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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 553, 8 February 1878, Page 2

A few days ago one of our merchants wanted labour to "handle" coals. IVith a very large notion of his liberality in deciding to give eighteeiipence per hour, he went into the streets. As may be readily imagined, he encountered any number of individuals bearing somewhat a resemblance to working ■iien, and he interviewed then:. He asked several gentlemen whom he saw lounging about the hotels wlietlipr they would like to take a situation. (He was exceedingly careful not to violate the, sensibility of their natures by calling it by any other name.) "Y-e-s; not proud, What is 'the billet,' and 'the screw?'" " Coa heaving, and eighteenpence per hour," said our merchant. '' Any place to lean against interrogated the men siniult neously. press-' ing their backs more firmly against the friendly hotel. " Nothing : I want you to work," said the exacting, cold-blooded employer of labour. A discussion was just proceeding as to whether it was good enough when a carriage drew into the channel, and the driver, accosting the men familiarly, asked them whether they would take a drive to 's farm, -where they could take a little gentle, healthful exercise amongst the corn and get a few ■' flimsies "as compensation for the delightfulness of their company. In fact, he conveyed to the lounging gentry that the owner of a certain estate would 1 ke to have their company to dinner. A bargain was ultimately struck with the labourers for •2s. per hour, who said that; that was more in their line, apd they then drove away riyht merrily to the crack of the whip. The Wouldrbe ejnployer took the .opppsite direction, resolving to put an extra shilling or two per ton on to the price of his coals. A proclamation in a New.Zealand Gazette just to hand brings Part XI. of the Municipal Corporations Act, ;1576, into force in Oamaru. As we have already stated this poition of the act confers very great powers upon the Municipal Council.

At the Resident Magistrates Court this morning, the following fines w-re inflicted for allowing horses arid cattle to wander at large Moses Rustbatch, 3 horses, 6s. ; T. Hanagan, 1 cow, 2.6 d.; James Liddle, 1 cow, 2s. 6d.; John Thompson, 1 eow, 2s. William Copland, 2. cows, 2s. 6d.; Edward Gifford, 1 horse, 2s. 6d.; George Brownlie, 1 cow, 2s. 6d.

A cricket match will be played to-morrow afternoon between the second eleven of the Oamaru Cricket Club .and fifteen from the Grammar School. Wickets are to be pitched at half-past two o'clock, and an express will leave the Post Office for . the ground at a quarter past. The following are the names of the pi avers : —Second Eleven Oamaru Cricket Club: Atherton. Church, Corbett, l>ii Pr 6, Ferens, Filleul, Hardy, Hiekey, Solomon, Sampter, and Tempest. Fifteen Uramiiiiir School Cricket Club : Bennett, Davidson, Griffiths, Ham, Hardy, Hewat, H-mk, Jackson, Kite, C Moure, D. M oore, Rice, .Smith, Thornton, and Todd. Emergency : Boss and Eoxby.

We would remind owners of race-horses who intend competing at the forthcoming race meeting of the North Otago Turf Chih that nominations for the North Otago Tuif Club Fandicap, the Tradesmen's Handicap, the Handicap Hurd'e Eace, the Publicans' Handicap, and the Flying Handicap must be made to the Secretary before eight o'clock on Monday evening next. On Sunday next the usual annual Melanesian Services will be held in St. LukeV Church, and the offertories will be given to the fund. '' Charity begins at home "is a saying very generally believed in and diligently practised, but it should not end there —and we have no doubt the contributions will be liberal and afford substantial benefit to the hardworked labourers in remote lands.

Mr. T. P. Russell, of Hawke's Bay, has been appointed an honorary commissioner from this Colonv to the Paris Exhibition.

The monthly inspection parade of the Onmaru Volunteer Companies will take place this evening at the usual hour.

"An Assistant's " letter, treating on the railway employes' grievance, would serve no good purpose by appearing in our columns. The writer is acuated by a desire to have it out with Mr. Smith rather than to seek the reinstatement of the in their former positions.

To-morrow evening the Madame Annie Beaumont Combination Troupe will appear at the Masonic Hall. Their .entertainment will comprise singing, dancing, jesting, negro comicalities, and lastly, hut not least, tin whistle solos. Madmie Beaumont is a well-known vocalist, and has frequently appeared before Otago audiences with considerable success. The other names are almost new to us, and we cannot, therefore, offer any opinion as to their merits ; but, judging from the criticisms of other papers, they should be well worth seeing We had the pleasure of listening to Mi;, Poore's wonderful tin whistle performance many years ago, and if lis has not improved one wliit, to hear him will be worth the charge for admission. Hen 1 Weber is the pianist.

" Augur," the sporting contributor of the Australasian, understands that Mr. James Wilson, the winner of the Champ ou Race, is "prepared to match him against the Knglish Champion Springfield, the American horse Ten Broeck, or any other animal alive, for Lso(io, and if a match he made for this sum he will all-w LI.OOO to de'i-ay die expenses of the acceptor. 'J he distance to be run is stipulated by Mr. Wilson to lie from two to three miles. "Augur" hazards the opinion "that no horse of the present day could hauldom the king's flag at these distances, and j'ist as

no'ioily cares to tnckle Tiickett on his own water, so will racing men fight shy of such » clinker as the .Australian turf champion.' Anthony Trollope would, no dni]ht, consider this a, fine specimen of Colonial "blowing," hut we believe there is at any rate good grounds for the little bit of trumpet sounding indulged in by the Australasian's sporting contributor.

A regular critic having to leave town, turned over his work for one night to the sporting man of the staff. This is how the criticism on an important concert appeared the next day :—"Time was called about fight o'clock, and about fifty bugles, (if-s, ami fiddles entered for the content. The fiddles won the toss and took the inside, with the chandeliers right in their eyes. The umpire with a small club acted also as starter. Just before the start he stood upon a cheese box, with a small lunch-counter before him, and shook his stick at the entries to keep thetn down. The contestants first started it to ' Landliclie Hockzeit, by Goldsmark, Op. 2ti.' They got off nearly even, one of the fiddles gently leading. The man with tfie French bP>'u tried to call them back, but they settled down to work at a sloggish gait, with the big roan fiddle bringing up the rear. At the first quarter of the course the little, bhick whistle broke badly and went into the a r. but fiddles on the lefr kept well together, and struck- up a rattling gait. At the half way the man with the straight horn showed signs of fatigue. There was a little bobbailed flute which wrestled sadly with the bugle at the mile, but he was windbroken and wheezed. The big fat bugle kept calling ' whoa' all the time ; but he seeme4 to keep with the rest till the end of tlje race. They all came under the string in good order, but judge on the cheese-box seemed t,o reserve his opinion. He seemed tired, and the contestants went out to fi id their bottle-holder, and get ready for the Beethoven handicap. It was a nice exhibition, but a'little tiresome to the contestants. All beis are q't."