The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, SEPT. 17, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 17 September 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, SEPT. 17, 1880.

The position of the Oamaru Buths Company is so unsatisfactory that a meeting of shareholders has been called for .Monday evening next, to consider wnat can be done to place it on a more satisfactory basis, financially and otherwise. The wisdom of testing the feelings of the shareholder oji the subject is indisputable. If the Ba.:h.s are to become a permanent institution something must be immediately done with z view to popularising them. So far as we ciu learn, no complaints are made on the score of mismanagement. Any imperfections th,it have existed in this respect has been the natural sequel f f scarcity of capital. This dire epidemic which "has stalked through the land for the past two years has stunted the growtli of this philanthropic institution from its inception, and now so sorely trammels it in its operations that it is evident that either ao!;>e change will have to be at once effected or tiie Baths closed. In order that those interested —and who in this community is not—in placing the paths on a permanent and satisfactory footing, may be placed in possession of some data whereon to form their ideas of what should be done, we will give a short history of the Company. It was formed in 1877, with a capital of LI2OO ; but shares were only subscribed for to the amount of LOIS 10s. The Baths cost L 1502 16s Id, or L 599 Cs Id in excess of the amount at the disposal of the Company. Other liabilities subsequently increased this amount to U)l3 14s Sd, which represented the indebtedness of the Company when it commenced operations. The position of the Company, after existence for three seasons, is roughly the same as ifc was when it started. It has done nothing towards the liquidation of its liabilities, : whilst its busiuess has waned. Lastvear's profits on actual working expenses were upwards of LCO, the gross receipts beincr Ll4'J. 'fhiz registered a considerablefailing oft, w;th the previous year, in which tho gross receipts were L 237 17s, tho profit for that year nevertheless being only LG3 of that amount. It was on the basis of the gross receipts for this year that the Company formed it 3 calculations. As will be seen, the retrenchment effected in working expenses last year wan considerable, for whilst the Company only made a profit of LU3 on a gross income of L 237 17s the year before last, last year they made upwards of LCO, or nearly as much, whilst the gross income was only L 149. Had the inooj'ie been maintained, as was anticipated by tho Company, who might reasonably liav<e it to increase rather than to decrease, there would have been no necessity for tne to have met together on Monday evening for a purpose go unsatisfactory. A meet r in.r would have been held, but at it mutual congratulations would have boeji exchanged on the favorable aspect of the Company's affaire. Such, however, is unfortunately not the case, and, ns the receipts have* sunk too low to enable the Company to successfully carry on its operations undar the present system, even | at a minimum expenditure, there are but two courses open—either to close the JJath.s, or to devise some other means for keeping them open. To close them now, in our opinion, is out of the question. Sanitary reasons alone are sufficiently cogent for making a strenuous effort for keeping the Hatha open. vl r £ believe that the shareholders feel the valuo of the Baths, and that, oven could they at th/$ outset have foreseen the difficulties that would beset their path, they would have nevertheless grappled with those dijfHcul■tiea for the sake of the great prospective advantages. But it appears to us that if the iiatliß arc to be made as valuable as they be, they must be popularised. Instep thp patronage /ailing off, it must t be mp.de .1,0 in,er,3as.e jea? by year. How is this .to bo ,done ( Certainly not by retaining the sea water system. Of course, sea water is in many respects preferable to freah water; but it

is not available in all its purity unless at a cost greater than the Company can stand. This is the key to the Company's difficulties. People, rightly or wrongly, are impressed with an idea that the water is not effectually renewed under the present system, anasomeforthisreasonhavewithdrawn their patronage, whilst others have with held it from the first. There can be no doubt that it would be much more pleasant to have a constant flow of a sufficiently large volume of water in and out of the Baths to ensure greater purity than is the case at present. But if this is to be done, the fresh water system will have to be. resorted to. Perhaps some arrangement could be made for the Council to take over the property. We understand that, so anxious are a large number of the shareholders that the Council should do so, they are willing to. forfeit their shares to promote such an object. It is plain that, if the Baths are to be worked at all, the Company must be sup_ : plied with the surplus of the water supply gratis for the present, or the Council must' take them over. We hope that shareholders will well consider the matter, and go to Monday night's meeting prepared to discuss it intelligently and to some good purpose.

The newly-elected Borough Council met last evening for the first time, and signalised their entry upon office by confirming the resolution passed by the old Council authorising the borrowing of LIQ,OOO to pay off existing liabilities on the waterworks and meet others now being incurred by works in connection with the water supply scheme. The resolution also pledged a special rate of sixpence in the £ as provision for the payment of interest on the loan. In connection with the special rate, his Worship the Mayor mentioned that this did not mean an addition to the rates. Under the old Ordinance the Council had the power to levy an ordinary rate of Is Gd in the £, but under the Act now in force it w;is only competent to levy an ordinary rate of Is, and the special rate mentioned in the resolution would therefore only bring the taxation up to the present amount.

The 'Borough Coimci! hist flight dirt an act of justice to ft gontleman who has for many years taken an active part in Municipal matters, and whose retirement from the Council is very generally regretted. On the motion of Councillor Procter, seconded by Councillor Townsend, it was was resolved, >' TJi.it the cordial thanks of the Council be tondcrcd to Mr. Mainland, out-going councillor, for his long and arduQug seryiqpg as a member of the Council, and their regret that he has seen fit to retire from the same." Councillor Smith spoke in terms of praise of the services rendered by Mr. Roberts, more particularly as a member of the Waterworks C'oni;??ittec, and Councillor Headland referred to the loss tjic Council had sustained by the retirement of Mr. Humphrey. 'The Council did not, however, see fit to pass any special resolution in either case, probably owing to the short tims the gentlemen named had been members of the Counoil, but it will be some consolation to Messrs. Roberts and Humphrey to know that their services are remembered by some at least of th-.ir late colleagues.

The drunkards strike has ended. The first to succumb to the evil effects of the adulterated licjuor were Peter Matheson, James Scott, and Donald M'Kcir/.ie, who were charged at the R.M. Court this morning with dniiikejinosM. A? this wag not the first time that Peter has made his appearance before the same bench, he was fined 10s with the alternative of going to gaol for 4S hours. The other two, being first offenders, wcr? cautiojied and discharged. The ooncert to be given on the 13th October in aid of the Fire Brigade promises to be highly successful. The Committee have secured a large array of talent, and the work of pushing off the tickets will be most thoroughly performed by a number of gentlemen highly capable of securing a large sale. At the meeting of the Borough Council last evening, it was decided, in response tc a request from the Committee, that the entertainment should be under the patronage of the Mayor and Council, The nomination of candidates for the vacant scat fov Thames Ward, in the Borough Council, will take place on Monday, 27th instant. The Rifles Band will hold a special practice of sacred music to-morrow evening, at the Volunteer Hall, and a full muster is desirable. The sum of LSOO having been voted by the General 4-S : sc|jibly for prizes, the amount has been divided pro rata amongst Volunteer corps, according to their nominal strength on the 31st July,-1880. The amount apportioned to this district is L 33 5s 3d.

It is scarcely necessary to remind our readers that Captain William Jackson Barry will deliver one of characteristic lectures at St. James' Hall this evening. His Worship the Mayor will take the chair, "and altogether an intellectual treat is offered to the public that they should not bp slow to take advantage of." Mails fp-; the Australian Colonies and Tasmania close at the Bluff to-morrow at 11.30 a.m. Telegrams will be accepted at the Oamaru Office accordingly.

The members of the Excelsior Cricket Club will play their opening match toin.Qrr.QV/ afternoon, on the Old Cricket Ground, between sidep chosen by t]ie Captain and Deputy Captain, play to commence at 2 x>.m. sharp. Sides will be chosen fi'Qifl all members on the ground, and a full muster is requested, including new members. The Clnb now consists of fifty members, and its strength is being almost daily increased, so that the Club is likely to have a good season. It is a pity that so far the Committee have not been able to arrange with the Council for the use of a piece of ground in Chelmerstrect as a cricket ground. The great obstacle to a satisfactory termination ofuthe negotiations j s the fact that the Council has not the; poyor to lease any portion-of the reserve to the fttifl the Club would therefore liafce no guarantee £liat tjie ground, after being prepared for cripketr playing, would not be cut up and destroyed in consequence of the public having full power of entry upon the reserve. In the meantime the Club will play upon the old ground, and as a precautionary measure will use matting on the pitch. The Union Cricket Club held an adjourned meeting at the Imperial Hotel last evening, j wticjf the chair was occupied by the captain I (Mr. A. Hwfcl.ey). Several new members were elected. It was (decided that a dark felt hat, with a blue band and white star, be iyom by the club. It was resolved thut at presen£ j lO further steps be taken with regard to the new ground. Mr. W. Gray proposed, and Mr. J. Maqldcrn (seconded, "That two bats be gjy.cn by th.q pltfb ftp best ayerages in bowling and batting, the bafej fco fray# a silver plate with the name of the winner inscribed thereon."—Carried. It was resolved, fin the motion of Mr. W. Gray, seconded by Mr. A. "That a committee be appointed tp draw pp rules, and havg them I printed and handed to every member, the

said committee to consist of Messrs. Sinclair, Gray, Slater, Maddurn, Risdale, aud the captain, five to form a quorum. A programme of matches was drawn up for the coming season, the Management Committee to fix the dates. A vote of thanks was accorded Mr. R. Aimers for his services in the past as hon. secretary. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings. In the forenoon of Sunday next the Rev. Mr. Todd will conduct a special service for the young, to which parents as well as children are invited. At the Resident Magistrate's Court today, before W. H. S. Roberts and J. Allen, Esqs., J.P.'s, William Raby, for allowing a horse to wander at large, was fined 2s. Tenders are invited "for the whole labor of driving about 50 blue gum piles, warping same with willows,and filling in with gravel, for protective works, Kakanui river, near Maheno." Particulars may be learned by reference to an advertisement in another column/:- ' The members of the Philharmonic Society gave an extra concert last evening at the Volunteer Hall. There was a very fair attendance, and the entertainment was one of a very pleasant nature. The programme was varied so as to include items pleasing to all tastes, and the audience thoroughly appreciated the departure from the ordinary run of concerts given by musical societies. We have not space to critioise eaoh item at length, and will therefore oontent ourselves with saying that every item was thoroughly relished. Miss Hardy and Mr. J. Booth openod the programme with " The Singing Lesson" duet, which was well received. Mrs. Kinnear's sympathetic oontralto voice was heard to advantage in the song "After toiling cometh rest Mr. Jones' violin solo, on airs from Flotow's " Martha," was encored, and in response he played "Auld Robin Gray;" Mrs. Williams and Mr. J. Booth sang " The Syren and the Friar" with taste and judgment; Mr. Farr's serio-comic song "Not before Pa" obtained an encore, the singer responding with M The Bashful Man the duet " I heard a voice," by Mrs. Williams and Miss Gilford was one of the best items on the programme, and its repitition was loudly demanded by the audience ; and the comparatively new and very telling song "The Gauntlet," by Mr. Booth, concluded the first portion of the entertainment. The second part was entirely taken up by the performance of Sullivan's operetta "Cox and Box," in which Mr. J. Walls was Cox, Mr. P. Blakcsley Box, and Mr. E. Booth Sergeant Bouncer. The whole of the music was rendered in a creditable manner, and the performance of the delicious trifle showed conclusively that the gentlemen taking part in it had taken great pains to niake themselves thoroughly acquainted with the sparkling music with which Sullivan has adorned Morton's well-know farce. The situations were well worked out, the acting in many respects excellent, and the whole performance, more especially taking into account the limited stage appurtenances at command, was one of which any amateur might feel justly proud. Mr. J, G. Finch acted as conductor aud pianist.

The following, addressed to Messrs. Boyle and Scott, of Melbourne, regarding the Australian cricketers, will doubtless be read with some interest; —" Ti» e remarks I heard in some instaucps were very amusing. One of the crowd said to his neighbour that it was not surprising the Australians fielded so well, as in Australia they got the natives to throw the "ball a ; t them, and ta save themselves from being struck, caught the ball. Another fellow said the Australians had been playing together this last two years, and had done nothing but practise all that time on purpose to defeat the Englishmen, They called Spofforth the demon emu, and said that the reason he was such a good bowler was that he was an emu hunter, and made his living by catching emus, his mode of operation being to knock them over with balls of wood, the same size as cricket balls. I enjoyed the conversasion of the yokels muchly, but made no remark, I may mention that the members of the Australian team are much stouter than when they left Victoria. Bonner now weighs 17ist. I met an old gentleman, about SO years of age, who told me that he had seen all the best players this last 50 years, and he never saw a fielding team like the Australians. The wicket-keeping of Blackham he considers marvellous. He said Paling, the Lancashire man, was very good, but Blackham wfiq morp than his master," A " poor victim" of reduction writes to the Ohristchurch Echo as follo\vs i— <( I want to know how I am to live on and pay my way out of Cs a day ? I have a wife and four children to support, aud my cost of living is: lleut, 10s per week; firing, 3s ; butcher, 7s; baker, 3s 6d ; grocer, 10s; vegetables, 2s 6d ; leaving .for clothing, tobacco, and beer, nil. As to recreation, I don't want auy ; and, as to sickness, take its course. I must get into debt (and that I mean to do), for that is my only means of preventing semi-starvation ; but then, Sir, being a Civil servant, I cannot claim the protection of tlxe bankruptcy laws under pain of dismissal. 6jp I ask a generous public what am I to do ?''