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Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 788, 21 October 1878, Page 2

We are not of those who would interfere with the prerogative of our railway authorities, believing that such a course would tend to render the department inefficient and unreliable, but we j.oin with our Palmerston friends in welcoming Mr, ipK.enzie back to his post as stationmaster at Palmerston, He is energetic, obliging, and careful—at least he appears to the public to be so—and the news of his suspension on account of the occurrence of the late accident, was received with astonishment by all who have the pleasure of knowing him. Now that the railway authorities have removed the ban and permitted him to return to the place from which he was thrust, we have a right to assume that he has been exonerated from all blame in connection with the late accident. Such being the case, we have great pleasure in making his return to his duties as stationmaster at Palmerston known, and trust the Railway Department will not omit to see that he loses nothing by his suspension, It is encouraging to find that the Palmerstonions concur in the action taken by the Oamaru Chamber of Commerce in calling for a public enquiry into the causes of the late accident; another eyidep.ee that public feeling is in favor of knowing all the facts of the case. The open treatment of such matters would be a safeguard against numerous evils arising out pi autocratic officialism. We "are glad to be able to inforiji the numerous friends of Mr. Fidler that he has just received intimation that he has succeeded in passing through another stage of examination for the degree of 8.A., the subjects taken being inductive and deductive logic, mental.science, physics, and languages. The launching of the schooner Wanganui was successfully complete Aby Mr, Sutherland, the contractor, yesterday morning about 10 Q'cl(,i.:k, The .schoQs,er injipediately .afterwards sailed for Port Chalmers, where she will be docked and repaired.

The Dunedin Committee for the relief of the sufferers by the Balclutha floods have created dissatisfaction by refusing to accept of the proceeds of a concert from Madame Tasca. It appears that that lady signified her intention of giving a delation in the ordinary way, but it was suggested to her by some friends that the concert idea would be a fetter one, and she adopted it. We cannot understand why the Dunedin Relief Committee acted in such a maimer. If they did not require Madame Tas.ca's money .one would think that they did not require assistance from anybody. Had they accepted Madame Tasca's liberal offer they would only have been obtaining through a. second person money from a number of people that should subscribe to the relief of the needy, but do not. Although Madame Tasca is quite as worthy of praise for h.er liberality as are the Dunedin opulent who have given their guineas to the relief fund, it is only proper that one towards whom the public has been so munificent should act with liberality when humanity calls for it. What wpuldbe thought of a citizen of Dunedin who refused tp give his mite, though able ? and Madame Tasca, j and persons of her class, are citizens of the world, It was her duty and her pleasure to offer help, and she did so. Why the Dunedin Committee refused it nobody seems to know.

A meeting of the Provisional Directors of the Oamaru Woollen Factory Company was held this afternoon at Mr. Sumpter's office. Present: Mcssies, jßp.rraclough (chair), Gilchrist, Gibbs, Humphrey, Finch, Procter, »nd Sumpter. Apologies were tendered for the absence of Messrs. Lees and Maude. Mr. Sumpter reported that he had sold over 12,000 shares, and had mtr made any efforts outside the town. It was resolved that the sharp list be closed on the 30th November. After the transaction of other business, a vote of thanks being passed to the chairman, tlie meeting closed. A special meeting of the Oamaru Schools Committee will be held evening, at 7 o'clock, for consideration of matters ji> refqreiice to the South School. Madame Tasca and her talented company: will give her grand concert to-morrow night, .at the Volunteer Hall. Tile front seats are nearly all taken up, and. there is every reason to believe that the public intend to. take advantage of this opportunity of listening to really good music." i A Christchureli exchange says : —Several no\ elties in the shape of agricultural implements have been recently imported by

Messrs. Robert Wilkin and Go,_>-hich will commend themselves to farmers, both for their economy and the superior and more efficient way in.- which-they do their work. i&songst the most useful of these is Foust's, tiay loader. The hay: is 1 -- gathered "up and deposifed on'an; endless webbing by hooked rakes to the shafts, which are -arranged in a species of open cylinder ; it is then conveyed by means of the webbing on to.the cart or waggon w\hieh is being loaded, ' 'the'cylindrical shafts' being -worked by a revolving axle attached to the wheels of the machine. As the hay travels up to the waggon it is protected from the wind by a light wooden frame which covers the webbing. The machine, with a steady horse, can be worked by one man, and the cart loaded in a very short time. : Another •ingenious invention is the sack barrow and loader, Which does the lifting by a small platform working up and down in a, groove by means of a chain and handle, and thus saving much labor. Corbett and Peele's clover and seed barrow drill, for sowing mixed seed, at the same time keeping them separate as they fall from the machine, is likely to be found very useful, and Page and Co.'s galvanised pig and sheep trough is a great improvement on the old wooden ones. The Excelsior string binder, for tying sheaves quickly and strongly with string instead of wire is also a very ingenious invention, its simplicity of construction being as remarkable as its utility.