The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1877.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 104, 17 July 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JULY 17, 1877.

The present number of the Akaeoa Mail is the anniversary of the establishment of this journal, and being within a few days of the* last issue under its original proprietor, it may not be deemed out of place to offer a few remarks in connection with both. Prior to the Akaroa Mail being published, the district was only heard of, and its wants made known, through the correspondents of the Ohristchurch papers, and their letters could not, of course, have equal weight or influence with a newspaper on the spot. When the first number of this journal appeared, those were not wanting who predicted for it a speedy dissolution. We thought otherwise. Relying upon the promises of support we received, we determined to persevere in our undertaking , , believing that there existed on the Peninsula a want for a newspaper, which would mainly be devoted to the advocacy of local requirements and the exposure of local abuses ; that the time had come for supplying such want, and that we should be enabled to furnish that supply. The result has proved that we were correct. The support we have received from the public has exceeded our most sanguine expectations, and we can truthfully state, that amongst the many promises. of encouragement we received from advertising friends, there is not one but has been fulfilled to tliG letter. We feel grateful to them for their kindness ; we also feel grateful to the general public whose generous support has so greatly aided us in the performance of our somewhat arduous task. We can look back upon our past career with, honest pride. In the discharge of our duty as public journalists, we have ever been careful to avoid needlessly wounding the feelings of others ; we have never invaded tiie sanctity of private life ; never allowed personal abuse or low scurrility, in any shape or form, to disgrace our columns. Yet, J when we thought that the public interest required it, we have not hesitated fearlessly to expose any abuse of power or neglect of duty on the part of public men. It is true, that in commenting on the conduct of those in authority, we have at times been necessarily severe, but the severity of our remarks owed their force to their truthfulness, for in stating a case, we have never, to our knowledge, been guilty of perverting the truth, even in the .slightest degree, for the sake of giving- point to a shaft that would otherwise have been pointless, or of making an argument appear strong, which, had the plain truth been stated, would have been weak. We have endeavoured, and we believe successfully, to impress upon our reports the same truthful character. " Nothing extenuate, nor set aught down in iriiiliee" lias been the motto of our reporting staff; and, although mistakes may have been made—and what man is iree from error—they have been errors of the head and not of the heart. Our attention has, however, not been solely confined to iocal matters ; we have from time to time, made our readers acquainted with the events taking place in the great outside world, and to do this, we have not hesitated to incur considerable expense in procuring the latest telegraphic intelligence ; and in addition we have at all times published in our columns select extracts from the best European and Colonial newspapers. The result of all this labour is, that the Akahoa Mail has been spoken of by the leading journal of Canterbury as the best conducted of the country newspapers. We have now to refer to * subject of not so pleasant a character. With the coming year of our existence comes a change of proprietary. The present proprietor of the Akaroa Mail, finding it necessary to give his , undivided atten tion to other engagements, lias parted with his interest in this journal to two gentlemen well known in the district, viz., Messrs. J. I). Ganvood and H. B. Bridge. Mr (<:u'wood is no novice in newspaper work, and his well known business habits, combined with the high sense of probity and honour which lie and his partner possess, will, we believe, cause the Mail to achieve even greatoj j success than it Ims hitherto achieved, j

We heartily wish that it may be so. And now,, in conclusion, we come to the least pleasant part of our task. The outgoing proprietor thanks most sincerely those who have supported him so faithfully and effectively, and regrets most deeply that business matters, of paramount importance, compel him to sever the very pleasing connection that have grown up between himself and them during the year gone by. He hopes that those will be not only not weakened, but strengthened day by day, and in handingover the reins to Messrs Garwood and Bridge, he feels sure that those gentlemen -will leave no stone unturned to serve the best interests of the district, and that they will speedily win the hearty esteem and good will of its inhabitants. A local organ is, especially at the present juncture, an absolute necessity for Akaroa, but our readers must remember that such cannot be kept up, but at great expense, and that to meet this, the same liberal support that the public have hitherto accorded must be maintained or increased. As a pure matter of policy and self interest, the community will, no doubt, realise the needed liberality in this direction, and once more commending his successors to the good will of the people of Akaroa, the outgoing proprietor, with sincere thanks for the past, wishes them a final and respectful adieu.