A FRAGMENT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 172, 12 March 1878, Page 2

A FRAGMENT.

o —■ — j^ Our reporter wandering about the cityseeking for news, accidentally tumbled upon the following notes of a private meeting supposed to have been held in the neighbourhood of Waeckerle's: — Ailmere (in the chair) spoke for ,a quarter of an hour in glowing and energetic language, and urged upon his influentialfellow citizens the propriety of at once adopting a line of procedure on the occasion of early visit of Sir George Grey; he laid before the meeting plans for the reclamaticai of. the beach, and the continuation street; submitted also estimates o%th© cost, carefully prepared gratuitously is«« still reliable, by his friend Stenton, an able engineer. Reserves on the reclaimedgronnd were made for public and other] purposes, and read a sparkling address* which was to be signed" by the Mayor on| behalf of the citizens, and which he would! present to Sir Geerge. The address set' forth the crying need of this great work, showed how advantageous it would bet from a public point of view, and asked tw Government to aid in cairying itJ|fl Ailmere said that from private he was led to believe that Sir would state that if the pared to carry out the work '%!______________ cost —making the reserves req^^^^^H

Government for public purposes—the Government would give a grant in aid of £500, as well as convey the reclaimed land to the city for future endowment. Ailmere proposed that a list should be circulated at once with a view to ascertain what local aid could be secured. He ended a most effective and original speech by putting his name down for £100, to be paid in two years. Dolly said it was all very well for a fellow to put his name down; he could do that but what was he to get for it, he didn't altogether believe in uniting the town, it might be for the benefit of the fellows at the other end, he didn't care for posterity, it hadn't done him any good. (Cries of " bosh [* and " shame.") Bagstaff rose in a state of considerable agitation, literally, "busting" with indignation at hearing such narrow-minded views, fitted only for the dark ages. The speech of the Chairman was in his opinion an honor to him, and was only another evidence of his activity and zeal in the public interests. Bagstaff dilated fully upon the advantage to be derived from this undertaking, and said that three or four gentlemen in the City and suburbs would be ready to undertake the work themselves if the same concession was given to them. fLoud cheers). '• Wack " spoke in his usual style, and was wandering away from the subject, when Ailmere called him to order. A little bit of a row ensued, when " Scar" rose to suggest that it would be desirable that a Committee should be formed to consider the subject, and to revise the address, that a suitable reception should be given to Sir Geo. on his arrival, and that a public dinner should also be arranged, at which, if no one else did, he didn't mind offering to preside ; his recent visit to.the old country and his sound knowledge of " go-a-head " principles would justify bis being shoved to the fore. ( Loud cries of oh, oh.) " Jemmy," of the Mail, bursting for a chance, jumped up in a state of great excitement, and wanted to know if this was a time for a fellow to be pushing himself to the front; it was most unseemly in his friend " Scar," and he hoped the Chairman would repress impudent speeches of the kind. He thought it would be more seemly if some people followed, instead of boastfully trying to lead. Beasher said the talk was getting warm, and was beginning to indulge in some tall talk, when the Chairman called him to order.

After much confusion, it was arranged that a Committee, consisting of four gentlemen, should prepare all the preliminaries, and submit them to a public meeting to be called st the Town Hall on an early evening.

It was understood from private sources that Sir George's visit may be expected in about a fortnight.