The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 15 October 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880.

Those who have carefully noted Captain Edwin's forecasts of weather, and there are many, especially amongst those connected with shipping interests, who have fjone so, will fully admit that the predictions have been wonderfully correct. Of course it is scarcely to be expected that in a new department absolute correctness on all occasions can be obtained, and when the fact is considered there are no observing stations on the west coast of- the south end of the island, whence our "bad weather" comes, onr readers will agree that the estimates have been very correct. Captain Edwin has hitherto been assisted by the harbor masters at the several ports, and a small sum has been paid to them for doing the work, but those payments have ijow ceased and the work will have to be voluntary. Several of the harbor misters, appreciating the value of the forecasts, have offered to do the work without remuneration rather than lose the information which the weather office is able to give them.

The inspection parade of Volunteers will take place this evening. Although it was thought this morning that a postponement of the sham fight would be necessary, the weather has cleared so well that it has been decided to carry out the programme. We have received a solution of the A.B. puzzle which appeared in our issue of last evening. We shall, however, hold it over for a few days in order to afford an opportunity to any others who may be working one the problem to send in the result of their endeavors. At the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day, before T. W. Parker, Esq., Edward Slattery was charged with having been drank and disorderly, and was fined 7s, with the option of going to gaol for 24 hours. Three men named Peter M'Kenna, Frank Hash, sujd Daniel Byan, were charged with having maliciously damaged the property of Mathcw Cunningham, by breaking three panes of glass and a door in the "Windsor Hotel, of the value of L 5. The evidence of Mathew Cunningham was taken, being much to the same effect as the information published in our last issue. He stated that he was roughly handled by the men, one of whom had a tomahawk. The caso was ad» journed nntil to-morrow, for the Magistrate's decision.

Under the Customs Tariff Act, ISSO, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton. and Dunedin are ports for the importation of playing cards. The clause in the Act effecting this change is as follows Every pack of playing cards imported or cleared from any warehouse after the passing of this Act shall be stamped or marked in such manner as,the Commissioner of Customs may direct. Any person who sells, use 3, or has posessioa of any pack of cards so imported and cleared, and pot so stamped or marked, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding fifty pounds."' It will be seen that this regulation will seriously affect the dealers in playing cards jn those centres of population not mentioned above, Oamaru dealers, for instance, who have stock* in hand must, under a penalty " not exceeding L 50," send those stocks to Dunedin to be stamped, and either continue this operation iu regard to future import a? tions from other parts, or receive their supplies already stamped from Dunedin. The principle here involved is an important one. This is centralisation with a vengeance, and the Government have gone out of their way to effect it, kike several other measures framed to effect important changes, the Customs Tariff Act, 18S0, was brought forward at the close of the session, after the majority of the members had left Wellington under the impression that the work of legislation was virtually closed for the session. The Ministry have thus stolen a march on Parliament ; but they have earned anything but respect for their conduct in this respect, and will hear of it again. We cannot understand why the Customs officer here, and in towns similarly situated, could not affix the necessary stamp. The effect of this new arrangement will be to play into the hands of importers iu the large centres of population.

Hails for Sydney and Australian Colonies, close on the arrival of the Zealandia, which is expected next Sunday, 17tli inst., at Auckland. Telegrams will bo accepted at the Oamaru office accordingly. We are requested to state that the St. Luke's Church Bazaar will be held on the ISth, 19tli, and 20th November, in the Volunteer Hall, and not in the Oddfellows' Hall, as stated in the issue of our contemporary thfs morning. The ladies of the congregation are making some elegant works of art, which with the magnificent subscriptions promised, will doubtless njake the bazaar a source of great attraction during the Agricultural Show, which i 3 to be held on the ISth and 19th November.

| A letter received by a gentleman in this town from a friend in London states that best quality oata are selling in that city at from 3a Gd to 3s 8d per bushel, and are being largely used for feeding race.-horses. Captain Edwin telegraphs :—Bad weather is approaching in any direction between south-east and south and east. The glass trill further rise. There will be considerable sea.

Several small lots of wool have arrived in town during the past fortnight, and in the course of another week or ten days deliveries should become heavy. Shearing operations on the Downs are expected to be in full swing by the beginning of November. This season's clip will, According to all accounts, be considerably in excess, both as regards quality and quantify, of last year's. The winter feaa been very mild, the lambing fully up to the ayewg©, and pastftoe plentiful, —Timaru Herald,

A telegraph station is now open at Kopuru, County of Hobson, in the Provincial District of Auckland.

Regarding the frozen - meat trade; the Hobart Town Mercury sayß : —"Last inail brings advice that the Orient Company's directors, tired of waiting for promised; improvements, and finding no other refrigerator equal to that first submitted to them—Bell - Coleman's—have ordered one of these to be fitted into the s.s. Orient's storeroom. This looks like a beginning. But as the room, though of considerable size, will be required for passengers' provisions on the voyage home as well as out, it will not be available to the public • for. -carcase - shipments. ;and freight arrangements are thus still left in abey.ance. Another item of interest is that in the American trade dead meat shipped under-Bell-Coleman's process is now covered by ordinary marine policies. The rate of premium is not stated, but as over the past nine months some voyages have been run without cheolf pr break, maintaining in 500 and 600 ton holds an even temperature, never varyingover 3deg., the risk is proved to be sufficiently safe, and the premium is no doubt an ordinary one. As the power of insurance means the command of banking facilities, without which tlj.o export trade could not be conducted by any bufe the largest capitalists, the above news is in the highest degree satisfactory, and should give an impptus to operations in Australia."