AKAROA REGATTA MEETING.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 125, 28 September 1877, Page 2

AKAROA REGATTA MEETING.

*- —. — The general meeting in connection with the Akaroa Regatta took place, as advertised,,at Bruce's Hotel, on the 25th inst., Mr C. W. Bridge being voted to the chair. The hon. secretary for last year, Mr. W. Wood, read out the balance sheet for the 1876 regatta, which shewed that the amount to tlie credit of the committee at the comrneneement of last year's proceedings had been £24 lis. lid.; to this was added a special grant for £25, and a further sum of £105 lis. Bd. by public subscriptions, which, with the entrance fees of £28 12s. Od., made the total receipts £183 15s. 7d. Of this sum, £183 10s. 6d. had been expended as follows: — Prizes, £148 15s. Od.; incidental expenses, £34 15s. 6d., leaving a balance in hand of ss. Id. Included ,in the £34 15s. 6d. was a sum of £10, paid over as a gift to the Sports Committee. The last year's accounts having been confirmed, the chairman addressed the meeting on the ; subject of the want of proper public spirit and energy shewn by the inhabitants in , regatta matters, characterising the same as disgraceful and unmanly in the extreme, and as being a reprehensible carelessness towards their own interests. Year after year the whole of the work was left to be done by a few, willing ones it was true, but a lamentably small proportion of those who should be foremost in promoting the success of an annual institution, which did so much towards effecting a more wide spread knowledge of Akaroa, while it was the one only thing in which the Peninsula was able to compete with the rest of the colony, and which, last but not least, was , a yearly source of great pecuniary gain to . the place. Alluding to the financial expectations for this year, the chairman drew the attention of the meeting to the fact that they would begin with a very small balance in hand, and that the Special Grant was,how a thing of the past, "«| 1 thing of beauty " while it lasted, but not : destined to he f he regretted to say, "a joy , for ever." He would therefore urge the meeting to do individually all in their power to increase the amount of subscrip--1 tions, that the funds might not shew any ' considerable decrease. Mr H. Bridge laid i before the meeting a few suggestions with regard to an entertainment for the purpose of augmenting the funds.. I: was 1 decided, however, to leave this matter to 1 the committee. Mr. Black proposed, and Mr W. Wood seconded, "That Mr H. r Bridge, be secretary and treasurer for the present year." The motion was carried. - The following gentlemen were elected as a committee, —Messrs. G. Wright, Black, i W. Wood, Bushell, Scarbrough, Garwood, Sims, Baker, T. Adams, W. Adams, Wagstaff, Annand, Westenra, C. Barker, C. W. '' Bridge, Beecher, St. John, Lacoste, H. Bridge, C. Watkins, Nicholls, Wilkin, A. ■ C. Knight, J. Bruce, J. Daly, and Meech, with power to add to their number. Mr H. Bridge proposed, Mr G. Wright second- ' ing, " That the regatta be held on the 16th > of December, 1877," which was carried. ■ Some discussion ensued on the question of the sports being held on the same day. The meeting expressed themselves decidedly against the plan, as likely to inter- ; fere and clash with the business of the regatta. A committee meeting was appointed for Saturday, the 6th of October, 1 to be held at Bruce's Hotel, at 7.30 p.m. 1 The meeting then adjourned.