TIMARU.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1248, 17 April 1880, Page 2

TIMARU.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) April 14. As is usual with public bodies in this part, there was a somewhat lively discussion at the last meeting of the South Canterbury Board of Education. After having dealt with the question as to whether the Chairman had been legally appointed, he being proprietor of a journal circulating in the district, and an interested party in the Board's doings, an exceedingly wise individual turned his attention to abusing the conductors of the recent scholarship examinations. The Rev. Geo.Barclay, one of the examiners, was openly accused of partiality-to wards his own son, it being asserted that he (Mr.. Barclay) had altered the date of. examination so as to suit the boy. The subject has furnished ample material for a fierce pen-and-ink contest, in which his Worship the Mayor shows very bad taste in writing, or getting others to write, on a subject of which his own knowledge is remarkably limited, and still worse in violating the commonest laws of civilised society by introducing, through the public prints, the name of a lady who should not have been mentioned. This is, to my mind, a very abject method of trying to win popularity, and I think the general feeling is that it is so. Mr. Barclay, on the other hand, ably elucidated every point in a letter to the Herald, and gave all to understand that he would not yield his own judgment to any man in New Zealand.

The number of your local police force is, I observe, not sufficient to protect the town from the depredations of the loafing fraternity. I regret to say that our own force strikingly corresponds with yours. Here, in a flourishing little town of some two or three thousand inhabitants, "we have, as a rule, only one "bobby" out while his mate takes his rest. This solitary officer marches backwards and forwards in the main street, and, it being a long one, any amount of crime may be committed at one end while the man in blue is at the other. As for the back streets, where prowlers are always to be found, they can take care of themselves. It is certainly a very lamentable state of affairs, when honest citizens have to take their chance of being murdered in their beds through the impecuniosity of the Government, while so many well-paid supernumeraries, fat and lafcy, are allowed to lounge in easy chairs at the expense of the country. Resulting probably from the small number of officers stationed amongst us, larceny and petty crimes of all sorts are decidedly on the increase. The only way to account for this is that men and women of no reputation, finding the larger towns too well protected to admit of their games, shake off the dust from their feet, and seek fresh pastures, where their depredations may go on for a time comparatively unmolested. This is the effect of the pernicious system of letting an evildoer off on condition of his rollings up his swag and leaving the diatriot, to be a burden to some other community. An elderly lady, giving her occupation as that of sick-nurse, appeared before the R. M. the other day, charged with imposing upon the public, and was sentenced to six months imprisonment; the kind of life she had but recently quitted. Mr. Inspector Pender informed the Bench that for 18 years she had been practising deception from place to place. It is high time such cases were put a stop to, and characters like Margaret Todd, the old dame alluded to, in some way or other Qxcommunioated for the benefit of society. The perjury case against our well-known townsman, James Macleish, is now occupying the attention of the Court, but publiq opinion seems to be that it is only a waste, of time. This case of course arises opt of the row about a mob of sheep, and na doubt the whole of Orr'a party will figure against him in dread array. By the way, it is said that a goodly number of spurious ooins are circulating in the district. They are chiefly imitations of shillings, and can easily be de* tected by a clink upon the counter, In* experienced widows and small shopkeepers should beware, lest they be tempted, daring the dearth, to grab at anything bearing the resemblance of the real thing. Yesterday, a few of the noble army of martyrs waited upon his Honor Judge Ward for orders of discharge. They werq successful in all cases but one, whose dia-» charge remains suspended for 18 months. The unfortunate had to undergo a rather severe examination, at the close of which the judge said he had serious doubts aa ta whether he should not order the hankvupt to be prosecuted, But he esQaped, Maybe it is not forgotten that some weeks a S Q ft disturbance arose between Mr. Kirby, the well-educated and able master of the temple of learning at Washdyke, and certain of his committee. The latter charged Mr. Kirby so freely thftfe an investigation by the Board was can* sidered necessary. The result of the inquiry was that the powers found themselves in a painful dilemma, for they had Ho alternative between discharging the master wrongfully and offending the " highly-cultivated" committee* What was to be dope 1 The Board hit upon a plan which enabled them ta give Mr. Kirby notice to quit for his own material benefit. He got notice, and it was arranged that he should leave on a certain day this month. But before his time expired he was offered, and accepted, the post of Assistant Secretary to the Board, and so his Committee's endeavtirs to turn him out on the road are frustrated, much.to the delight of Mr, Kirby'a friends, who are many. As the new master could not arrange to be at his post for a fortnight after the closing of the school, the Board decided to retain Mr. Kirby's servioea there till he arrived, but the looal Com* mittee, in their anxiety to oppress a faithful servant, ruled that the sahool should rather be closed than oondiioted any longer, by him. This is another illustration of the old saying, " When a man is down, dance on him." It is a matter of congratulation to know that the Wash dyke Committee having forsaken him, as the general public have taken him by the hand, and are humanely maintaining his cause. Since writing the foregoing, the charge of perjury against Macleish has been heard And dismissed, the Magistrate

intimating that if the prosecutors please they may bring it before the Supreme Court at their own expense, which they s re not v< >ry likely to do. The other charges will be heard on Monday, probably with the same result. The proceedings at the races last week were so very tame that they are not worth recording. There was almost a total absence of the fair sex, the weather was miserable, people could not afford to part with their coin, and altogether there is nothing interesting to chronicle.