The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, 2 October 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1877.

The debate on the Walca Maori motion, brought forward by Mr. and accepted by the Ministry as a vote of want of confidence, was brought to a vJose last evening, and resulted in favour of the Government by a majority of nine. Of the 38 members of the House, 75 recorded their vote?, while 10 paired off, making in aIL S5 who recorded their opinions. Of the three remaining members, Sir William Fitzherhert, as Speaker, was unable to vote, and Messrs. Bryce and Brandon were absent. According to the division list it would appear that t'-e Government has a working majority in the House; but if the speeches delivered by members on the question are to be taken as any criterion of ttieir feelings with regard to the Ministry, we should say that such is not the case. H-everal of those who voted with the Government on the Waka Maori motion would, we believe, have gone into the Opposition lobby had the question at issue been of a more general nature. Mr. Bal.'ancp, f>r instance, while voting with the Ministrv, spoke strongly against them, but said he could not join in a want of confidence motion on the small issue before the. House. Other members would most probably follow Mr. Ballance's. example, so that, after all when a want of confidence motion is raiser! on a bs oader and more comprehensive ground of complaint—and such a motion will be brought forward —we may have a different tale to tel'. At present the result of Mr. Larnaoh's motion must unquestionably prove to the Ministry that they are not able to do any longer as they please. It augurs well for the success of the projected Oamaru Stone Quarrying and Export Company that 50 i share-: were disposed of yesterday in Oamaru. In the majority of cases, the excellence of a scheme as a field for investment may be judged by the mim ber of kef n business men who seek to possess an interest in it; and it will usually be found that, if astute commercial men lea'l the van, the general public will follow up in the rear. The success which hus, on the first attempt to d spose of shares, attended the efforts of the Company in Oamaru should therefore be viewed as a good omen, and Oamaru may congratulate herself that there is now every prospect of the development and utilisation of one of those natural resources which tend to promote the greatness of a new country The circumstance that Messrs. Allan ami Stumbles intend to export stone from Kakanui should not discourage the promoters of the new Company. On t e contrary, as it is an evidence that the industry is a popular one, it should stimulate them to renewed exertion. The public will now pei ceive that there are others besides the Oamaruvians who see that the rroper"conduct of the Oamaru stone trade means the acquirement of adequate pecuniary returns, and their support of the new project will be correspondingly increased.

Those who have suffered disappointment in consequence of their failure to obtain Union Insurance shares, will he glad to learn that it is contemplated to issue an additional 100,000 shares, 50,000 to be allotted immediately ; the remaining 50.000 to >e reserved for insurers. This step will have the effect of arresting the formation <>f another company, which it seemed likely would be called iuto existence in consequence of the success winch has attended the establismenb of the Union Company, and of the disappointment of a number of influential commercial men to obtain shares in that institution. It must he plain to all that there are now a sufficient number of insurance companies in New Zealand for present requii ements, and the forma ion of another would have no other effect than that of lessening the profits of those already established to a point below what ihey should be, whilst it wouid piove unrenmnerative to its promoters. Mature consideration and. the mollifying nature of the Union Company's directors, will no doubt have the effect of stifling opposition to the new company, which could not have been beneficial to anybody. Although the issue of an ;.dditional 100,000 shares in the Union Company may be viewe.l in a measure as a peace offering to the disappointed ones, it will be but as • a di op in the ocean. 'J he appetite for Union shares after such a whetting, wdl be more insatiable than ever.

The meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Horticultural Society, which should have taken place last night, has been postponed till next Monday evening. The Pi-ess Agency has put us to the expense of denying a statement made by itself that Mr. J. L. Coster, Manager of the Bank of JNew Zealand at Christchurch, has taken an active part in the formation of another insurance Company. We decidedly object this kind of thing. If the Press Agencywere more careiul to ascertain the correctness o; its telegraphic messages, there wouid be nc necessity lor the.-e denials. Then, again, why should we be put to the expense of denying reports because they may be distas:eiul t>> Mr. Coster, or anybody else ? We have every respect for Mr. Coster, but we are as littie interested as to whether he has or has not taken any active part in the formatiin of another .insurance Company, as we would be were he to propound some scheme for a railway to the moon. These matters are Mr. Coster's business, and not ours.

.His Worship tho Resident Magistrate gave "to-dayxon the application 'made yesterday by M'Clusky for an order protecting ber earnings from her husband on the ground of ill-treatment His Worship granted the order. Thi* constituted the whole oi the-'business before the Court/:

Through some bungling, no mail arrived in Oamaru from Duntroon. to-day. It is not who is. answerable for the omis ion, but we trust th«t an inquiry will point to the cause, and that-steps-will be adopted to prevent a recurrence of a circumstance that, to our knowledge, has caused considerable inconvenience.

The Volunteers have been having lively times of it lately. Captain M'Pherson has been on his round of inspection, and reviewed the Otepopo and Hampden Volunteers last week. The Company at the former township mustered to the number of 2«, commanded by Captaiu Murcott, and that at the latter township numbered 31, undur the command of Captain Diehl. The St. Paul's Young Mail's Association held its annual meeting last evening. The principal business to be disposed of was the election of officers and committee for the ensuing year, which re -lilted as follows : President, the Rev. A. B. Tod-1, ex officio; Vice - Presidents, Messrs. Fleming and M'Pherson; Honorary Secretary, Mr. Sydney E. smith ; Hon. Treasurer, Mr. James Mollison. Committee : Messrs. Gow, Cooke, M 'Donald, Cottrell, and Young. The chairman (the Rev. Mr. Todd), in conclusion, drew attention to the social reunion appointed to occur on next Thursday evening.

Cannot something be done to create a greater interest in out-door exercises in our public schoolboys ? It is a well-known fact that such recreation is requisite for the maintenance of health and the growth of robust manhood of our rising generation, and. that a boy is the better capable of undergoing the wear and tear of brain necessary to the acquirement of a sound education whilst indulging judiciously in athletic exercises. Appropriate prizes might be offered by those who take an interest in the young folks, say of cricketing requisites, footballs, etc , to those boys who might excel in :ithletics. If any gentlemen would take the trouble to canvass tho town for the purpose of raising prizes, ample encouragement would be forthcoming. At a sale of Harbour Board Leases which took place yesterday, Mr. A. H. Maude submitted the lease for 21 years of eighteen sections. The attendance was good. Lot 9. the first section offered, was started at LSO per annum, and after spirited bidding was sold to Messrs. J. and T. Meek at LI 17. The up-et annual rental of sections 1 to S was fixed at I 25, and the following sections sold at the prices given : -Sec. 1, L3l, V. Mason; sec. 2, Lvis, M Galium and Co ; sec. 3, 1.31, M'Cailttm and Co.; sec. 4, L 4-2, A. Kerr; sec. S, L 25, 11. A. Medlicott; sees. 5. (i, and 7 had to be passed in, there bcing.no for them ; sec. 10 (froiring Thames-street) was sold at the upset price (L-34) to Mr JGrave. The lease of the paddock, on the •'ape, for five years, containing 7 acres (upset priee ?>os per acre per annum), was sold, after much c< mpetiton, to Mr. A. Paterson. at L 3 S.?. per acre, equal to a yearly lvn al for the paddock -f L 23 ISs. The total annual revenue of the lots leased amounts to L 241 IGs.

The Xeiu Zealand Magazine has succumbed, stricken by the c■•mplaint that is inseparable from Colo ial productions of that class. No more will the iover? of solid K eraturc revel in the masterly lucubrations of ilie brillant spirits who, for equally brilliant considerations, wrote fi.r that publication. JSo more will the devotees of '-yellowbacks "have this substantial mental pabulum to vary the monoiony of too much exciting literature. A wail will rent the air of this Colony from the iSVrtli Cape to Inverca'rgill on account of so great a beivaveineut. -it is surely not too late to reverse someone's decision to permit, at this early stage of its existence, so dear a literary friend to be consigned to the tomb. Wmld it not hive been possible to have kept it alive by doubling the price charged for it. The paper upon which it was printed was most excellent, and should of itself be valuable.

The monthly meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Benevolent Society was held last evening, when there were present —Messrs. Steward (in the chair), Fleming, Falconer, Ronayne, Davidson; also, Mr. J. Church (Secretary), and Mr. Hesketh (Bar-rack-master). The minur.es of the general and one special official meeting having been read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence road and approved, the President reported that he h-'d taken delivery of the Barracks and the property connected therewith. A letter having been re:id, it was decided that locks and keys be furnished for the untenanted houses, and that the Collector, through the Visiting Committee, be empowered to put glass in the windows of the houses, as the same are let by him. The application of Messrs. Q.uigley and M'Leocl .for permission to fence in part of the ground on the south side of the cottages was refused, the Committee not being in a position to deal with the laud. In accordance with a retjitest from Mr. W. Mureott, Hampden, it was resolved to allow' Mrs. White, of that town, 10s. per wet k till the next monthly meeting. A letter having been read from the UnderSecretary for Immigration, it was decided to oall for tenders for the supp'y of groceries, meat, &c., to the Barracks for six months. The report of the Visiting Committee for the past month was read and adopted, and Messrs. Falconer and Greenfield were appointed a Visiting Committee for the ensuing month. A number of suggestions from Mr. Hesketh were read, and it was resolved — (1.) 1 hat the Barrack-master, in conjunction with the Secretary, be authorised to purchase so much of the immigrants' bedding as may be necessary. (2.) '1 hat the children in the Barracks be ratiom d with sufficient good wholesome food, at the di cretion of the Barrack-master, provided that the cost of rationing do not exceed the amount charged for Government immigrants.- (3 ) That the docto s in town be written to, asking them to a, tend the children in the Barracks when required, (4 ) 1 hat application be made to the School Committee by thi-i Sociity, asking for f ec instruction" for inmates of the Institution. The Presi eut, Sec efcai-y, and Mr. Fleming, were appointed a Committee to draw up the annual report, for subniisshn at next monthly meeting. Some accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting terminated.