The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1042, 22 August 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1879.

The following correspondence lias taken place anent the injustice to have been done to the unemployed of this district by employing outsiders to do work on the Livingstone Ijailway that shoit d have been given to them under the circumstances, or, 1 at all events, tendered for in the usual manner " The lion. Mr. Macandtrew.—lt is alleged that stonework on Rail- : way has been let to a Dttnedin man, without ; any opportunity being given to Oamani men :to tender. Can yon oblige me by letting ,01© know if this is so? —T. . Hislop."— i "Mr. Btair.—lt is alleged that the tenders ; were not advertised in the Oatnant papers. Is this so?—J. Mac aNi>s:ew.''The Hon. Minister for Public Works. —No tenders were advertised for the Livingstone line ; it ; ts done, yott will remember, by piecework. Stoma of the masonry tin culverts} was given to masons who fiat! been doing the same kind of work on the VVaikonaiti ' unemployed ' 1 section ; I do not know whether they are Danedin men or not. My instructions being that local men are to be employed where possible, it was explained to me that there was no time to make the usual arrangements in this case. Yott will recollect that Mr. Steward, the Mayor of Oamarn, waited on you in Puncdtn to press on the commencement of the work. After being sanctioned W TOO he would cot hear of an i hours delay. The work was literally put in hand within an hour after receiving your instructions. The ordinary ♦unemployed' who were intended to be accommodated could not be put to work till some of the culverts were in, a a it was absolutely necessary to get masons to do the | work at once, and the readiest were accord- ; ingty employed. I may add that the pori tions of the work given to those men is very small, an«l that the rest will be given to I local men if they will do it cheaper.—W. A. ! This evening a meeting will be held at the j Otepopo Schoolroom of electors in the } southern portions of the County, for the ! purpose of considering what atcjja shall be taken to secure the representation of the country districts in Parliament. We arc informed that it is not intended, as supposed, to bring forward a country candidate, but to take united action to secure the return of members for the district favorable to the separation of the town from the country in future, with a representative specially for each. Mr. Samuel C.il.tw, Mayor of Oamaru, has been gazetted a Justice of the Peace. The Hon. J. Hall has resigned his scat in the Legislative Council, and will seek election to tho popular chamber. Attention was very properly drawn by Councillor Roberts at last night's mcetimj of the Municipal Council to heaps of metal lying on Thames-street. He said several persons had called his attention to the matter, and he thought the metal would be serving a much better purpose if it were spread over the street. The Mayor explained that the metal had been broken by the contractor for the improvement of the street, and had not, for some unexplained cause, been spread over the street, though the contract time had expired last January. Councillor Roberts remarked that, that being the case, the Council should take the work out of the contractor's anil complete it. They might become liable for damages if an accident occurred through the metal remaining in heaps on the read. The Mayor said the contractor, and not the Council, would be responsible if an acvident happened. Councillor Garland said he could speak feelingly upon the matter, as he bad narrowly escaped meeting with an accident, having driven on the stones in the dark. The matter was eventually referred to the Works Committee with power to act.

Messrs. Hislop and Shrimski will commence a series of addresses to the electors to-morrow evening, when they will speak at the Pnkeuri Schoolroom. A meeting of the supporters of Messrs. His'op r.nd Shrimski is called for to-morrow evening, at ei.ht o'clock, in a room above the Colonial Bank, for the purpose of forming a committee and taking steps to ensure the return of those gentlemen as members for Waitaki. A scratch football match will be played on the old Cricket Ground between the old and new members of the Oamaru Football Club. A very large attendance of players is requested. as a general meeting of the ("In!) will be held immediately after the match, to consider a challenge received from the Zingari Football Club, of Dunedin, to play at Oamaru on .Saturday, .'sotli August. Mr. \V. J. Smith, lion. Secretary to the Chamber of Commerce, has received the following telegram :—" Dunedin, August 22, IS7o.—The Committee here resolve to invite the co-operation of the Oamaru exhibitors and citizens in tha appointment and mission of Mr. Grant. It is considered most desirable in the interests of the Middle Is'and. Can you assist? Time is of the utmost importance, and strenuous effort by your Committee amongst friends might easily secure suitable contributions. Kindly reply.—J. S. Webb, lion. Sec." We are glad to observe that our remarks with reference to the state of Coquet-street have had the necessary effect, and that the street is being placed in a decent state. Mr. Otterson last night, in speaking about the matter, seemed to think that there was no necessity for the work being done on so elaborate a scale. He said that there were other streets which required equally as much attention as C'oquet-strcet. He did not think they were warranted, in view of the low state of the finances, in going to great expense in the rapair of streets. The work was being done in Coquet-street on a very elaborate scale. Others pointed out that there was an exceedingly great amount of traffic on the street. E, By advertisement in another column it will lie seen that no steamer will leave here for Dnnedin to-night, but the Beautiful Star will sail to-morrow evening at S p.m. The Artillery turned out last night for instruction in gun drill, under Sergt.-Major Crcagh, and had an hour's hard work at the various gun movements and evolutions. The officers and non-commissioned officers seem determined to make this battery a success, both as regards efficiency and numbers. At present it numbers over Sd members, exclusive of a band of 25 perfo mers, who, we hear, will make their lirst appearance in the uniform of the corps on Friday evening, I2tli September. The next parade takes place on Tuesday, 2Gth inst., when Staff Sergt.Major M'l'herson will be in attendance. A small parcel of New Guinea grass seeds has been kindly forwarded to the editor of the New Zealand Agriculturist, but as that paper will not be published for tiro or three weeks, we have much pleasure in announcing that small parcels of the seed will be sent, on application at our office, to those desiring to give it a trial. As the supply is somewhat limited, and as but few germinate, it is desirable that the greatest care should be exercised in the treatment of them. Here is Mr. Abraham Lincolne's letter, which accompanied the parcel of seeds : —" I beg to forward you a few of the Guinea grass seeds. The plant is said to be a most valuable fodder, and universally preferred to all other grasses for feeding horses and other st"ck. The Curator of the Botanical Gardens, St. Helena, Queensland, informs me that the Guinea grass ought to be a success in V ictoria. Sow in August or September. It docs not grow well from seeds, not more than 5 per cent, germinating; but a few plants secured may be divided and subdivided toanyextent without much troubleddanger. The slips may be inserted at about a foot apart, and in a few weeks the plants will tiller out in all sides plentifully. Transplant into a richly-prepared plot, and cut when two or three feet high.