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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1006, 10 July 1879, Page 2

We understand that a number of inr flaential ratepayers have urged Mr, Shrimski, to allow himself to be nominated for the position of Mayor, but that gentle-

man has declined to comply with the request for several reasons, chief amongst them being the fact that he could not give the necessary attention to Municipal matters, his position as a member of the House of Representatives requiring him to be absent from Oamaru for three or fonr months during each year.

At the meeting of the County Council, to-day, the Engineers* (Messrs. Barr and Oliver) reported that the Kakanui Bridge had been seriously damaged by the late floods, and stated that portions of the' masonry of the bridge had been founded upon shingle and very imperfectly bonded. They recommended the erection of two additional spans, at a cost of L 3955. The Engineers were instructed to prepare plans for re-erecting the bridge.

The Italian tunnel was drilled through at 12 o'clock last night, and at 2 o'clock this morning Antonio Marenta, the manager of the company of Italians that commenced the work 22 mouths ago and finished it yesterday, travelled through it. The tunnel is 46 chains in length, and. has been driven through hard rock for nearly the whole of its extent. The work was, of course, arduous, but the workmen remained in good health from first to last. We have been desired by tliem to express their appreciation of Mr. M'Leod's treatment of them during the time they have been in his employ. We may congratulate ourselves on the fact that the whole of the tunneling has now been done.

It would appear that Oamaru is not singular in feeling aggrieved at the negligence of the Government in non-fulfilling their promises with regard to local works. Dr. Henry, M.H.R., at a meeting of his constituents on the West Coast last Saturday, said "he thought that Mr. Maeandrew had acted in a manner derogatory to the position of a Minister in promising and not fulfilling, and that if his vote could do it he would have him out next session."

We are requested to state that there is no truth in the statement made by our morning contemporary to the effect that a match for L2O a side had been arranged between Mr. Ronaync's Kathleen and Mr. Burrow's Manchester. Mr. Ronayne not only assures us that he has never made such a match, but that he does not know an owner of dogs named Burrows, while he has not given any one permission to run Kathleen in a match.

We are being surfeited with telegrams of the proceedings of the courts throughout the Colony, some of which, we regret to say, are unfit for publication, unless it is desirable to impress people with a notion that the world is uearly evertliing that is bad. There is a profound yearning for sensationalism of the most pernicious kind, and teleirraph agents indulge this charactei-istic quite as much as they do that of sending messages witlinothing at all in them, and that is saying a great deal. We thought the Press Agency bad enough, but their successor, the Press Association, is no better. We do not scruple to assert that some of the accounts of court proceedings forwarded to the Press by the sub-agents of that institution are unfit for the eyes of the mature, to say nothing of our children. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-

•'...V, before T. W. Parker, Esq., R.M., .! CJclland, charged with having been •Iriuik and disorderly in Itcheii-strcet yesterday, was fined 10s. or 4S hours' imprisonment. John Gray, for a similar oftcnce in Thames-street, was also lined 10s., with the same alternative. John Dodd, for being drunk and disorderly on the Ngapara Railway platform yesterday, did not put in an appearance, and his bail was therefore estreated.

A. meeting of the newly-formecl Amateur Dramatic Club will be held this evening at eight o'clock, at the Royal Hotel. The fortnightly meeting of the Harbor Board takes place to-morrow.

A' meeting of the Provisional Committee of the Oamaru Coffee Palace was held last evening at the Young Men's Christian Association Rooms. Reports were made as to the results of inquiries with a view to obtaining suitable buildings, the cost of the enterprise, &c., and it was decided to draw up a report embodying the information obtained. The report will be presented to a general meeting of promoters to be held on Monday next at the Mechanics' Institute, if obtainable.

The free entertainment given under the auspices of the Good Templars in the new Tees-street Hall last evening was attended by a large number of members of the order and others, and an enjoyable evening was spent. The Rev. Mr. Barley occupied the chair, and a number songs and addresses on temperance were given by members of the order,

A meeting of those interested in the proposed Oamaru Woollen Factory Company will be held in Mr. Sumpter's office at 3 o'clock to-morrow afternoon, for the purpose of considering what steps should be taken with reference to the company. The Chairman of the Directors of the Kaiapoi Woollen Factory has succeeded in obtaining large orders from aU parts for the company's cloth. We are glad to observe that the Tuapeka Times and Clutha Leader joined us in taking up the cudgels in defence of Mr. D. M'Pherson Scott, the Tuapeka Mouth schoolmaster, who has been deemed worthy of the hottes persecution for having, in a small degree falsified his school register. It is creditable to those newspapers that they did not indulge in the uncliaritableness of some of their contemporaries. Mr. Scott's case is one that might with profit be fully discussed by the Educational Institute. The New Zealander says that the Hon. W. H. Reynolds will, immediately after the opening of the session, table a motion condemnatory of the appointment of Sir William Fitzlierbert to the Speakership of the Upper House. This must surely be a canard. Mr. Reynolds was amongst those who were mentioned as likely to be honored with the appointment, and he surely would not act in a manner, now that another has it, that might create an impression that he is jealous. The appointment cannot well be opposed on public grounds, because there are few men, if any, that could fill the position better than the late Speaker of the House of Representatives, whilst there are a great many who would fill it worse, although some may pretend to think differently.

It is stated in the Australasian shipping news that the Agnes Jessie, from Hobart Town ; Dunkeld, from Glasgow; and W. C. Wentwortli, from Newcastle, may be expected here at any time. The Dahlia and Argoa had both arrived safely at Adelaide. We may add that the Australasian shipping news is regularly filed at the Harbor Board Offices, and may be inspected by anyone interested in shipping matters. We some? bow had an idea that it was the business of •the Chamber pf Commerce to supply §hip= ping and other commercial information.