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Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 594, 28 March 1878, Page 2

I*" is most important thit thoS3 inHtsed to liava their names placed upon the Electoral Roll for thi* district sh >nM remember that they mu<t fill up their registra'i'>n forms on or b"f'ce Sa'urd ly l-'very ntin should place himself in a position to record his vote, as this is tli- gn-ate-t privilege if those living under representative G->vermu 'lit. Forms may lie obtained at ill>3 offi.'e of this paper. Communication has been restored with Port Darwin. AVo under-tand that during Tuesday and yest'-rday the railways brought fully 3000 visitors into Oamatu from all parts of the surrounding districts. Passenger traffic was so great that the carriage of goods had to be almost entirely suspended. Through tiie courtesy oi Mjr. Railev, on Tuesday 3 evening last, the Otepopo >chool children were admitted without charge to the menagerie. The meeting of the Committee of the North Otago Turf Club called for last evening did not take place owing to there not being sufficient members present to form a quorum.

At the Resident Magistrate's Court this morniiig, b.cfcre T. W Parker, Esq , R. M., John Barnard, master of tije br^aiit t i>e Isanel, was charged with using abusive language towards William Ody, mate of the vessel, and the complaint also asked that the defendant might be bound over to keep the peace towards him. Mr Baliner appeared for the complainant. A considerable amount of uninteresting and contradictory evidence vss t,,-i.ken, after which his worship dismissed the case.

■'Not a single tendsr was received the last meeting of the Ounedin City Council fur minding and keeping in repair the Dunerlin town clonk,"'so says the Otwjo Daily I'imca. Well, it is a most eccentric piece of jewellery, even the fowls of the air na-tje on its hands, evidently with the idea of rectifying the time which it erroneously indicates. We have seen other prevaricating clocks, but, whereas they would perhaps only deviate a few seconds, the harefacel one in question thinks nothing of a few minutes, or even an hour, on a pinch. We have known it, after it had been behaving decently for fL day or two, give .1 jerk backwards, as though a. sadder thought had struck it. and play the very miscliiir with those who had appointments t1 keep. Its vagaries have always been somewhat amusing : but we can :c<iii)jy ;rii;:gi:;e that no watchmaker would attempt to iv.ipwc ■ts morals, more especially if he had not the time and inclination to take up his residence in the tower.

The Education Board has agreed to the appointment o r " Miss Th;im.y: as assistant school mistress of the Oamaru ftrairini.tr School. The Board also agreed to the application of the Oarnaru Schools Committsfur the appointment of two pupil teachers for the (irammar School and one for tin* North School, but the application for the .appointment of a school mistress for the Pukeuri school was declined. Consideration of the application of the Oarnaru Schools rv.;,ii,.iltc" for a grant of Ll5O for repairs to the rectory 5/a; /i'.ff.rted.

At the meeting of the T.aiid Board yesterday the following letter from Mr. J. T. MackerruuS, hearing 011 the Otago Slate Compa- y's lea-c of (and at Otepopo, was read:— "To the Chairniiii. S?r. —lam instructed by the < itago Slate Company, in answer to .Mr C'-nneli's statement at last meeting of the Board that our slate lease was being 'merely sh'-pherded,' to ask if you would kindly appoint a deputation of your Board to visit the work?, when you will be able to Liefc s.',mr : idea for yourselves of the large ex tent of work already done, and the large amount of moriev alwadv "i'pended.—l am, &c.. J. T. MackrrraV* Consideration of the letter was post oned. The usual fortnightly meeting of the Municipal Council will be held this evening, at 7.15 o'clock. Mr. Thomas Glass advertises for tenders for additions to business premises in Teesstreet, the same to be sent in by Saturday next.

Owners of doga and goats are reminded by advertisement in another column that taxes for the saiiie should be paid on the first of April next. The If cliches Bay Herald hears that while the census papers were being delivered to the natives at Rotorua and the Lake district recently, some of them expressed themselves to the effect that the taking of the census was merely for the purpose of ascertaining how many Maoris could be obtained to proceed to England to take up arms against the Russians ! An ejphange states that the Emperor of China has latsly jssued an edict prohibiting opium smoking throughout the country, particularly among othcials, scholars,' and soldiery. The edict was issued at the instance of his Excellency Kwoh Sung Tap and his colleagues, envoys to Great Britain. ft .commands generals, governors-generals, and governors in the various provinces tp draw ,up regulations, adapted to local circumstances, for carrying out this prohibition, which hi to take .effect three years hencer I

Mr. Hi'.'ginson and Mr. Kuorpp, the two Assistant Railway Engineers for the North and South Islands, and other officers of the same department, have received notice of dismissal from the service. It is to be hoped that the Government, in applying the prunning hook, will do so judiciously, and that ability and usefulness, and not interest, will be the gauve by which civil servants will be tested. We mention this because we are persuaded, from experience, that there are men in the railway department to whom it would be good policy to give bonuses to retire. Their names do not appear in the telegram notifying the dismissals, but let us fervently pray that they may be amongst those included in the words other officers."

'■' lie Southland Times reports that fearful accounts are to hand respecting the ravages inflicted by the recent weather upon the cropi in the Waihopai Hiding. Whole farms are under water, none of the crops are cut, and nearly the whole of the cereals on lowlying lands are beaten down to the ground so as to be almost utterly useless. The damage done at so critical a time is almost irreparable, and, in consequence, ver\ T high prices may be expee ed to rule for all kinds of farm produce. The following reaches us from Dublin : Archbishop Cullen was making his periodical tour of inspection in the Sundaj' schools. •'Kate Malony," said lie to an intelligentlooking girl, "explain the meaning of the sacrament of holy matrimony." A pause. At last Kate replied, "Please, yer honor, it's the state of existence before entering purgatory." "Go to the bottom of the class, you ignorant girl," cried out the local clergman, very much ashamed of his pupil. But his Grace stopped him. " Not so fast, father Patrick—not so fast. The lass may be riu'tit after all. What do you or I know about it ?"

The Press says:—"The progress of Port Lyttelton is shown by the immense increase in the shipping frequenting the port. During tha past week the Knglish vessels in port have represented a combined registered tonnage of over 10,000 tons, whilst the whole available space at the wharves has been occupied by intercolonial and coasting vessels. Two vessels cleared the Customs for England, the combined value of whose cargoes was nearly L 170,000, and the large list of expected arrivals shows that tljere be qo diminution in the trade for months to come, the present being the busiest time with produce exporter.". Including steamers the tonnage of all vessels in port during the last week i eyi-eeded 10,000 tuns.

The anecdotes regarding the censorship of the press in Russia, of which the Examiner recently gave some examples, have just had the crown iihiced on them in Mo-cow. Here the Teatrailnaia G'uzela was held to have committed some offence, and an officer of tiie I'ress Bureau sent to the office of paper. No one was present but the publisher, who was at once sternly summoned to retch the editor. The publisher left the room, and returned in a minute or two with a large pair of scissors, saying, 'Here, sir, is the oiljcer was rather disconcerted, but soQu recovered himself, and exclainvd more sternly than ever, " No. nonsense ! fetch me the sub-edit'ir." Again the publisher departed, and again returned.

this time with a pot of paste and a brush. ■' L'hese, sir," he said, " are the sub-editors !" In consequence, all four delinquents were arrested, and publisher, editor, and the two subeditors, marched off to the police-station to answer for their conduct;. The Mariawj-tu the following stoiy : —" We do not knaw whether human nature is less prone to temptation in these days than in the times when Lover introduced his letter-stealing hero, Handy Andy to his reader* ; but certainly, judging from the following little incident which occurred recently, one would be led to that conclusion. Having occasion to visit the General Post Office at Wellington, our attention was directed to a son of the green isle who was seeking nov ( ;s H'ftme. .'laving >pt« some little difficulty elicited the name of the inquirer, the clerk took from an alphabetical pigeon-hole a bundle of letters corresponding with the initial of the name, handed them in bulk to tho stranger, with the request that ha would see for himself, and then retired to another part of the room to pursue the occupation in which he had been disturbed. Somewhat stag.ered by this novel proceeding, some time elapsed before advantage was taken of the iiimlir.it confidence exhibited, a'.id a made : but sit Ifingti. iiv.o missives were selecte !, the bundle pushed on one side, and the Kmeraider took his departure highly pleased and fluttered at the confidence reposed in his integrity, while we naturally drew conclusion? as to the guileless nature of at least Suine oi the Wellington o