The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 29.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 160, 29 January 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 29.

At the risk of being wearisome we must again draw attention to the necessity for increased postal accommodation within the Peninsula district, especially at Kaituna, some considerable distance from Little River. Those who are acquainted with this locality will recognise the boon that a post office in this place would be to a very large section of the travelling public, and especially cattle dealers and drivers, who, by the facility here afforded of obtaining their correspondence at an earlier stage on the road might be saved many miles, perhaps, of useless journey. To the Little River Road Board, also, whose office is situated there, the establishment of a post office would be of the utmost benefit, and, indeed, it may be said, that in bringing "about a more rapid postal communication in all that affects the public weal, as, of course, Road Board correspondence must do, that not only an immediate locality, but the whole district, and, indirectly perhaps, the whole colony, is benefited. It is not any exaggeration to say that the extension of mail service and postal communication is one of the most important matters connected with the opening up and settling ol outlying districts, and as such the Government should readily grant the necessary accommodation to any locality making application for it, provided, of course, that, reasonable ground can be shewn for the request, in the case of Kaituna we think that even more than the usual recommendations can be urged. Situated, as it is, on the main road from the chief city of Canterbury to a largo and populous district like the Peninsula, and holding a central position between (Jhristchurch and Akaroa, its importance as a place of meeting for cattle drivers and stock dealers, et hoc genus o?nne, ■• besides business men of other kinds., can ba easily understood. Again, this place is distant abuut 12 miles either way from the nearest post offices —namely,, at (Debbie's Valley and Little River,; Gebbie's Valley being entirely out of the way, and Little River entailing a long, ■and, in winter an exceedingly rough, journey. Thus it will be seen, that it does not require any great stretch of intellect, nor need six months of red-tape investigation, to appreciate the service that would be rendered to the district aud the community at large by the establishment of a post office, in connection with the Road Board office, at Kaituna. However, the authorities demand that a certain routine shall be observed in connection with the formation ■o£;iiew poet offices, which is that a petition, setting forth the claims of the locality requiring the extended mail accommodation, and signed by those interested, should be forwarded to the Postmaster-General. Feeling, .as we

do, then, the good that must result from the establishment of a post office at. Kaituiwi, we would suggest that a petition be drawn up—say by the members of the Little River Road -Board— and that the signatures of those, whose avocations cause them to be frequent travellers by that route, be obtained, as also the signatures of the principal settlers in this district, and, we venture to think that such a petition, backed by the representations of Mr Montgomery, would receive a careful consideration at the hands of the Government, and, doubtless, attain the desired object.