Local and General.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 426, 20 August 1880, Page 2

Local and General.

Nominations were invited for the vacant seat in the Borough Council, to be sent in by noon on Wednesday. Up to that time, however, no candidate was nominated, nnd consequently the vacancy still remainß to be filled.

A football match was played yesterday afternoon at French Farm between the Akaroa and French Farm teams. ; Each sido Rcored one goal, and the match was therefore held to be a draw, though it was in favor of the Akaroa team which secured several' tries.' The game waa played under the Association rules. Last Monday was the fortieth anniversary of the landing here of the French settlers in the ," Comte de Paris." These anniversaries have their melancholy side as well as any other. The survivors of the original pilgrims' are-getting now very much reduced in number, only some five or six now remaining. Elsewhere appears a letter from a valued correspondent on the question of the relative merits of Road Boards and County Councils. There; is no doubt that the question of local government is one that demands solution, and it will be well for those interested (the ratepayers) to form intelligent opinions on the matter. We shall be glad to receive further communications on the subject. The 1.0. G.T. Lodge was held in the schoolroom, Little. Akaloa, on the 11th instant, when the installation of officers for the present quarter took place ; Bro. J. W. Hunter was elected W.C.T., vice Bro J. B. Barker, jun., who retires. It was decided that an entertainment should be held in the school on Thursday, the 19th inst., the proceeds to be devoted to the fund for the harmonium. The lodge is in a very healthy condition, numbering 38 members, which', considering that it is only a year old, is a very promising sign. A special meeting of the Akaroa School Committee was held at the schoolroom on Tuesday evening last, when Messrs Meech (Chairman), Billens, Sims, and Westenra were present. The object of the meeting was to decide upon the most suitable tender to accept for the ■ ensuing year for the office of caretaker of the school premises. The following tenders were opened :—Mrs Yewen, L3O ; Mesdames Hunter, and Edmiston, L 25 ; Mrs P. Malmanche, L 24 ; Mr J. , Borland, L24;andMrs Mitchell L 23 10s. After some discussion, during which the Chairman stated that the last caretaker had performed her duties in a satisfactory manner, it was decided to accept Mrs P_ Malmanche's tender for L 24.

The pedigree of celebiated race horses* combining over so many •' strains" of the grandest blood ia somewhat difficult to be understood by, an outsider. A geneological tree, cay of the Houses of York and Lancaster, is a little.complicated, the " 15" puzzle ia a piece of fiendish ingenuity calculated to turn the brain of those attempting its selution. But all these trials, severe though they be, fade into utter insignificance, compared . with the task which our Town Clerk and Eeturning Officer has .imposed upon him by law about this time. Next month the : annual election of three councillors' takeb place. It is now three years eince nine Councillors were elected. If these had remained in office since, the matter, would be as simple as shelling, peaa. The tliree who were the highest on the poll would now gracefully retire. But only two of the original Councillors remain, one of whom occupies the Mayoral cliair. An amending Act provides that overy councillor shall bo held to occupy the position of the one in whose place he was elected. This looks delightfully simple but the 'simplicity is only apparent and delusive. For instance, a, b and ego out of oll'ce, and a;, y and z are elected in their places. Whose place does x occupy and if not, why not? Again on one occasion there were four vacancies, and only three candidates presented themselves. Here we hare what mathematicians would call an " indeterminate equation with three unknowns " and that unfortunate a; is still left wandering about without a local habitation ..and decidedly an unknown quantity. We wish our Beturning Officer well through his difficulty.

A Lrc Bun's Bay correspondent writes, complaining that in that locality it is quite a common thing to see what he calls " grown-up boys " and men out pig-hunt-ing on a Sunday. This he considers bad enough, but the respectable inhabitants of the Bay have now been still further annoyed fey lforse-racing having been started on the came day; some persons, it appears, have been taking part in. the latteif proceedings who (in the opinion of our,correspondent) ought to know better. A meeting of the Committee of "the Akaroa Library was held on Monday evening lust to consider the present financial condition ISfltlta; institution./' Itiyas |3ecidedto get 'up an' entertainmint'for the. purpose of assisting the funds, which are at present at a very low ebb. As we have frequently remarked, this institution does; not meet with the support it deserves. In fact, in this respect Akaroa compares unfavorably with many of the surrounding bays. We hope tho approaching, entertainment may iprove in every respect a it may he the means o±-giving the library funds a good lift. It was stated at the meeting that Mr J. D. G-arwood had presented the institution with a tin of kerosene, and Mr E. Noonan had given a drumt and tap for the same.

'•■ OUR Pigeon Bay'correspondent writes: —The weather continues much the same as it has been I through! the winter ; some of the people," however, feel things rather tight. The grasa seed has! had*to be dis- J posed of in some instances at a loss." It is to be hoped better times are at.hand.-7-The saw-mill, the chief bublic work in the place, has so little to do that there is sortie talk about its, stopping 1 work. main school is getting new shingles on the old wing, and some other little repairs dona to i it. The side school, tod, is sadly injne'ea of some touches. —On Sunday , last jthe usual service was held in the forenoon,and in the evening ; the ReV Mr Stack, of Christchurch, preached- from Colbssians i., 12th verse, concerning the object of the Saviour's advent- I —to deliver from eternal punishment;'and also, to make meet for heaven. The pithy; lucid sermon ■ closed with an appeal to those present to obtain the meetness, as the title had already been' secured.

The number of letters containing money or articles of value which find their way to the Dead Letter Office has always been matter of surprise. The report of .the, Post-office Department for 1879 gives the following figures •oh this ; head : — 134 money, orders, ,for £434 10s'8d; 63 bank drafts, £3458 10s 7d ; 83 cheques, £592 8s 3d ; 2 promissory notes, £324 Is 4d ; postage stamps, £3 l9d lOd'; bank notes. £99 ; gold, £21 10a ; silver and copper, 16s 10d; representing a total o/ £4934 17s 6d. There were also received in the Dead Letter Office—2 silver watches, 5 gold rings (two of which were eet witli precious stones), 2 war medals, 1 small gold ' medal ; 811 ''unclaimed registered letters; 44 letters'posted without addresses; 259 letters detained for postage* of which only 13 were subsequently prepaid and forwarded ; 749 newspapers and 381 books and other articles without addresses—of these it was found practicable to deliver 84.

A curious attempt to discourage drinking by bringing public opinion to bear is worth noting. An Act has been passed by the Massachusete Senate to prohibit the erection of screens in bar rooms. The principle of the measure is, of course, that a good many men who have not the grace of abstinence are nevertheless not depraved enough to drink in ' the fierce light which beats' upon the bar. • It is singular that, doubtless with the same end in view to diminish drinking or'some of its inconveniences, our local-Licensing Bench made an exactly opposite regulation, and,compelled the publicans to erect screens in their bars. The fact is that as * rule we British are less concerned about the existence of an evil than we are as to its being decently hidden from sight. ,£'. Wioked'\ Marks with his visible Sunday orangesvexes our souls, but the vice that is hidden away behind Venetian shutters, fthbugh we are unpleasantly reminded of its existence allows us to put 1 it behind , us like Mr Podsnap, and treat it as non-existent.