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Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 741, 24 August 1878, Page 2

When" getting on Ui3 logs to move for leave to introduce his Parliamentary Representation Hill, on the 7th of this month, Mr. Whitaker said, in referring, we presume, to iiis misfortune of last session, "I may have been extinguished, vet there rise a thousand beacons from the spark I bore." But the beacons have shared the same fate as the spark. They have gone out, and the member for Waikato is launched once more into political obscurity by his opponents. Unhappy fate. The greatest admirer of Mr. Whitakrr's Parliamentary Representation Bill was Mr. Whitaker, and the old gentleman himself, the father of it, voluntarily tucked it under his arm andhurriedit out of the House to save it from the disgrace that attended the advent of his black child of last session. He did this with such lamb-like meekness that we would feel cpiite grateful were it not that he seems suspiciously conciliatory. When the hou. member for Waikato is obliging in his manner, let other lion, members sleep with one eye open. In the language of Sir Boyle Roche, " We siuell a rat; we see him floating in the air," and we shall have to protect ourselves /' with a sword in each hand and a pistol in the other." We hope that hon. members will recognise that the an* is redolent of scheming. It is needless to say what form the scheming will assume, but we would carry the minds of our readers back to tiio time when the hon. gentleman —rue late Attorney-General—-the honored author of the iNative Land Bill of last session—sought the suffrages of a constituency with the avowed intention of coniounding the politics of the then Government. But scarcely had he taken his seat, whs'ii roaring lion became an inoffensive lamb, and just as pliable. He Ins published several works, but his elf/"'' iw:re is "L iiid Monopoly Simpliti'.i- ' " A dissertation on the profitable n:i ! of the e-ii! bus ness. and how to fac.iU'it*-: 1 he .-scnsiivsiiiens of bearing Jai.ds front uoveviiiiK'nts," and another entitled frf■ iw i became wealthy, and made my friends millionaires," are in the pres*. Tiie ioiiiiuattoiis for these valuable w .i'ks dut • ii'oui the time that he fit'sl allowed himself to be thrust into office, and ;.he snper-stviieinros have gradually risen r.s he has f'ora tune to time busied ! himself in the atfairs of the country. We : would recommend the perusal of the above-mentioned books to working men, although it woulci, of course, be necessary to carry out the hints, contained therein in a new country, where the verdancy of the public has not become seared. To recommend them to act upon Mr. Whitakke's suggestions i.ere would be as ai'surd a> >.x[>; etii!g a pastrycook, to make c :k-s without flour and sugar, for flour and sugai- are as important elements in the manufacture of cakes as they are in the acquirement .of large -blocks of native lands. The day is past when men could, through their judicious administration of the affairs of'thr! country. attain wealth themselves and - piae* their friends into such a position that theii- possessions will win for them'the favor'of their sovereign. It may be'possible for those who have done it before so successfully to do it a:ain ; but there is no chance for outsiders. We shall now see fewer instances of itn'n being beggars one day and on horseback the next. But, to return to our subj.-ct, it would be wise for hon. members to keep their wits about them.

its ienfl: an ear to oar requests, and gront those that, are reasonable. We are about _tired of being subjected to the 'narrow views which'"officials possess upon public questions. It is perfectly fair to ask their opinions ;. but a government does wrong that allows itself to be swayed by those opinions.- This is what a'l governments are prone to do, our present Government being no exception to the rule. A number .of influential citizens requested that the telegraph at Oamaru should be available from 5 to 7 p.;ih.*, in order to facilitat * business. The matter ' was referred to officials, who, of course, placed-every barrier in the way of the accomplishment of - the object sought. '; r ho extra cost would lie considerably,_und-r L 2.00 per annum, which ;it x is : considered j would be too large an expenditure [for the additional advantage that :would be- gained. We would like to be; informed what, the associates of foolscap the mercantile necessities of the the advantage of having the Telegraph Office kept open as de-sired, is not v. orth the paltry sum that would have to be expanded to secure it, it is not worth having. Those representing the commercial interests of this town, which has in importance forged ahead of some New Zealand cities, and. will yet outstrip others, have good reasons for asking the- Government to make the concession, or they-would not have done it. We do not expect, ob-. strnctive and disinterested officials to see it; but we can easily understand that the favor asked, as it would place our commercial men on a fair footing with those of other places who are composing with them, is not an unreasonable one. All we ask is that the Government should look into the matter, and we would'recommend that those who made the r.-qu"st should not rest un il they iio so. On they will be struck th;tt so finall -'n > X|>euditure is capable of working so much commercial good. The Reverend Mr. B'wl«y, the new Primitive Methodist: pastor,..who is to take charge of the Oaniarii district, may bo expected to arrive at any moment, as he is now due Re is the sou of the Re -'. Mr Barley, of Nottinghamshire, who has been a minister in the Primitive Methodist Connexion for MO years. He was married just prior to taking his departure fo- the Colony, and is said to be an able and promising young minister.

The sailing of the 8.9. Star of the South has been postponed till Monday next. Tenders will be received up to-the 30t!i inst. for the office of Banger for the Otepopo District. T.-jiirt. iv. for the supply of cast-iron waterj 7.1 pare t'i be si-nt in to the I'own Clerk, uamarii. 01; or before Monday next, at noon. A meeting of those persons who intend to become members of the Volunteer Band will be held at the Drill-shed on Monday next, at 8 o'clock. Tenders for several large contracts are invited hy the Waimate County Council. Particulars- in advertisement. The Duueilin Morning Herald wishes the new paper t> be pp.hi; lierl in connection with the.Bruce H-.-imM long life and prosperity ; but it has its doubts. We loiJk upon the Herald as an authority in such a matter, and know of no paper more capable of .writing feelingly upon the subject. The annual meeting of the Hampden Road Board was held on Wednesday Present— Messrs. Culli'ig(Chairman), Andrew, Muuro, Seddon, Gill its, M'Kerrow, Findlay, and. Riddeil. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and nnufmned. Joseph Culling was re-appointed Chairman to the Board, ! and Mr. Andrew M'Kerrow was re-elected Treasurer. The Clerk read the balancesheet, showing a credit balance of L 77 on 31st March Kisi. wiiijh was adopted. A letter from Mr. William Murcott was read, informing one- Board that, ha had succeeded 1 in getting the Waitaki County Council to take over the street to railway station as a County road. A letter from the Road Board. Conference, for warding a copy of a resolution passed at the meeting, was read and approved of. Moved by Mr. Andrew, seconded by Mr Munro, " That the following accounts be paid, viz., 0-. C. Manning, auditor, 1.2 2s; Thomas M'Cormack, sur-face-man, 1.7 7s: Hector M'Leod, surfaceman, LO His; John Simmons, for second portion of contrast No. 36, L 27 17s 9d." Moved by Mr. Munro, nccomied by Mr. Andrew, "That Mr. .M'Kerrow be authorised to procure bhi-ring powder to remove the rock on Fbushilt I!-v.d." Ou the motion of \1 r. Munro, seconded by Mr. M'Kerrow, the Engineer was instructed to examine the road-line bet-ween blocks I. and 11.. Moeraki, from Main North Koad towards the beach, and report on it, and give an estimate of the probable cost of formation. It was decided, on the motion <>f Mr. Andrew, seconded by Mr. Munro, that the Fugineer bo instructed to examine the Kartigi Beach road, from near Mr. Cuiling's property to where it joins present formation, and give an estimate of the probable cost of the necessary culverts and approaches thereto.