The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, 11 February 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1880.

Some amount of disappointment has been experienced at the non-arrival, according to a rrasi cement, of the Lincolnshire farmers delegates, Messrs. Grant and Foster. They were expected in Oamarn yesterday, and Mr. John "Reid, President of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and other gentlemen, were in attendance to give them a reception, but they did not put in an appearance, and as no information was given as to their movements, it was concluded that they would arrive to-day. Mr. Menlove and other gentlemen were on the qui rice to-day, ready to extend the hand of fellowship the delegates, but still they came not. We have ascertained that they are at present in the"\Vaimate district, to-day and to-morrow being devoted to an inspection of the land in that county. They will leave on Friday morning, and will probably arrive here by the early train. His Excellency the Governor may, we believe, be expected in Oamarn to-morrow afternoon, having arranged to become the gnest of the Hon. Robt. Campbell at Otekaike. A telegram informs us that the Hiriemoa, with his Excellency on board, was to leave Wellington this afternoon. At a public meeting held in connection with education at the North Shore, Auckland, the Hon. the Attorney-General made a speech, in which he said that " there was not a young man who heard him who might not occupy the position of Premier of the colony or Attorney-General if he should have only the determination, the capacity, and the application necessary to obtain such position." He might have added "and the wealth which was most easily acqui-ed by investing in native lands."' But perhaps it would scarcely have been conducive to his interests to have made snch an addendum. It was just as well that on such an occasion the minds of his hearers should be diverted from such a topic. The genuineness of the Attorney-General's remarks might have been called into question had Mr Whitaker given them his ideas of how to acquire land. But there is nothing like assuming a virtue even if yon have it not. He accounted for the backward position of Auckland by saying that "Auckland had been less favorably situated, owing to special circumstances. In the South there was a different kind of herbage on the land. The people who settled there were able to put their cattle on the land at once, and they could turn their land to alnio3t immediately productive purpose. In Auckland the land was peculiarly circumstanced, besides producing a kind of herbage which required some time, trouble, and expense to clear it off." e concur ; Auckland has been less favorably situated owing to special circumstances. We said so two years and a half ago, and at once rose into prominence—at first as alleged persecutors and afterwards as the persecuted. The whole explanation of Auckland's agricultural and pastoral unprogressivenes3 is to be found in the Hon. Mr. Whitaker's remarks, that the land i 3 peculiarly circumstanced. Had the hon. gentleman stated that millions of acres of the Auckland land was kept in a condition analagous to Mahomet's coffin, he wonld have told what he knows to be more nearly the truth than the explanation he gave. But we suppose that he considers that silence on such a subject is golden. The hon. gentleman's speech was intended to create as favorable an impression towards himself as possible, and in endeavoring to attain .popularity he proved that there was at least one other man in New Zealand besides Sir George Grey that can gush. His remarks about the young men of the North Shore have never been approached for pathos by the ex-Premier. A telegraph station is now open at Dargavil'e, in the County of Hobson. A correspondent writes from Ngapara : " Thinking that some information respecting our flourishing town would not be void of interest to the read-rs of the Mail, I have resolved to give them a brief sketch as to how we have been getting on of late. Firstly, I may mention that we are favored with exceedingly fine weather, and that our farmers are not slow to avail themselves of it is evident from the rapidity with which extensive tracts of gently waving corn is being reaped. Our town does not present | the sad appearance it did some weeks ago, j for whereas then numbers of idle men Were to be seen sauntering with slowly measured trend along onr streets, and chiefly through our public thoroughfare, large nnmbers are now daily clearing out, and, with the exception of a few dissipated looking characters to b<; seen hanging about, the place is almost deserted. On last Sunday night the residents of this hitherto quiet town were treated to a choice selection of the most horrible screams imaginable by a vagabond whose name appears occasionally in the police reports published in your paper. It; apjiears he imbibed a little too much of the •creature.' On leaving tlio hotel : of tlfd publican who v/n.'i summoned some tirrid sirifee for selling liquor 011 Sunday about at night, he stumbled down some atone stq«, Mid fell very heavily ■ to tlie-J ground. For a cJwrt time he remained jn a state of unconaeiousncM, but oh regaining lijs seniles he began to utter tlw jjjpst frightful yollß, and continued to do so until

some passers by came to his assistance. He then informed these persons that his shoulder was dislocated, and they deeming it advisable to have his shoulder examined resolved to carry him into the hotel. He was refused admittance, however, on the ground that he was only shamming. After a little time they found shelter for him elsewhere, and, on being examined, it was found that the only injury he had sustained was a severe bruising. I question much if many of the residents are sorry for him, as he has lately become a perfect annoyance.". ' >;• ~ To-day's Waimafe Times contains the following We hear the yield of some 200 acres of oats at Waihoarunga belonging to Mr W. Bourne, is estimated to be close upon if riot quite 100 bushels to the acre.: Harvesting commenced in the Hakateramea last week, and thecrops are tttranig out remarkably well. About SOO acres of oats,.-the property of Mr oCbrman Land, of Oamaru, will, it is said,"average .HO Tiiisii els all "rdurid, and Mr Godfrey's—about 200 acrea—promises equally well. There are- some-mag-nilicont crops of rape on the Company's ground, said to be the finest ever seen in this part of the colony. In the Upper Waiho the crops are looking well, and it is only to be regretted that the acreage sown in this part of the district had not been greater.