LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 254, 14 February 1877, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We have been asked to call attention to the tact that the nominations for the coming raves of the North Otago Turf Club close tomorrow night. We would reit«tn»l our reader* that the valuation lists which have been lying on the tuble of the Council for some time will he withdrawn at'ter to-morrow, so that intending objectors had better lose no time in taking action in the matter, as, after the liith, no objection will be allowed. The objection mast ta in writing, be as near as possible to the form set forth in the fourth schedule to the Hating Act, addressed to the Assessment Court, and delivered at such Court. In another column will be found Mr. Ft.trie's report on Class \ I. of the O.miani Irrammar Sschool. which we clip from the columns of ortr contemporary. Wc are perfectly aware that the eonrac we pursue is not quite «» rbjte, as it is not usual for one journal to extract what appears in the form

of correspondence in the columns of another ; but as the report is for the general information of the public, we consider (either with or without the Chairman's consent) that Tile Mail is entitled to a similar courtesy to that bestowed upon our contemporary. A meeting of the Oamaru Bathing Committee was held last evening in the Imperial Hotel. Mr. S. Oibbs, the Chairman, presided, and the following members of Committee were present: —Messrs. Steward, Familton, W. Bee, L. G. Lane, Mainlanu, | M'Corkindalc, and the hon. Secretary, Mr. A. Headland. After the minutes had been j read and confirmed, the Secretary read a | letter received from Mr. Hardy, C.E., conI taining suggestions as to the best mode of constructing the intended baths. The Chairman handed in ail extraordinary production forwarded by " Neptune, in which Bjion was quoted largely (from memory, aud consequently slightly altered) to prove the necessity for bathing accommodation at Oamaru. The Committee declined to be led by even so high an authority, and the document was ordered to lie on (under would have been more appropriate) the table. r l he following resolution was proposed by Mr. Steward and seconded by Mr. Taylor, aud carried unanimously—'' That Messrs. Mainland. Gibbs, and tiie mover be appointed a Sub-Committee to inspect the beach, and report a-i to the most suitable site at nextmeeting, and that the Sub-Committee be requested to see Mr. Glass .and ask him to attend such meeting aud to laj bcfoie the Committee the plans prepared b\ him, together with estimate of cost. The three-masted schooner Mera arrived in port this morning after a trip of twenty- ! one days from Hobart Town. The Gilionl ;d.-o siiled on the same day, and the (.arron on the day following, but up to the time of our goinu >.-• I'lx.-s neither had put in an appear;;is re. Can* repeated his entertainment List evening to even a larger house tuan on its iir.-t presentation, when a number of subsubjects were phrenologieally examined, the results being received with much amusement by those op-jrat.-d upon, but as a few I lain, v. h«'ie.-"iu.e truths were told by the l>.iet<>:\ the elucidation "f chara :ter was not j marly so pala'able to the pat ties lm-re imI mediately interested. During the mesmeric

j.nrtii'ii the programme an admires- of IJulfe essayed his " I'ou'll mcmlar Me " Wc are not aware whether the spirit the departed composer noticed the discordant but piteous appeal of the voeali t, but undoubtedly the audience will not forget the "treat" in a hurry. This, we believe, is to be the last night, and should anyone require half-an-hour's ininstraetlon. and an hour's genuine amusement. we dioit'id say patronise the Doctor. There is no doubt the agent in advance for M.~ -rs. Baker and Farron thoroughly understands his busine-s, and ii the townspeople do not become aware of the visit of gentlemen it will be 110 fault of Mr. Hern-lon's. ile lias secured the permission of the Municipal Council and erected on the spire jrround bfv.ide the t hamber> a monster hoard thirtv feet by eleven, on which is ilisplaved some pictorial posters, printed only as the American* can execute them. At tiie monthly general meeting of the Oamaru Mutual Benelit Building Society the receipts were i'34o I 7d. A curious ease was heard at the V\ arsvick (New South Wales) Police Court recently, ni which the plaintiff sought to recover £2O for services performed. The services so performed (says the local journal) amounted to the successful negotiation of a rise in the price of beef between two butchers who were not on the best of terms, and who, through a too great preponderance of pride that prevented either from proposing that which b >th were longing for, were simply robbing themselves by sellingbeef at -id. anil 3.1 d. per lb. A friend indeed was at hand in the person of one Morgan, who, in giving his evidence, related calmiy and collectedly how his negotiation had proved successful ; how an agreement not to lower the ju ice of beef within twelve months had been drawn up between the butchers and deposited in the bank with a cheque drawn by each of them for Jt'ltK) —the one who broke the agreement to forieit the i,I00; how advertisements, stating that "owing to the seareitv of grass,'' &e., the price of beef would have to be raised, were written out and sent to the newspaper offices ; and many other interesting disclosures. I lieu came the evidence of a retired butcher, who told plainly how lie had given Morgan the horse he had promised him, how he had heard the defaulter promise him a like consideration ; and how the rise in the price of beef had made a difference of '* about X-iO a week to him." Morgan did not get a verdict. A Queensland paper the Toowomba Chron kk —relates the following horrible 1

story : —" It would appear that a number of Polynesians were on their way to the Mitchell district, and that one of them became seriously ill, so ill in fact that he could not travel. It was evident that he was dying, and the man in charge was so impatient that he would not wait for the poor creature to die outright, but had a hole dug, and the Polynesian roughly buried before death had actually taken place. Two of the Polynesians at night returned to the spot where their comrade had been buried, and exhumed him, and the statement is that the poor fellow lived nearly two hours after his exhumation. We are informed that information connected with this circumstance has reached the Government, and, if so, we trust a rigid inquiry will be made."