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Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 391, 4 May 1880, Page 2

At the Christchurch E.M. Court, on Tuesday last, John William Grabtree was sentenced to one month's imprisonment with hard labor for gross cruelty to a horse. Notwithstanding the vast amount of talk made at the last meeting of the Borough Council re the fact that accounts as soon as passed by them should be paid, we find that accounts passed on Wednesday last are still unsettled, although we are informed on good authority that the Clerk's signature to the cheques which is necessary to make them valid v/as obtained prior to his being laid up—Why is this the case ? We have been requested to correct a slight error in the report of the Pigeon Bay tea meeting. Instead of saying "Mrs Alexander provided grapes for all the tables," it should have been stated that that lady provided all the fruit, and also a quantity of choice flowers.

A shipping disaster notice in a Glasgow paper ends as follows :—" The captain swam ashore, so did the stewardess ; she was instired for five" thousand pounds And loaded with iron." ;

We have been favored by Mr DJxon Steward of the Hospital' with'the! following statement of Returns froni that stitution for the month ending Api.il 30, 1880:—Admitted— Males, 5 ; females, 0. Died—Males, 0 ; females, 0. Discharged— Males, 2 ; females, 0. Total in Hospital at that date—Males 5 ; Females, 0.

We draw the attention to such of our readers as it may concern to a notice appearing in our advertising columns to the effect that Mr A. Innes M'Gregor has been appointed Assessor for the County and Borough of Akaroa under the Property Assessment Act, and intimating that he will attend at his office, Jollie street, every Saturday from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. for the purpose of delivering the necessary schedules, and giving all information in connection with the same. Another battle I "In consequence of the encroachments made by the enemy (credit) on my pens, ink, paper, postage stamps, bank interest,. &c, &c, there is bouud to be another engagement in the course of a few days; the scene of action will probably be somewhere between, ray own shanty and the " Criterion." ' Scouts will be thrown out at ionce, headed by Brother Jink, and the indemnity will be considerably increased should the contest be carried into the interior. No quarter will be given till the whole is " shelled out;" so keep your powder dry, and "look to your priming," as the big guns LA W and K.M. will take some licking. Oats are cheap, and the war horse is in prime condition ; therefore, " take time by the foreiock" is the parting cry of H. Billens. —Advt. We are informed that the annual meeting of the subscribers to the Akaroa Library, which was to have been held last night, has been postponed in consequence of non-attendance of members. In another column we publish a letter from Mr Montgomery, M.H.R., covering one received .by hjm from the Public Works Department, respecting the vn _ satisfied claims for compensation for lands taken for roada on the Peninsula. The news that the money is actually under way will no doubt be welcome to many expectant claimants. Notwithstanding the complaints of hard times it appears that landed property, at any rate, still maintains its value. A striking instance of this fact was afforded at the last meeting of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board. A landowner wrote, offering a suiall piece of rural land which was required to give access to a neighbors property at the-modest rate of £600 per acre, exclusive of survey and transfer fees, and yet the.Board was unwise enough to decline such a tempting offer. We have received the first number of the Times, a new journal published at Hawera, and devoted to the interests of the Hawera, Normanby, and Waimate districts. It is hardly necessary to remark that it being a new venture, it has been started by the indefatigable 'and energetic Joseph Ivess. The brdadsheejt;is published three times a week, and. contains matter certainly above the average both in quantity and quality as compared with most country papers. When it is remembered that the Patea Mail. (another of Mr Ivess , creations) is published, within eight miles of, the- heaxUquarters. of the new journal, and that an, opposition print is already in the field, the proprietor is certainly v to be congratulated on his pluck. In any event,-the public (fan only gain by such keen coinpetiti6h'"feiii'bng the purveyors of news. We feel' sure this new aspirant for public favor . will, de.serva success, and, according to a high authority, this is greater everi than achieving it, which we also hope will be its lot.

There is on view in Messrs Garwood and Co's shop window an excellently executed oil painting of the ketch Crest. The design was executed by Mr W. Watkins» our local artist, and reflects great credit on his artistic skill. The Crest is represented as she was last seen on that memorable morning some ten years ago, when she met her doom in a cave off Flea Bay. As will be remembered the vessel waa bound from this port to the Kaikourae with timber, and had, besides her usual crew, a Mr Belcher, the contractor for whom { the timber was inteuded. Both Mr Belcher and the captain lost their lives on this occasion. In the foreground is represented the small boat in which Messrs Gγ. Noonan and Jas. Bhodes set out to the aid of the unfortunate ones, and succeeded in rescuing Ned Cunningham, a sailor belonging to her. We congratulate Mr Watkins on the effective nature of his work.

A fatal accident occurred on Saturday night last, to a poor man named * Malcolm Kerr an employee of Messrs McLucas and McKay, Barry's Bay Timber Mills. It appears he was proceeding on his way home from the entertainment given by the Gaiety Variety Troupe at the Head of the Bay that night, and had started to walk home at about 11.30. He was overtaken by some of: his comrades, one of whom was leading a horse which Kerr, although being an indifferent rider mounted. He had not proceeded far before the horse shied and threw him. He must have been thrown on his head, as the fall fractured his skull and death ensued almost instantly. He was carried

to Mr Brooks' Hotel and Dr Guthrio was sent *for but of course he was unable to rericbr any assistance. We need hardly , say how much : -pleasure it /gives vus to be able to state that from all sources we learn that Kerr was perffectly: sober at the lime of his leaving j the Hotel, although doubtless some of j the charitable ones will be found to [ spread reports to the contrary. An inquest on the body was held at. the Somerset Hotel, Head of the Bay, before Justin Aylmer, Esq., coroner, when a verdict of " Accidental Death "was recorded. As will be seen by a notice in another column the friends of the deceased are invited to follow his remains to the grave. The funeral will leave the Hotel for the Akaroa Presbyterian Cemetery at 12 o'clock this afternoon. By our report of the procedings at the meeting of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board, which, took place on Saturday last, it will be seen that that body has resolved to do something to the road leading to Flea Bay and the Heads. This step is certainly not , taken before it was time. Some of tM'pfStfes on that road are simply worse than any of the Peninsula roads, and that is saying a good deal. If any proof had been wanting of the necessity of doing something in the matter, it was unfortunately afforded on Sunday last by an accident which happened to Mr Holdsworth Rhodes. That gentleman was riding from hie station to Akaroa, when his horse, got his foot jammed between two stones in one of the "staircases". While his rider was dismounting the animal made a plunge to extricate himself which caused Mr Rhodes to come heavily to the ground,. where he remained unconscious for sometime. We are happy to learn that no serious consequences are likely to ensue. , ',