The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 7, 29 April 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 1876.

Winlk tva are fully aware it is not quite the customary etiquette in journalism for one Editor to notice the letters appearing in the correspondence column of a contemporary, the subject to which we are about to refer is of such vital importance to Oauiam, that we must claim that as an excuse f'»r a slight breach of the journalistic rule. In the columns of our morning coiiteiiifK>mr>-, "the North Ofago Times," yesterday morning, there appeared a letter signed " Scrutator," complimenting our coi«einj»ora"y on the stand he took in reference to the dastardly attack made l>y the Dunedin " Duly Times" oil ; the Oatnarn Municipal Council and its newlyappointed Engineer. We agree with " Scrutator" so long as he apjimves of the action of our local contemporary, but there is one point on which we must beg most widely to diii'er with him. We allude to that passage in his letter in which he saj*s: —"lf I am right in my conjecture, so wicked an a tempt to vilify the representatives of the citizens is a piece of singular ingratitude towards the town in which its instigator finds a home, and in which, if he is a tradesman, he no doubt lives, perhaps thrives on the citizens." Now, we cannot bring ourselves to believe that there is living in Oamaru a man base enough to prompt the " Times" to pen a sub-leader such as appeared in its issue of Tuesday last. No man, be his stake ever so small in the town, could, we are charitable enough to believe, so mislead our contemporary, the " Otago Daily Times" by lying statements as to induce its Editor to give publication t«» such untruthful comments as appeared in Tuesday's issue. Our own opinion is, that the " Times" has been the victim of a vile scheme, originated by some disappointed applicant for the appointment of Engineer to the Council. We readily imagine that this poor fellow has entered the editorial sanctum with a long face, in a shabby suit of cJothes, and poured his wail of poverty into the editorial > ears. He probably |«roduced some twenty greasy. envelopes containing an equal number of greasy testimonials which had doubtless been brought forward scores of times before on similar occasions, and thus gained the editor's permission to pen a few lines. Human nature, we know, is but weak, and the editor of the " Times" is doubtless no exception to the rale, and thus the calnminotis statement on Oamaru and its Municipality gained admission to the leading columrs of the oldest and largest journal in New Zealand. " Scrutator" then goes on to say —" Of course the veil of anonymity which shelters me

equally shelters liimself i&the cofnqns of! th 6 Press, but I.riiust fcoiifess like in ;tliis instance' ta veil,, to discover who arid what- - is the us." No doubt tlie writer woiild like to know who the party is, and 'so should we ; but it does not follow that because the writer of the sub-leader condemns Oamaru in such unmeasured terms, that he should, as a matter of fact, be a resident. We should ourselves be only too pleased to make a " shocking example of the vilifier of this fair town, could, we but prove that he was a resident; but, as stated in the commencement of tliis article, we are inclined to think—and fervently hope—that " Scrutator" is on the wrong tack.