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Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1035, 14 August 1879, Page 2

Tiif. rnmour that Sir George Grey was :ut\iuurf to go Home to lloat i he Ly.OOO.CLO liian. belongs to the 1o"g Hal «>f accuaaiioiiy that were fulminated by Sir William Fox and his myrmidons during ihe Jam session. This idea was originated, we should think, in ihe hope that the Premier would approve of it. If he had done so. how delighted his political eoemies would have been to see him safely off. The day of his departure would have been held as a gala day by the Opp..sition. There would have been a grand procession, in which Sir William would come next to the Premier himself, with ihe member for Gcra'.dine, the Canterbury squat! ers, and their particular friends, in the rear. How hear> ily they would wisli Sir George bun voyage. but wish in Iheir hearis that he might go to the botiom of the sea ra! her than return to ihe Colony. The occasion would be too much for Mr. Fox's teetoial principles. They would give way under The heat of the excitement of one of the most glorious periods ti«at he Jiad ever experienced. But Sir George is not going Home. He had not the most remote idea of his desire io go until he heard ihe rumor ihat Jiad been so assiduously circulated by i hose whose wish was the father to tiuu'.ulii. Ho is only going round the Colony, lor the present, at ail evenis, and will turn up at Wellington when Parliament ne:;t opens—we were going io say to afford diversion for his political and personal enemies ; but, if any of Sir George Grey s enemies are in Parliament at all. as members, they will he there in greatly reduced numbers, their companions having been left out in ihe cold through the winnowing process of election. Judging from appearances, if Sir George Grey's opponents muster strongly in the licit Parliament, they will be at a respectful distance. They will be in the gallery on sufferance, and through the courtesy of the Speaker. The}* will have the extreme felicity of seeing the measures proposed by Sir George Grey's party carried in spite of them, and, if they raise their voices in protest then, they will be removed by a policeman.

We have every reason to believe that Mr. Hislop will accede to a very general desire of the electors and come forward for re-election as one of the representatives for this district. Mr. Hislop would, we hear, have announced himself as a candidate immediately on his return from Wellington, but, as his Parliamentary duties have seriously interfered with his business, he resolved that if a good man were brought forward in the Liberal interest he would not seek re-elec-tion. This not having been done, it is probable that Mr. Hislop will, rather than jeopardise the interests of the electors, jdace himself at their disposal. In accordance with our suggestion, a requisition asking Mr. Hislop to stand is in course of signature, having already received a large number of names, and this will, we understand, be immediately presented to him.

In reply to our correspondent "Ngaparian,"' whose letter appeared in our last issue, we are in a position to state flat the members for the district (Messrs. Hi.-lop and Shrimski) before leaving Wellington, made arrangements for having a polling booth at Ngapara for the coming election. We believe we are correct in stating that there will be polling booths at the following places : Hampden, Otepopo, Maheno, Kakanui Mouth, Cave Valley, Teaneraki, Ngapara, Livingstone, Duntroon, Awanjoko, Papakaio, Pokeuri Point, and Oamaru. Every elector in this district will therefore be enabled, through the forethought and care of the members, to record his vote, and we hope that when the time comes every man will do his duty to himself and his country by exercising his rights as an elector.

In consequence of the unpleasantness of the weather, the ball announced to take place in the Maheno Public Hall last evening was postponed until Wednesday evening next,

"We regret to learn that Mr. Wm. Christie, who has for several years been manager of the branch of the Colonial Bank in this town, and who formerly occupied a similar position in the National Bank here, is abont to be removed to Wellington, where he will act in a similar capacity. We are sure that the news of his intended departure will be received with genuine sorrow, for he has, in his official capacity, and as a citizen, well earned the esteem of all. We notice that co-operation is extending its operations in this district, the latest instance being at Dmitroon, where the store business hitherto carried on by Mr. Snow has been purchased by a local company, which will in future "run" it oil the co-operative readymoney principle. The Committee of the North Otago Champion Ploughing Match held a meeting on Monday evening, 'at Piric's Papaka'.o Hotel. There was a very fair attendance, and Mr. !\ Aitchison occupied the chair. •Some alterations were made in last year s rules, the most important being the following :—"That third prize-takers and those lower on the list can again compete in Class B; that no prize be given for swing ploughs ; and that any sort of double-furrow plough be admitted, with any kind of coulters attached, aud that assistance is to he allowed only in the first round." The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Monday evening, at the same hour. An excellent programme | will be shortly issued. The Waitangi Tribune says : —" A special train, with 100 Maori prisoners in charge of 25 of the Armed Constabulary, passed the Waimate Junction on Sunday last en route for Dunedin, where they will receive every attention befitting their position at the hands of Mr. Caldwell, in Her Majesty's gaol." Surely some wag has been playing our contemporary a joke, or it has written with lincly-drawn sarcasm. The train referred to did not cairy Maori prisoners—it only carried the homeward-bound southern members. Nevertheless, perhaps some of them also should receive every attention befitting their position, at the hands of Mr. Caldwell.