Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1892.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 5205, 11 February 1892, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1892.

In speaking of the position of the Opposition, Mr Thomas Mackenzie, in the course of his recent address at Balclutha, was much more impressive and pathetic than is customary with that gentleman. He said : " As to the Opposition party," no one is likely to join the party I work with from any desire for personal promotion or aggrandisement. We occupy a very unenviable position. We are a small band—scarcely a quorum of the House—and no matter what we do we are overridden." Mr Mackenzie has our sympathy as he has never had it before. But is it not rather a glorious thing to court political persecution and even death for the sake of principle? Perhaps Mr Mackenzie thinks the principle not worth the sacrifice. Mr Mackenzie is, if he will permit us to say so, a little too sensitive to make a first-class martyr. Time was when Mr Mackenzie's party was in power. That was not so long ago. Has he forgotten that he then helped to impose upon others the selfsame discomfort and the self-same political disabilities that he now deplores as attaching to himself and his associates ? Great men ought not to cry because they may suffer the pains and penalties that they would bring upon others if they could. If Mr Mackenzie chafes at being a unit in a small minority, he has his remedy. The Government party do not ask him to remain in Opposition. They would only be too glad to welcome him or any other person as a convert to what they believe to be a career of political honesty and wisdom, and of patriotism. We hope that this fact will lead Mr Mackenzie to contemplate seriously his position. He implies that there is nothing to be made, either as regards honor or profit, by opposing the Government. We thank Mr Mackenzie for the admission that national honor and profit may be won by adherence to the party we support. Mr Mackenzie is already more than half way on his road to the Ministerialists. He is filled with remoise. He tells us all his troubles that we may weep with him. We invite him, instead, to be of stout heart, to be resolute, and to abdicate his "very unenviable position." Let him leave his "small band"—small because there are so few men in the colony who could possibly act as they do —and he will no longer have to complain that "no matter what we do we are overridden." That is the natural destiny of minorities ; and we make Mr Mackenzie a present of the information that the only antidote is to join the majority.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morning, before Messrs Dunn and Craig, J.P.'s, Joseph Wood, alias Kench, an old offender, was charged with being found, at 11.30 last night, in the dwelling-house of Mr G. L. Grenfell, undertaker, Tees-street, without lawful excuse. Detective O'Brien and Constable Madden were on duty in Wansbeck-street at the hour mentioned, when their attention was attracted by the cries of Mrs Grenfell from a window in the upper storey of the house, who stated that some person was in the kitchen below. The officers entered the house, and, after considerable search, found the accused in the parlor, pretending to be asleep on the couch, but in reality he was wide awake, and appeared to be sober. He was searched, but as none of Mr Grenfell's property was found on him he was charged as above. It is supposed that the accused entered the house by the back door, which had been left open by Mr Grenfell during his temporary absence at his sister's house close by. Their Worships sentenced accused to one month's imprisonment, with hard labor, in the Oamaru Gaol. A coroner's jury at Eketahuna perpetuated the old joke of our schooldays, " Died of want of breath," by bringing in a verdict of "He lost his life through accidental death." The Dunedin Globe, commenting on the inconsistency of the Otago Daily Times, as illustrated by extracts over a couple of years, suggests that a weathercock would be a much more suitable symbol than the clock which appears over our contemporary's leading columns. There will be service at Livingstone on Sunday evening next at 6.30. The curate in charge of the Waitaki mission notifies that the services which were temporarily suspended will be regularly contiuued from Sunday next. Mrs M'Callum, the phrenologist and palmist, has resolved to prolong her stay in Oamaru in order to meet the wishes of her numerous patrons, and may be consulted at the Globe Hotel for a further season.

The bridge at the Kakanui Month is closed against horse and dray traffic until further notice. Mr D. Hay wishes to thank all those friends who so kindly assisted to rescue his family from their perilous position during the Kakanui flood. Referring to Melbourne, an English illustrated paper says that " for 30 years this remote and solitary city was the home of Bishop Perry." Our contemporary is disgustingly brief in its short monograph of the Bishop. It might have added, perhaps, that he lived in a log cabin beside a babbling brook in the centre of the city, where the camels came night and morning to slake their thirst. His congregation was composed mainly of cannibals and laughing jackasses, and he was accustomed to preach with a revolver in each hand. He died with his back to the wall, his heart broken at his 30 years' exile. There is nothing like a little judicious elaboration. The monthly meeting of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association was held yesterday afternoon, there being present Messrs Holmes (chair), Hcilley, Reid, Borne, Dawson, M'Whirter, and Aitehison. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. It was arranged to hold the annual ram fair on the Friday before the Christcliurch fair—probably the 4th of March. The entrance fees were fixed as last lear—ls for rams, Gd for ewes and oO per cent, rebate on unsold sheej.. At the Land Board meeting yesterday, .1. Warwood applied to exchange from deferred payment to perpetual lease his lease of section 2, block 8, Kurow.— Exchange approved. The Receiver of Land Revenue forwarded a list containing the names of 10t> perpetual lessees who are in arrear with rent. Tho lessees are in nil parts of the district, and the amounts due range from 12s to LG3.—lt was agreed to notify the lessees to pay the rent within a month, or show cause why their leases should not be forfeited. The Daily Times' own correspondent writes A report is in circulation that an immense landslip came down from the Remarkables, covering up, it is said, 100 acres of wheat belonging to the Kawarau Falls station. The slip is of such proportions as to alter the appearance of the mountains when viewed from Quecnstown. There is an old fable that tells of the trouble which afllicted a man who owned an ass. When this gentleman rode upon his ass he was accused of cruelty to animals, when he walked beside it lie was designated a fool for owning a beast of burden and not employing it to carry him, and, when in desperation, he carried the ass. he was scoiFcd at as a lunatic. This irrational con • duct is very fairly emulated by that of a section of the Opposition Press, and we find an apt illustration of this fact in a recent issue of the Feilding Star. The Star was one of the papers which deplored the exodus, and called, wildly and somewhat virulently upon the Government to stop it. Now that that desirable end lias been achieved, and the population is returning, the Star rises up, choking with indignation, and blushes—positively blushes—at the enormity of the Government's trying to induce people to come to New Zealand when there is no work for them to do. Then, having swallowed the lump in its throat and wiped away those tears—evidences not of its weakness, but rather of the strength of its sympathy with its poor unfortunate country—the Star —■ calm now in its rrsolve to do its duty at. nil hazards—proceeds to demonstrate the horror which threatens to engulf us. With a logic far superior to any ordinary details of reason, the brave little journal shows that the national consequence of this influx of population will be the opening of Public Works by the Government. This, of course, will necessitate extensive borrowing. After that the deluge, which our contemporary's ark will doubtless survive. The weight of its logic will certainly not. sink it. Tho following votes have been recorded for seats on the Education Board :—Georgestreet (Dunedin), Messrs Clark, Green, and Jago ; Ravenshourne and Rothesay, Messrs Green, M'Kerrow, and Reid ; Albanystreet (Dunedin), Messrs Green, Jago, anil Reid ; High-street (Dunedin), Messrs M'Kerrow, Ramsay, and Reid ; Kaikorai, Messrs Clark, Green, and Ramsay ; Unionstreet (Dunedin), Messrs Jago, M'Kerrow, and Ramsay. Programmes of the New Zealand Rifle Association meeting, which will begin at Wellington on the Bth of March, can be had from the local secretary, Mr W. S. King. Entries, which are due by March Ist, may also be made to Mr King, and any other information which may be required will be supplied on application to him. " 1 hear that there is a rift in the lute of the Employers' Association, and that one of the firms, having got its turn served during the strike by joining the Association, is not disposed to go on contributing members' subscriptions now the crisis has passed away." So says " Mercutio " in the Auckland Weekly News. This is " commendable independence," we suppose. Among working men it would characterised as " traitorous selfishness." It is only a question of words and a distinction without a difference. Human nature is the same in all classes, and, if anything, " a little more so " in the upper class, in this instance, as our friend Mulvaney would say. Our Waimate correspondent writes: - On Wednesday morning, about half-past 11 o'clock, a large and fashionable gathering assembled in St. Augustine's Church, Waimate, to witness the marriage between Mr Arthur Rhodes (of Christcliurch) and Miss Moorhouse (of Waimate). The ceremony was conducted by Bishop Harper, assisted by the Rev. Mr Coates (Christcliurch) and the Rev. Mr Lotham (Waimate). The bride, who was charmingly dressed in a handsome g nvn of rich white satin, edged with ostrich tips, was given away by her cousin, Mr M. Cuthbert (Studholme). She was attended by eight bridesmaids, who were all very becomingly dressed—three in pink silk, three in heliotrope, and two in cream. Mr Bcswick (Wellington) acted as groomsman. The bride and bridegroom left the church about 12 a.m. in a carriage drawn by four greys, for the Waimate Homestead, where they were entertained by Mrs Studholme. Among the guests, most of whom came from the North by special train, were—Mrs Rhodes (Wellington), Mr and Miss Moorhouse (Wellington), Mr and Mrs T. Rhodes (Timaru), Mr and Mrs Meason (Timaru), Mr Bradshaw (Hook), Rev. Mr Coates and Mrs Cories, Rev. Mr Lotham and Mrs Lotham, Mr anil Mrs Hassell, Mr Douglas, and Mr Thierns (Waimate). A settler who went to Dunedin by train on Monday last, and who returned to-day, says that he observed on his way down that the crops that were not cut were very much laid by the storm. On his return, however, he found that they had considerably improved. He saw no discolored grain, and reaping had been resumed. So far as the country through which he passed is concerned, he expresses a belief that the crops will not suffer nearly so badly as was at first anticipated. According to the Glasgow Weekly Herald, General Booth has started a new scheme "Darkest spinsterdom and tho way out." This will be good news for " Mary" and her contemporaries. The scheme, it appears, originated in the General's brain, consequent upon ail application from some young man in the colonies. The youth wrote Home to the General asking him to choose a wife for him, and submit sample per return. The only stipulation was that the maiden should be a member of the Salvation Army. The General filled the order and then thought out a grand scheme for a "Matrimonial bureau" through tho agency of which all unmarried maidens and backward bachelors are to be united in holy matrimony and to don the uniform of tho Army, the only stipulation being that the contract shall be carried through without expense to the young couples, on condition that they join the Army ami devote their olive-branches prospectively to the same service. At the bowling tournament yesterday, the Otago Daily Times says, the encounter bctween Martin's Oamari' rink and the Taieri rink skipped by D. Mackie was very keen. In this match the scores were equal at tho thirteenth end, each rink having then scored 11 points. The Oamaru players then obtained a lead, and at the eighteenth end had an advantage of six, tho scores being 18 to 12. In the next three heads, however, Mackie's team succeeded in equalising matters, the scores being 18 all at the twenty-first end. An extra

cml had to bo played, and in thin th« Onmaru rink l(iy one, thus winning. In t|„ contest between Knitangatn and Dnlglciuli', Plmmix team there was untilo queer |il #v Tim latter went off with the lend, scoring to their opponent's 0 in tho firßt 10 Ih'iklr, but they clid not score at all in the l.iM ljv« ends, and eventually won by three <>n|y In the third ties Waildcll's Plui'tiix fell i'n«y victims to the Caledonian (Ogg's). Tin Milton and l'lm-nix (Dnlglcish, skip) lunl even, game, whieh the former won by a mnjority of three points. On i| l( Roslyn green Hunter's rink beat MciV, Phu'iiix.