The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1268, 30 April 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 1880.

It is now certain that there will be a contest for the seat in Parliament vacated by Mr. Hislop. Mr. Roberts' friends are canvassing vigorously, and are receiving numerous promises of support, and, we suppose, Mr. Roberts will take an early opportunity of propounding his views. But Mr. John Reid, the only other candidate so far, will, we are informed, visit the district and meet the electors in the orthodox fashion. Both gentlemen have their admirers, and as there is no particular question of policy ion which they are likely to be at j variance, the contest between them bids fair !to be somewhat close and exciting. The j electors will, of course, subject the candidates to cross-questioning upon the several ' matters affecting the government of the Colony which will probably be legislated upon during the approaching session, and choose the candidate that appears to them to give the more satisfactory replies. We hear that Mr. Hislop has received entreaties from several of the pillars of the patty with which he sympatised to withdraw his resignation, but that he has elected not to do so.

The meeting of the Municipal Council last evening was of so long duration that several members spoke of the necessity for adopting some course to reduce the length of the sittings. Councillor Garland suggested that, in view of the importance of carefully watching the progress of the Waterworks, it would be well to hold weekly instead of fortnightly meetings. The business was of so lengthy a nature that it was deemed necessary to adjourn I the meeting until this evening.

The Invercargill News, in -writing about j the Property Assessment Act, says "Of its cumbronsness and intricacy no better proof could he afforded than the publication of ' Crombie's Guide to the Property Assessment Act,' a shilling pamphlet intended to instruct the unfortunate taxpayers how to make out the " returns." Time will show,' but it would not be surprising if this notable device of the Hall party fades away before the passive resistance it may be said to invite." We agree with our contemporary. Mr. Crombie is Mr. Sperry's right-hand man, and, although a journalist, is no fool. His Guide to the Act is cleverly written and compiled. It consists of 30 pages closely printed "brevier," and gives evidence that it is the handiwork of one who, from practice, knows how to compress much into a small space. Mr. Crombie i 3 to be congratulated on having hit upon the idea of publishing this pamphlet. Doubtless he was actuated by the knowledge that he, as an officer of the Property Tax Department, is expected to take a prominent part in administering the Act under which the tax is imposed. No man in the department should know better than he that his duties in this respect will be attended with the greatest possible difficulty, and no wonder that he should have published an explanation of the Act and its intentions five times as voluminous as the Act itself. There can be no doubt that such a guide is necessary as much for the information of the taxed as for the benefit of the tax officers, and Mr. Crombie recognised that. But the book costs a shilling. Therefore those who wish to make themselves acquainted with the wishes of the Government, in order that they may be able to comply, are asked to pay an additional tax. Of course, Mr. Crombie's labors, so far as the people whom ■he has sought to benefit are concerned, will be wasted. We think that the Government should have undertaken the printing of a

i _ ,fp■Mrplain the meaning of the Act and circulate it gratuitously. The only expense would have been the paper, for it could have been printed at the Government Printing Office.

Mr. Forsyth, so well known in thi3 district as an expert florist, has been gaining honors in Cbristchurch. At the late Chrysanthemum Exhibition in that city he was, as usual, represented by a number of rare and excellent exhibits. The Lyttelton Times, in commenting on the display, remarks :—"lt cannot, for one moment, be dispnted that the general excellence of tjie little display of yesterday was entirely due to the incentive furnished a year ago by Mr. 8 Forsyth, of Oamarn. On the present occas-1 sion that gentleman stood alone for the rare size, the perfection of form, and the purity of coloring he had secured." It has frequently been stated that there was very little probability of the Municipal Council receiving anything like the estimated amount from the use of water for the purpose o£ driving machinery; but from what transpired at the meeting of the Council last evening it would certainly seem that a much larger quantity of water will be taken for machinery than Is generally believed. The matter cropped up on the followiag letter being read from Messrs, Anderson and Co. .—"Some two years ago, ■ or thereabouts, we applied to you for a supply of water for milling purposes, and now, seeing that the water will soon be into Oamaru, we beg to remind you of our application. It is our intention to ereat a flourmill in onr stores in Harbor-street, to be worked by water-pressure, if we can get the supply from you- We ask of you the following information : Can we rely on getting the water, and sufficient to work up to thirty horse-power or thereabouts? When will the water be in and available ? What will be the charge for horse-power? This information we require to guide us when to commence putting up the machinery. An early reply will oblige." During the course of the discussion which followed, it was mentioned, that Messrs. Anderson and Co, would consume about 23,000 gallons per hour, and that Messrs. J. and T. Meek and others would also be prepared to abolish steam, and adapt their machinery to water. It was also mentioned that at the price of Lls per horse-power a year, which would probably be charged, millers would effect great savings as compared with the cost of using coal, while the danger of fire would be removed. The matter was referred to i 1 the Waterworks Committee for report, and , it was suggested that applications should be ; 1 invited from those who were desirous of receiving water for machinery purposes, | with statements of the probable quantities' ] required. < A writer in last evening's issue made a' < suggestion which has much to recommend it, J 1 viz., that a chain should be placed across' < Thames-street whilst a train was traversing' '<■ the crossing. But such an idea would be. not only useless, but dangerous, during ' I darkness, for a man, or, worse still, a vehicle * or a horseman, might get as far as the chain | and be bailed up by it, or upset on the track. I | Our idea that the crossing-keeper should wear some startling uniform is a better one. 1 The objection that this, too, would not be distinguishable iu the dark, could be got over by causing the keeper to carry a con- F spicaous colored light and flash it. ' s

for Sydney, per Australia, expected oil Saturday or Sunday, will close at Auckland immediately after her arrival there. In another column appears a notification under the signature of Mr. Henry Cornell, the Hon. Secretary of the Waitaki County Acclimatisation Society, to the effect that he is now issuing coursing licenses for the coming season (which commences to-morrow and will last for three months), and that any persoh found coursing without a license will render himself liable to legal proceedings. The notification is of interest to owners of dogs. "We have received from the publisher, Mr. Joseph Braithwaite, a copy of a publication entitled, "A New Work by Father Chiniquy, the Priest, the Woman, and the Confessional. Fearful disclosures of an ex-Romafl Catholic Priest." The title savors more strongly of "The Police News" or "The Day's Doings" than a work professing to effect religious reform. The prurient may read fchisbook and revel in the Apocryphal and eminently characteristic Chiniquy statements which it contains, but it is not likely, we think, to be any more Buccessful in winning proselytes than wer/2 the lectures of the " Pastor." We rank this work with "The Mysteries of London" and " Jack Sheppard," and recommend that it should be labelled poison. The weekly mepting of St. Paul's Young Men's Association was held last evening, when a capital paper on the seasonable subject of "Coal" was read by Mr. Garrow, who had evidently been at some pains to both interest and instruct his hearers on the formation of this most useful mineral. As a set-off to 100 faggot voters created by the Duke of Buccleucli, Lord Rpsebery is said, as if by a sudden touch of enchantment, to have thrown up 160 cottages near Edinburgh, on the Tyne side, to house 160 working men and add 160 to the Liberal constituency. The works were pushed on in a few weeks in a most picturesque and energetic manner, four contractors taking each forty tenements, and a force of 500 masons, bricklayers, laborers, and so forth relieving each other in relays night and day.

An intelligent jury in Southland, after having investigated the cause-of the ignition of several stacks of wheat, returned this verdict" That the stacks were burned by some person unknown, and served the stacks right.'" A correspondent writes as follows In the Dunedin Star"lnstead of enticing such large vessels as the Norfolk here it wonld be more prudent to induce them to stay away, as, in the event of a wreck on the bar, it might result in the practical destruction of the harbor by the formation of a sand-bank around the sunken vessel. To attempt to dredge the bar will be found quite useless and even dangerous, on account of the swell which is always on it, and which would soon break the machinery of a dredge and probably sink her." "We had the pleasure to-day of inspecting the fine collections of Chrysanthemums now being placed on exhibition at the shop of Mr. H, J. Mote, by Messrs Heywood of the Awamoa Nursery, This collection contains almost all the kinds worthy of culture, many of the varieties being really beautiful, whilst the fioweis individually are of fine form and large size. The merits of .this charming flower are becoming better known, and its cultivation must naturally be an object of increasing interest, flowering, as it does, at a time when the majority of plants are losing their beauty. From the ease with which it may be grown, and the large variety of color, an effect may- be produced which cannot be surpassed by any other class of plants.

Tbe panorama of Australia and New Zealand--trill hp. Avkihitoa at Tbe Volunteer Hall for the firat time this evening, la addition to the panorama, patrons are promised vocal music by " Miss Lillie" and ventriloquism by Mr. G. W. Corbett. The entertainment comprises the presentation of free gifts. Children will be admitted tomorrow afternoon at a charge of 6d, and adults at a charge of Is.

It has been computed by a person in this district, who is an authority on snch a matter, that by the late rise in the price of wool the growers of the Colony will realise at least L 1,000,000 more for the produce of their gtatjons than they did last year. This will, of course, favorable affect every interest in the Colony.

A writer in the "Wellington Post says [ I hear that the celebrated Sullivan, of the Jielly-Burgess gang, has again turned up, ! having been discovered amongst the unemployed on the Plains. He was recognised by one who had seen him in prison at Dunedin. Although he protested it was a case of mistaken identity, the men made him understand he must leave the camp, which he did next morning, travelling northward,To which the editor appends the following footnote :—"lt may be remembered that some weeks since there was a man in Wellington who complained to the police of being perseputed, owing to his being mistaken for the murdjerer Sullivan, to whom he is said to have borne an extraordinary resemblance. Perhaps it is the same imfgrtunate individual who is referred to by our correspondent,''

The fact that the whole of the allotments of space to British exhibitors in the Melbourne Exhibition have been seut out, and that no more applications can be entertained, proves bP'yv great is the desire on the part of British manufacturers to make known their specialities in the Colonies. The applications in the implement and machinery class have been so numerous that it is not certain, we ftre told, whether they can all be entertained, it js to be hoped that space will be found for {ill who desire to be represented in this cfcss —the mgsfc important of all to colonist?'.