The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20, 1876.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 130, 20 September 1876, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20, 1876.

Mr. G. W. Collier a benefit at the Masonic {Ja3 bat evening was not the aucces3 it should have been. Air. Collier is one of the few connected with the profession who has striven to introduce legitimate drama on the New Zealand stage, and he is also an actor of no mean repute. It was, therefore, with regret we noticed such a poor house as greeted his efforts last evening. In his scenes from " Ri{> Van Winkle" he was immense, and fully earned the applause bestowed on his acting. Mr. C. Yemer was alao in good form, and his songs were moat enthusiastically received. Miss Lily Bryant appeared In a variety of dances, and the Brothers Gardner, in their dog duet, acquitted themselves moat creditably. This evening the Troupe appear in the burnt cork business for the last time, when we expect to see a good house. The foil owing particulars from Kuxnara appear in the Weat Coast Times of a recent datft:—" The popularity of this placeis still increasing, and fresh shafts are daily going down. Two parties, known as the amalgamated party, or Rourke and party, and Warren

and party, situated on Row Terrace, bottomed on "Wednesday last, at a depth of over 100 feet. This we have already reported; but on the following day they washed a load of stuff which gave nine dwts. to the load, with five feet of good payable wash. New claims on all side 3 of Rourke and party are sinking. They all intend working their claims by tunnels, which will run from 600 feet upwards. These claims are on the terrace, about two and a half miles from the-town-ship, and about one mile beyond the break, running in the direction of the Loop line road, near Mr. Goodfellows' Hotel. Good prospects have been got beyond Rourke and party's claim, but not equal to theirs. Several shafts bow in course of sinking will be bottomed in about a week. One hundred and sixty pounds is asked for a share in Rourke and party's claim. The rush is looking well, and promises to carry an immense population, much larger than was ever anticipated by the most sanguine." The following later intelligence is from the Grey Hirer Argus of the 15th instant:—"The following news from the Kumara rush still continues of the most favorable description, the last claim bottomed having got prospects which amply satisfied the owners, and induced half-a-dozen of the 'shepherds' to commence sinking their shafts. The lead is now proven for a distance of nearly two miles, and is pegged off still further, and as the Government are calling for tenders for the construction of a horse-track, this will allow prospectors to prove the ground at a cheaper rate. The township is spreading in a remarkable manner, and the buildings are of the most substantial description, wood and iron being the order of the day." The following are the clauses of the Government Indemnity Bill, which has met with such strenuous opposition in the House. —"The condonation Bill introduced into the House of Representatives recently, by message from his Excellency the Governor, is intituled an Act to amend the Civil List Act 18G3 Amendment Act, 1873, and to remove doubts as to the disqualification of certain members of the Executive Council, and runs as followsße it enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :—l. The short title of this Act shall be the Civil List Acts Amendment Act, 1876. 2. The fourth section of the Civil List Act, 1563, Amendment Act, 1573, is hereby repealed. 3. In addition to the seven persons mentioned in section seven of the Civil List Act, 1563, Amendment Act, 1573, any person being a member of the Executive Council, and holding any one or more of the offices mentioned in the third schedule to the said Act, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Disqualification Act, IS7O, provided he docs not receive any salary, fees, wages, allowance, emolument, or profit of any kind in respect of the said oDices or any of them, or as a member of the Executive Council. -L This Act shall be deemed and taken to have come into and been in operation on and from the 31st day of August last." Retrenchment and economy are fine things in their way (says the Argus), but sometimes the former is construed into injustice, and the latter meanness. An instance has been brought under our notice where the Railway Department has been guilty of both injustice and meanness under pretence of retrenchment and economy. Our readers will recollect that, a few weeks ago, an accident occurred on the Hutt Railway, by which the locomotive was upset. The fault was not in any way on the part of the men in charge of the train, and the driver Page behaved in a most admirable manner, l>y his coolness and bravery in sticking to his post averting very serious consequences. In doing this, he sacrificed himself, for, when the locomotive turned over, Page fell under it, and was seriously injured. It might have been imagined that a man who, in a moment of great danger, was more careful for the safety of others than for his own, would have received some recognition of his devotion. The Government has recognised Page's brave attention to his duty, and this is how they have done it: He is laid up from the injuries he received, and is not likely to be able to work again for a long time. The Government has accordingly stopped half his pay. This-is a noble reward. In reply to a memorial pointing out that his illness was caused by an accident for which he was not responsible, and that the injuries he had received •were in consequence of his sticking to his post, when he might have saved himself, but endangered others, the reply was that the regulations said officers, when ill, should only have half-pay, and no exception could be made. This reply i 3 disgraceful to those who sent it. We can scarcely believe the Minister of Public Works authorised any such disgraceful meanness, and we trust that, now his attention has been drawn to the matter, he will remedy the injustice done to Page ; and if he would turn the tables, and try the half-pay plan for a month, with the officials who have in this matter brought the department into disrepute, he would very fairly meet the justice of the case. For the size of the province, Westland is the moat prolific place in the Colony for newspapers. Almost every little poking hole has its daily, weekly, or bi-weekly paper (says the Argus). On. the West Coast, if a locality possesses a smithy and a general

store, it is dabbed with the title of township, and as soon as half a dozen of shantie3 are added to the dignity of the place, then comes a newspaper to cap it. The new West Coast diggings—the Kumara—with a population of a few hundreds, is going to have two daily papers shortly. The proprietary of the Grey River Argus are about starting a paper there, and Mr. Walter Bishop, late proprietor of the Greymouth Star, but at present on a visit here, leaves this for the new field with a plant to start a paper, to be called the Kurrtara, Mail. How both journals are to exist is one of those things which "no fellah can understand."