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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 279, 21 March 1879, Page 2

Want of space compels us to hold over our report of a meeting of the Little River Road Board which was held on Monday evening last. Elsewhere it is notified that the Little River Races have been postponed till Friday, April 4. The time for receiving nominations is extended to Saturday, the 22nd instant. "Castner's Monthly and Rural Australian" for March has reached us. This r publication contains an immense fund of information interesting to all classes of readers, more especially to those cultivating the soil and is a perfect marvel of cheapness. As an especial inducement to subscribers for the current year, the proprietor offers, 50 allotments of land in the vicinity of Sydney, as prizes among his subscribers. All matters connected with the farm, the orchard, the garden, the poultry yard, &o, are instructively dealt with, and besides there is an admixture of light reading. We can confidently fecommend the publication to our readers.

We would remind our readers that the j polling for a member of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board takes place to-day, at the Road Board offices, Duvauchelle's Bay. The names' of the candidates appear elsewhere. It is a significant fact that at the late meeting of the Licensing- Court for the Christchurch district, all the applications for new licenses were refused. An important decision has lately been given by the Resident Magistrate in Wellington on the penal clauses of the Municipal Corporations Act. We are aware that a decision in one R. M. Court does not bind another, but should think it highly probable that other Magistrates will be only too happy to-follow Mr Mansford's lead, and decline to assume an onerous responsibility. The following is a summary of the case as reported by telegraph from Wellington :— " In the Resident Magistrate's Court to-day, an action against Councillor Greenfield, for penalties for acting as a Councillor after having taken payment as a member of the Wharf Committee of the City Council was dismissed after argument, the Magistrate holding that the Resident Magistrates' Act gave him no jurisdiction to hear a claim of the kind, and that this was not a Court of competent jurisdiction within the meaning of the Municipal Corporations Act."

On Monday, the 17th inst., a return cricket match was, played at Okain's Bay, between eleven of the Okain's Cricket* Club and eleyen-pf the Navvies employed by Mr Kenny. This match accrued from one recently reported in our columns, but" still can scarcely be termed a return match, inasmuch as on that occasion some of the members of the club, who are in Mr Kenny's employ, played with the navvies, but in this match played with their own club. The match was a two innings one for a lunch, supper, and ball, to be provided by the losing side, and as far as the cricket field and arrangements were concerned was carried out in a satisfactory manner; but the enjoyment of the day was, to orderly disposed persons, consider ably marred by the presence of a booth, erected by the licensee of the Pier Hotel, on the public highway, immediately opposite the cricket field, opinions being expressed to the effect that the Bench in granting extension of license to hotels in country districts, should take steps to ensure the presence of a police officer to keep the peace. The navvies scored 37 and 43 in each innings respectively, while the'Okain's men put together 62 in their first innings, of which number 27 were contributed by H. Sefton and 14 by A. Sefton. They had thus 19 left to get to win, and 21 were made with the loss of one wicket, A. Sefton scoring 15 of this total.

The carnival and fete held in Christchurch on Monday last, in aid of the Kaitanga Relief Fund, proved an immense success. The day was observed as a high holiday, and proceedings commenced by a procession which started from the Theatre Royal, and included all who were to take part in the day's performances in appropriate (and inappropriate) costumes. Arrived at the Domain, a variety of amusements were provided, the two which proved most attractive being the " Muff Cricket Match" and " Richardson's Show." The former was played by the Mayor, Councillors, and ex-Councillors of the City, and was carried out in the true spirit of burlesque. In the latter, every- half hour a most soul-thrilling tragedy was performed under the startling title of "Rugantino the Ruthless, or the Wandering Warlock of the Ghastly Gorge." Several of the parts in this thrilling production were assumed by gentlemen of the Press. We are informed that the First Villain was most ably undertaken by one of them, "whose ferocious frown alone was worth all the money paid for admission." Another character who had little to say and less to do f except look hungry, succeeded in doing this to perfection. The pecuniary results are most satisfactory, and it is expected that the Fund will benefit to the, extent of about £800 by the performances of the day and evening.

We have received a small pamphlet entitled the "Bible in Schools," being an address read before the Otago Schoolmasters' Association by Mr J. B. Park, and published under the auspices of the " Bible in Schools Association," which has its head quarters in Dunedin. The question is fairly and ably treated from the writer's point of view, which is that the Bible should be used as a class-book in public schools. At the same time the writer protests against what he calls " sectarian ' education. To our mind there is a gross inconsistency in this view. The uncompromising secularist is consistent. So is the denominationalist, who would allow the different denominations to impart religious instruction as they thought fit, and subsidize their schools, provided the secular instruction imparted therein was up to standard. But the author of this pamphlet in effect advocates that kind of religious instruction which will be acceptable to the majority, leaving the minority, who cannot conscientiously avail themselves of it, to be content with paying for the system without receiving any benefit therefrom. We are constantly told from Press and Platform that the Education question is finally settled, but it appears that this " Bible in Schools Association " is determined to re-open the whole case.

Mr Macandrew, the Minister for Public Works, has been in Christchuroh during the week, and has got through a considerable amount of important business. A contract was let during his stay for additions to the Sunnyside Asylum, certainly not before it was needed. Tenders for two sections of the Ainuerley-Brunnerton Railway have been accepted. Mr Macandrew also inspected various Government Departments, and also went over the Akaroa Railway line from Southbridge to Little River.