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

Mr Nicholls, the master of the Akaroa School, is endeavoring , to establish a Library and Museum, in connection with the school, and, as an end toward that purpose, is soliciting contributions of books, &c, from the parents and friends of the pupils. Should Mr Nicholls succeed in the object he has in view it will tend to increase the usefulness educationally of the school, and probably develop a taste for ihe study of the " ologies ".

At the meeting of the householders of Akaroa, convened last night, for the purpose of electing a School Commitee for the present year, the outgoing Committee's report for the past year, as published in another column, was read and received. The following gentlemen were then nomi nated to serve on the Committee .—Messrs Meech, Dalglish, Billens, Annand, Bruce, Barry, Missen, Penlington, Perm, Rodrigues Sunckell, Checkley, and Sims, the first seven being ultimately elected. After the public meeting, the Committee met together, and elected Mr Meech as their chairman.

The Rev. Father Hennebery when hero told his congregation, on one occasion, that " he did not want them to put threepenny pieces into the collection, those that had coins of that value had better give them to the children to buy candy with. , ' If we are to judge from the following which we clip from the Dunsdin Saturday Advertiser, some of the church goers of that city "buy candy with their threepenny's," and make the sweetmeat take the place of coin in the collection bags. Doubtle.ss, Father Hennebeiy and other clergymen beside, may have experienced incidents such as this: —" Some mean ' skunks ' have been in the habit of dropping lollies instead of coin, into the All Saints' Church (Dunedin) collecting bags. Plates are to be used in future." And quite right too. Such "mean skunks'' should be shamed out of their dirty meannesses. The broken foremast of the schooner Saxon, bound from Dunedin to Auckland, has been fished, and the- mast is now stepped. It only requires the setting "up of the necessary rigging to render the vessel ready for another start, when we trust she may arrive safely at he destination, without any further mishap.

Some time ago, we drew attention to the folly of the Government considering it necessary to get a lamp for the jetty made at Wellington, when the local talent was perfectly equal to the task. Our remarks on that occasion have rather.gained force than otherwise, by the disgraceful delay which isbeing experienced in obtaining this lamp from head quarters. It is possible, with such a miserable make-shift as they have at present, that an accident might happen, when, we presume, the Government might be requested to entertain a claim for damages, which, in these days of retrenchment, would shew remarkably out of place on the wrong side of the sheet. Mrs Newton, of Ayhner's Valley, met with an accident on the 19th hist., which is likely to lay her up for the next three weeks. It seems that, on the day in question, Mrs Newton was going, from the dairy, carrying some article, when her right foot slipped causing a dislocation of the ankle,[and breaking a small bone contiguous thereto. Dr Guthrie was promptly called in and set the fracture, and under his supervision Mrs Newton is progressing favorably.

Thatportionofthe£ls,ooQ, appropriated in the provincial district of Canterbury for Domains and Cemeteries, which accrues to the counties north of the Rangitata has been authorised to be distributed in such proportions as may be directed by a Board composed of the chairman of those counties. It is suggested, we understand, that the meeting of such Board for this purpose be convened for the 9th proximo, when we hope the chairman of the Akaroa County will be present to represent the claims of this district, which, it is needless to say, will receive due attention on his part. We would suggest that the Akaroa County Council should hold a meeting at an early date, and empower their Chairman to act on their behalf.

The custodians of the land known as the Dissenters' Cemetery are about fencing round their boundary, which extends some distance across the p2-esent road leading to the Church of England Cemetery, completely cutting off access to the latterIt is to be hoped that the Road Board will at once see the necessity of remedying this unpleasant state of affairs, and, while they are about it, make. a road that will be worth the name, seeing that it is for the use of the whole district,.and, at the same time, metal the present .road along the beach, which, during these last rains has been almost impassable. No doubt the Borough Council will do .their within thejr boundary.

We have received the following from a correspondent, touching on the Thnaru Harbour Board, and the grain growing interest of .that district which we think may interest our readers :—"..You wftlvsee bythe papers that the.TimaruHarbour Board have lately, shewn some signs of, life, and as was to be expected, the two "end 3, tv as they are called, Christchurch and Dunedin, are somewhat excited, and prophecy no end of woes. Whether or no the Pacific Ocean will be converted into a great shingle bed by the " travelling shingle" is a question with some of them, but of course the motive of this alarm is clearly seen. It is quite natural that they should not like the idea even of home-going vessels loading at Timaru. One thing, however, is plain, if they do not get down here some additional facilities for getting the produce away, grain-growing, speaking gently, will have to be abandoned in a great measure ; this yearthereis reckoned to be about'a million bushels for sale after supplying the wants of the district. Last season a good quantity of it was stored outside the sheds— what it. will be this year I cannot say. The railway is of no use,itlias ndt'got half the carrying power required. But then it leads to -no market, or. to up desireable one. Them's my sentiments;"

Early on Saturday morning last the Government buoy at Robinson's Bay became detached from its moorings, and was rapidly drifting down the harbour, when discovered by some fishermen, who towed it back to Akaroa, and reported the occurrence to the harbormaster. A claim for salvage was entered at the same time, which, we understand, will be forwarded to the authorities, "who, doubtless, will spend the amount-or. the claim in clerical labour and stationery before the trifling sum is passed for payment.

The severe fine inflicted at the R. M. Court, on Friday last,,- on the two individuals charged with furious riding, should have a wholesome effect in checking this really most dangerous practice, which prevails to such an extent in the thoroughfares of Akaroa. Is is often positively unsafe for women and children to walk through the main streets owing to the mad pace at which semi-inebriated equestrians and heedless boys race along, utterly regardless of life or limb, to say nothing of the want of proper manly courtesy : toward females and tender carefulness for little children, which should be inherent in all men. Severe as the judgment is, we cannot but concur in it, as a means, we trust, to allaying an intolerable nuisance.

The yacht Winona, whose stay in this harbour has been somewhat protracted, left on her homeward way on Saturday last. Wo trust she may" experience a favourable breeze and a quick passage.

J. D. Davis, finding an overcrowded store so inconvenient for business purposes, invites cash customers to relieve him of an excellent assortment of useful articles, too numerous to mention, 5 per cent, off for cash.—[Advt.] *