The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 30 June 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1880.

Some inquisitive members of the House of Representatives have intimated their intention of asking some very awkward questions in regard to the report of the Civil Service Commission. Mr. Vincent Pyke gave notice yesterday that he would ask if the Government intended to give effect to the recommendation of the Civil Service (Commission re the importation of material for heavy contracts ip connection with the Railway Department. Then Mr, Richardson gave notice that he would ask, also referring to a recommendation roflde by the Commission, if the Government intend to ppfc a stop to the importation of foreign timber £c« railway works purposes. But the most awkward question of the lot was that of which notice was given by Mr. Barron, who wants to know the nan?e of the contractor who supplied a number of railway carriages of defective material and construction reported in the Civil Service Commission's report > &e responsible head of the department to which they were supplied; and who passed the certificate for payment. One of the many advantages }ikejy to bp derived from the water supply was made manifest at the shop of Mr. Fry, butcher, Tees-stfeet, yesterday, when, in the presence of his Worship tlje Mayor and a large number of members of the Council and private citizens, a trial was made of the water epging obtained from Messrs. A. &T. Burt, Duuedin. This engine has been erected for the purpose of driving the sausage-making machinery, and the manner in which it did its work may be judged from the fact that within a very short time sufficient meat was chopped up for 2001bs. weight of sausages. The pressure of water was over £olb3. to the square inch, and the engine was supplied by a three-quarter-incfa pipe. At the R.M. Court to-day Mr. Balmer made a special application €&r a bottle license, under the provisions of the Lisensing Ordinance, IS7O, for premises lately occupied bv Henry Ellis in Thames-street, The nature of the application was for the granting of a temporary transfer of the license previously held by Jfr, H. E lis to Mr. P. M'Carthy, pending the ne*£ sitting of the Licensing Court. The application was granted. The Adjourned sitting of the Licensing Court was held, yesterday afternoon before T. W. Parker, Esq., J?.,M. (Chairman), and J. Udall and J. Borton, E.sqs., Commissioners. Mr. Hislop appeared to supp.ort the application of Mr. J. D. Kett for a renews} of the license for the Royal Hotel, and stated that ths several matters complained of had been attended to, inspector Thompson stated that he had founjd tjie premises in good order, and the license was granted, Mr. O'Meagher appeared in support of Mr. Wm. Maitland's application for a license for the Globe Hotel, and stated that the house, particnla-rly the npper portion, was splendidly fttraished, and that there was a spacious kitchen. Inspector Thompson stated the building was well finished, but that there was no stable. The license was granted.

It will be observed by a telegram from Wellington published elsewhere that the Government have decided to make a modification in the hours during which the telegraph wires will be available to the public. So far as Oamaru is concerned, this change ( will mean reverting to the hour 3 in force prior to the alteration made by keeping the office open up to S o'clock without a break. The Oamaru office hours will be from 9 a.m. | to 5 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. At the R.M. Court to-day, before D. Sutherland and Henry Connell, Esqs,, J.fs., Annie Murdock, for being a common prosti* tnte, going about in men's clothes, and having nc yisible lawful means of support, was sent to ggol for one month. James M'Lachlan for being drunk and disorderly was fined 10s, with the option of three days' imprisonment. Peter Flett, for pjie same offence, was dismissed with a caution. 3aznep il'Lean, charged with being an habitual drunkard, and against whom several previous convictions were recorded and ftlso ope for larceny, was sentenced to two month's inj-1 prlsonment with hard labor in Dunedin gaol.

The meeting of the Waiarekea Road Board to-day lapsed for want of a quorum, but will be held this day jyeek. Mails for the United Kingdom and the Australian Colonies, per s.s. Ringarooma, will close at the Bluff at 11,3 a.m. 0» .the 2nd pros. Telegrams will be accepted at | the Oamaru office accordingly.

The heavy rain of the past two days has found the defects in the filling up of the cuttings made in the streets for the purpose of laying the water pipes. In many places, particularly -where the earth is of a soft nature, the want of proper ramming-down of the soil after the pipes were laid ha 3 led to the rush of water causing large and in some cases dangerons holes in the streets. We arc pleased to note, however, that the contractors for pipe-laying, in whose hands the matter still remains, are using every effort to repair the damage with as little delay as possible, large numbers of men being employed filling up the holes and making those portions of the streets where the pipes are laid less dangerous.

A gentleman, evidently of the Turkish way of thinking in the matter of costume, if not born under the Crescent, formed the centre of attraction at the railway-station this afternoon. He was got tip regardless not only of expense, but also of what English people term the height of fashion, and he was eyed with considerable curiosity from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. On* JLurkish visitor is, we believe, one of the' proprietors of an Oriental exhibition which will open here in a few days,

The monthly meeting of the Committee of the Athenieum and Mechanics' Institute will be held to-morrow evening, at half-past 7 o'clock.

A young man named Elmer Severance of Princeton, Minnesota, bet one of his companions a quarter that he ■ could place a dipper of cold water on the stove, and hold his finger in the dipper until the water began to boil. The. wager was accepted. Severance held his finger in the dipper quite a while, but was obliged to withdraw it before the water liil'd reached a boiling pitch ; hence he lost his bet. On examination it was found that the finger was completely cooked. The probability is that the finger will have to be amputated.