OAMARU NEWS NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 13

OAMARU NEWS NOTES.

GFrou Ottb Own Correspondent.) OAMARU, May 19.

At the meeting of the Oamaru Borough Council this evening a discussion took place on the subject of members of the council's staff entering into newspaper correspondence, the upshot being rather unexpected. For something like a fortnight a correspondence has been proceeding in one of the local papers about a drain from which certain cows were said to have been drinking. The borough engineer, in order to correct misstatements of facts, entered into the correspondence, and in the discussion this evening at the council table it was generally agreed that the engineer fully proved his view of the matter, but the Mayor and several of the councillors considered that the council's staff should adopt the same procedure as those of other public bodies, and refrain from such discussions. Other councillors did not approve of Ihe motion at all, and one left the table before the motion was put. The engineer was assured that when necessary he would be protected by the council in discussions of the kind, but Mr Crawshaw replied that he had been in tho service for 25 years, and had never been protected yet. The motion, on being put, was carried by 5 votes to 3 ; but the incident terminated unexpectedly and abruptly by tho engineer intimating his intention of resigning. A deputation from the newly-formed Technical Classes Association (which has now some 200 pupils in attendance at the classes) waited on the council this evening asking for a grant in aid, and the sum of £15 was voted. The total cost of establishing the classes is about £150, of which the Government will find a considerable proportion, while already over £25 has been collected in town. May 22. At the annual meeting of the Waitaki and Waimato Acclimatisation United Council, which took placs at Oamaru kst week, there was some discussion on the subiect of the use of cylinders by sportsmen, which is resulting in the wholesale destruction of aquatic fowl. These cylinders, which are described as generally consisting of large packing-cases or barrels, are sunk to the level of the water and covered with raupo or scrub, under which the so-called sportsmen hide themselves in the early hours of the morning, and await the approach of the birds, which are then fired upon continuously till out of reach, the usual result being almost complete destruction of the group of birds. The council agreed to refer the matter to the conference of Acclimatisation Societies in Wellington with a view "to the discontinuance of the practice. At the same meeting a sportsman resident ir North Otago (by letter) drew attention to the serious destruction of feathered game caused by stoats, weasels, and hawks. He had visited some of the best shooting grounds on the Waitaki for years, and noticed that game was getting scarcer, and ho was satisfied that it was only a matter of a few years when they would be cleaned out by these vermin. He had seen 50 hawks sitting on Maori heads in one small lagoon ivaiong to pounce on the first

flapper that appeared, and he had secrt them get th^ni. As for the stoats ar.c* weasels, ho believed they were as bad Only a few days previously he had seen * stoat seize a lame duck by the leg. So far as tho stoat was concerned the result was unexpected.