The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 4.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 118, 4 September 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 4.

Some time since a feAv gentlemen, yclept County Chairmen assembled in Christchurch, witli the view of suggesting amendments in the Counties' Act. They met in secret, two of the Counties, Akaroa and Waimate "were unrepresented, the resolutions which were to be submitted had studiously been kept private, and, this little knot of men, scarcely, if we mistake not, numbering a dozen, suggested to the General Government amendments, the cool impudence of which Avas only equalled by the astounding audacity and matchless effrontery of the suggestors. We pointed out at the time the distinctive features of the precious scheme of Local Self-Government which emanated from these feAv County Chairmen, and, now Aye deem it our duty briefly to direct attention to one or two salient points. The present -Counties were to be entirely swept away, and in lieu thereof, Canterbury Avas to be divided into two large Counties, North and iSouth, each having its County Council and County Executive, so, that'in point of fact, there- were to be two Provincial Institutions in Canterbury, where there

were formerly only one, and, to accomplish this, the Counties of Akaroa and Waimate were to be quietly snuffed out of existence, without reference to the people of those Counties, without even consulting their representatives. This is the "modified Provincialism " of Mr Rolleston, late Superintendent of Canter-, bury, for there is no doubt as to the authorship of the scheme. But this is not the worst feature of the plan. The members of the two County Councils were?wi! to be elected by the ratepayers, the ■ people, but by the Road Boards. The whole of the ratepayers of Canterbury were to be disfranchised. Thus Mr Rolleston, who" was wont to be " proud of having been'thrice elected by the people, would have been content, were he a member of the County Council, to descend from the lofty position of the " elected " of the people," in order to occupy that of a mere Road Board delegate. Alas ! alas! " how arc the mighty fallen." To what a depth men will stoop in order to retain even the semblance of power. The amended Counties' Act will shortly be before Parliament, aud we think it desirable that some expression of opinion on this scheme, should be given by the people of Akaroa County. We are aware that the County Council has unhesitatingly condemned the proposal, but still, although this will have weight, it will not have the force which a similar expression would have if it emanated from the ratepayers. Wp believe in the people, and we deem it right that they should be directly consulted on every important question, and it wonld be scarcely possible to imagine two more important than, whether the County of Akaroa should remain intact or become an outlying district of a large County, and whether the ratepayers of the Peninsula should be deprived of their undoubted right and privilege to elect the members of the County Council? We would suggest that the Chairman of the County Council, Mr E. C. Latter should, with as little delay as possible, convene a public meeting of the inhabitants of the Peninsula, to be hold in 1 Akaroa, at which the whole question might be fairly, calmly, and dispassionately discussed. We have no fear of the result. The people of the County of Akaroa will not have forgotten the scant justice they received when they were merely an outlying district of the Province of Canterbury, and, we believe,that the public meeting will end in an indignant protest against the slur that has been cast upon them in assuming that they are incapable of managing their own affairs, or, in other words, of administering Local Self-Government as well at the impudent attempt to deprive. them of there undoubted right to elect the members of the County Council. The time has now come for the people to rouse themselves, and to take definite action in this matter; the form of that action should be a . Memorial to the Executive Government, and a petition to the House of Representatives, briefly setting forth the facts of the case and praying that the County of Akaroa may remain intact, and that the rights of the people as electors may be preserved. This Memorial and Petition should be sent to the member for the District, Mr Montgomery, for presentation. They will not only strengthen his hands, but will inform the authorities and the Supreme Legislature of the colony of the wishes of the people in the matter. We have repeatedly drawn attention to the unsatisfactory state of affairs in regard to the Hospital in Akaroa. The effort'of munificence on the part of the late Provincial Government, in erecting a building, set apart for hospital purposes, seems to have stopped there, and reduced the authorities to such a state of exhaustion, that they are perfectly incapacitated from taking any further action in the matter. They made one more final kick—they suggested a committee, and then collapsed. . Once again, there is urgent and immediate need for using the Hospital, and, again, is it absolutely inpracticable to do so. A servant of Mr W. Adams, of this town, now lies ill at his house, and the medical opinion given is thatthe patient's recovery will be seriously retarded, unless hospital surveillance, care, and attention be procured. This will necessitate the unfortunate girl's removal, at considerable risk and expense, to Christchurch. As Mr Adams remarks, at whose expense is this to be done ? Is it not a wretched farce? Here we have a building erected for occasions of this kind, month alter month goes by, and cases requiring its use. turn up, and still we are in the same position as h' it did not exist. We hope Mr Montgomery will give the matter his immediate attention. In a recent issue, we suggested a plan whereby visitors to Akaroa from Christchurch, Lyttelton, and those Northern and Southern districts connected by railway with the " City of the Plains," would be enabled, on Saturdays, to complete their journey through very much !' more quickly, and at but a slight sacrifice of their valuable time. We enumerated the advantages to be derived from the scheme, and which cannot fail to bo patent to all. So far as the proprietors of the coach and the steamer are, concerned, no difficulty exists in the carrying out of our suggestion ; but, it will be remembered that a condition was involved in the effectual working of the plan,—namely, an alteration requiring to be made in the present time-table ox the arrival and departure of tho Port trains. We said, that, in order to bring the proposed advantages within the roach of residents in the Northern and Southern districts, and at the same time afford an opportunity to business men and those em-

ployed in offices to run down from the Saturday to the Monday with the least possible interference with their duties, it would be necessary to alter the time of the departure of the train to Lyttelton, to 12.30 instead of, as at present, 12.10. This alteration, it will be seen, would give plenty of time to intending visitors by country trains, and to those whose offices close at .twelve o'clock, as is usual with most business, houses and Government departments in" Christchurch. In obtaining tin's concession from the authorities, we fear some trouble may be experienced, not because any great difficulties are involved in the alteration proposed, nor for the reason that the slight change in official routine would cause any serious departmental inconvenience, but simply because it is a " concession," still, we think, that, when so simple an alteration would be productive of so much advantage to a large portion of the travelling public, when business interests would be benefitted by it, and when it-would assist in opening up a cruicker and better communication with so large and important a district as the Peninsula, the authorities should give the matter their earnest attention and consideration, and, unless there are weighty reasons against it, accede to the wishes of the public. We hope to see this matter vigorously and promptly taken in hand and pushed forward by the inhabitants of the Peninsula, and if necessary, petitions for the purpose presented to the Government and the Traffic Manager of the Canterbury railways. Feeling sure that any such petitions will be numerously and iufluentially signed.