The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JUNE 14.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 199, 14 June 1878, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, JUNE 14.

A crying injustice is being perpetrated at the expense of the citizens of Akaroa, and, in persuonce of our duty as journalists, we deem it incumbent upon us to call attention to the in alter, in the hope that the public will bostiy themselves, and that some immediate steps may be taken to remedy the evil. We allude to the vexed question of the Borough by-laws. No doubt many of our readers are already weary of hearing this subject alluded to, but we think it will not be difficult to shew that every resident in the place has a direct personal interest in the matter being settled. Or Bridge very properly drew the attention of the Council to the question on Wednesday evening, and on his resolution the Clerk "was instructed to write again to the Colonial Secretary. The general opinion in the Council seems to be that this writing will only prove a waste of stationery, that is that the Government will continue to treat all communications from the Council with the same studied insolence that has characterised their treatment of former letters on the same subject. If this be a just anticipation, it is high time that the Burgesses : took the matter into their own hands, and, to use the words of Cr Bridge, " forced an acknowledgment from the Government."

To make this matter clear, it is necessary, in the language of novelists, "to go back some time." Some eighteen months ago, the Borough Council of Akaroa, in the exercise of its undoubted rights and duties, proceeded to make a code of by-laws. Everything on their part was done according to the provisions of the Act under which they are bouinl to woi"b,»oun_ oL.thcse -provisions being that a copy of the by-laws Under the seal of the Corporation shall be sent to the Colonial Secretary. To any one unacquainted with the mysteries of the Circumlocution office, it will appealscarcely credible that, from .that day to this, no acknowledgment whatever has been vouchsafed to such an important communication ! Yet, so it is, letter after letter, couched in the most courteous language, has been despatched, calling attention to previous communications on the subject, but all have been met by the same stolid silence, and to all appearance, may have found their way into the Secretarial waste-paper basket, or furnished cigar lights for the junior clerks. Now, we contend that this conduct constitutes a direct insult to the whole community of Akaroa. In private life nothing is considered more discourteous than neglecting to answer an important letter, and we fail to see why a Minister is to consider himself exempt from the same rule.

One of two things is certain, either these letters have , reached the Minister to whom they wore addressed, or they have not. If the foriuoi , be the <;ase, then the Colonial f*

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present ore ahSV.v-ivi.Lio in- th;; gross injustice ; if the hu Lor, then they must have been intercepted (not to put too fine a point on it) by somo sub-dnputy-assistant-under-secretary. It lias often been stated that the country was governed by Under Secretaries, but we were told lately, with a great flourish, of trumpets, that " ?ious avons change tout cela," If so, let Ministers look to it, and see that important Communications are not allowed to stagnate in pigeon holes, while outlying districts are suffering for the want of the employment of a few minutes' consideration of them by a Minister.

But we contend that the Government, besides being guilty of gross discourtesy and neglect, have also broken the law. Section'34l of the Municipal Corporations Act gives the Governor the power of disallowing any by-law within six months after receiving the same. Now, this time has elapsed three times over, consequently the Government have lost the power of disallowance. The Act evidently never contemplated that any Minister could hang them up for an indefinite period, but that the receipt of the by-laws should be at once acknowledged, and it was considered that six months was long enough, even for a Government Department to make up its official mind, as to the propriety of disallowing any of them.

So much for the grievance—now for the remedy. We would suggest that a memorial be drawn up, embodying the above facts, specifying the date of every communication which has been made by the Council to the Colonial Secretary, and which has remained unanswered. Let this memorial be signed by the Mayor, the Councillors, and all the Burgesses, or as many as can be got at. Let it then be presented personally to

Sir George Grey as Premier of New Zealand. No doubt our indefatigable member, Mr Montgomery, would undertake the task, as he must shortly be visiting Wellington. At any rate, let us take care that no Assistant Under Secretary gets a chance of burking it, and let it be understood ,-the " bearer waits for an answer." If. this be done, we venture to predict that an answer of, some sort will be wrung out of the Go-; vernment, in spite of Under Secretarial obstructionism, in a less number of days than the months that have already been lost.

Government,