The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 350, 25 November 1879, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25.

At a meeting of the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce, held on Friday last, th c President read the following telegram which he had sent on Nov. 18 to Mr Stevens, who had replied to the effect that he would lay the matter before the Minisisters—" It will save many disputes if Government will add a clause to Amended Tariff Act providing for purchaser paying increased duty on all sales made for forward delivery." Our readers will per•ceive that there is not a word about purchasers receiving any rebate in cases where the duty has been removed or reduced. is a calm, magnificent selfishness about\ these mercantile magnates feat fairly Stakes one's breath away, and as selfishness is the most valuable quality in the art/ -of getting on in the world, no wonder) these gentlemen generally acquire a large jshare of the good things of this world/

Under the Verandah of the R. M. Court here may be seen a beautiful specimen of penmanship, inviting tenders for the new Court-house. Of the various freaks of Government advertising it is quite useless to speak, but the amount of care and time evidently bestowed upon the notice in question lifts it out of the usual category of gatepost notices, and at once entitles it to a high rank amongst artistic specimens of caligraphy. The placard in question is evidently the work of a professional gentleman, ahd if the time consumed upon its construction ie to be measured by the usual professional three, guineas per, day, we shonld have thought an impecunious government would have had recourse to the more public and economical method of a newspaper advertisement. Wβ gladly make the Public Works Department a present of thie gratis advertisement.

The new Telegraph and Post Office at Duvauchelles Bay will, we understand, be opened this week. The telegraphic instruments are now to hand and being fixed under the direction of Mr Meddings. Mr Dawson, from the Christchurch office, has been appointed to the charge of the new station. There is little doubt that the residents in the outlying bays, will find the office a great convenience, and at the end of the year we hope to record the fact that none of the gentlemen who have come forward to guarantee the necessary sum to the government will be called upon to put their hands in their pockets for the public benefit. A description of the buildings has recently appeared in our columns^

. In the window of Mr H. Billens may be seen a number of articles presented by merchants.in Dunedin as prizes for the Industrial Exhibition to bo held on 16th December. The prizes consist of a pair of Terra Cotta Vases, presented by Messrs; de Beer and Co ; a handsome electro cako basket, presented by Messrs P. Hayuian and Co., and an electro-plated egg tray, from Messrs Park and Curie. Mr Billens informs us that he has still to receive donations promised by Messrs Guthrie and Larnach and Messrs Matheson Bros., of Dunedin. If the other traders with Dunedin firms were as energetic in looking up their Dunedin correspondents in this matter the committee would no doubt be able to announce large accessions to their prize list. From what we hear of the doings of the committee and the many busy hands at work we fancy the exhibition will be more than usually interesting this year. It is to be hoped that the Committee will not lose sight of a suggestion of ours mad after the meeting of last year, viz., that the prizes will be apportioned for particular works before the awards are made, and not afterwards.

It was feared that a serious, if not fatal accident had happened during last week, and that the ranges around Akaroa would have had to be debited with another death from exposure. It appears that on Tuesday afternoon, a Mr Penny started from Akaroa, bound for the station of MrNarby, at Long Bay, where he was going to work, tl c rode a horse belonging to Mr Narby, which Mr GK Haylock had brought into Akaroa* Early on the following morning the people at Long Bay were startled by the horse arriving at home riderless, without a bridle, and with a broken stirrup leather. It was only by slow degrees that it filtered through various channels to Akaroa that the horse had reached home without his rider, and the consequence was that on Sunday morning a considerable cavalcade,Jnumbering from fifteen to twenty horsemen, started from Akaroa to explore the ranges in search of the missing man. Some of the rearguard of the party, however, had not got clear of the town when they met the object of their search coming in. It appeared that on the road he had got off his horse and tied him up, himself sitting or lying down by the road side. The horse had got away, and he had made his way to Mr Lucien Brocher's, where he had since remained. The search party Were soon made aware of the state of affairs, and returned, very glad to find that the matter had terminated so favorably. Mr Penny desires through our columns to thank those wlio so promptly undertook the search for him.