to the public for their support." .We regret that a newspaper that is en-rapport with the Times in politics has attempted "to score a ppiijt against one of its political fathers in the interests of merpenqxiness rather than i journalistic purity.