The Oamaru Mail TUESDAY, MAY 30, 1882.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1322, 30 May 1882, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail TUESDAY, MAY 30, 1882.

ll,WiSfi hoard that scTcr.il more largo tcssitU aero about to load at Timaru shortly, we took occasion to imply that inch rcrklcsancu looked like tempting Prn*iHtncc, in view of late bitter experience, an«l that the vessels now stranded at Timara were ujly reminders of what may possibly, if not probably, wir in ships in the Timara roadstead under iU present management. As a recompense for our pains in the interests of nor sister port, the Herald treats us to the following remarks:—"The Oamaru Mail for a long lime past has been suffering from a severe bilious attack, brought on by feelings of jealousy at learning Timaru was rapidly leaving Oamaru in the background in the way of direct Home trade. Ships of largo tonnage, owing to the bad holding ground at o.»tnam and disasters in past years would not load there. The late wrecks at Timaru have given the Mail an outlet for its bile, as will be seen by the following paragraph, which appeared in its issue of last evening." In case our contemporary should have caused a feeling of anxiety as to the condition of our health, wc take this opportunity of stating that if wc have been I bilious, the attack has been so mild that [wc knew nothing whatever about it. ! Beside*, whatever may bo tbc hal it of our contemporary, wo never permit ourselves to be influenced in the performance of our journalistic duties by physical sufferings, of whatever kind. It is too bad of our contemporary to attribute our comments t* such mean causes. It was much worse to cbargo us with jealousy of their port. Surely they must think that the "green-eyed monster" is easily aroused within us. "What hare we to be jealous for? Our contemporary says wo arc jealous because " Timaru is leaving Oamarn in tho background in the way of direct Homo trade." A solution of the question dcvoSrcs upon an interpretation of tho expression " Home trade." The Timaru Herald evidently ascribes to it a local meaning to suit circumstances. We, perhaps erroneously, but not biliously—wo will not admit tho bile insinuation—accepted the meaning usually put upon this commercial phrase—the transference of commodities by vessels from the colonies to the Mother Country. Tho Timarn Herald seems to Like it to mean their transference to tho Timarn beach. Now, that may be a consumma- ' tion io bo desired—that of course, is a j matter of opinion. We may differ from our contemporary on this point, as we do upon many other points, but may still admire the novelty of their proposition!-. What, for instance, could bo richer than the following, even if it wcro intended for sarcasm :—" Ships of large tonnage, owing to the bad holding ground at Oamaru and disasters in past years, would not load there." Does our contemporary mean that the Timaru holding ground is better than that of Oamaru ? Perhaps it is. We will not be drawn into a discussion in which we might say something which would be taken to disparage the port of Timaru. But, if this is the case, seeing that Oamaru has, notwithstanding, succeeded in avoiding such casualties as those which have, with shocking rapidity, strewn the beach at Timaro, there must have been very considerable difference in the management of the two ports. It was the management of the Timara harbor that wo attacked, not from jealousy, but from a desire to see lon of life and property and further damage to tbc reputation of the harbor prevented. "When our contemporary can legitimately find something in the management of our harbor to denounce, we, at least, shall welcome their criticisms and advice, and not querulously attribute such a performance of duty to jealousy.