The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. PARLIAMENTARY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 544, 30 September 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. PARLIAMENTARY.

The pHst session is said to have been peculiarly Wren of great measures, the Representation Bill being tho sole 'exception. But whilst in Parliament assembled our ineuibeis "have done an nntnenße nuiount of useful work in the 78 eitt-ing days, which made up the third session of the seventh parli \ment.

There was only one Bill passed that peculiarly affected Akaroa —namely the Akaroa High School Bill, and that had a hard struggle, and we owe its existence to the energy of Mr Montgomery. When it emerg"d safe'y from the lower House, the " Lords " made short work of it indeed, for some of them declared that Mr Baker's school was already in existence in tho neighborhood and was a capital secondary school, find that establishing a high school wocild merely

be creating a rival establishment, a most undesirable result in such a small place a« Akaroa.

The Bill was accordingly rejected, much to the chagrin <f its persevering father, who, however, thanks to his parliamentary knowledge, had the wisdom to observe that his darling infant was not dead, but only badly wounded. For the benefit of those unused to parliamentary procedure, we will explain how this happened. When the Bill came on for reading the second time and had been duly criticised by the Hon. Legislators, the question was put, "That this Bill be now read a second lime." The motion was lost and the Bill therefore rejected for the time. But observe, it was only for the time, for it was decided that it should not be "now" read a second time, and that was all Now had tbe usual amendment " That this Bill be read this day six months" been put; tbe Bill would have been shelved for the session, but as this was not the case it was of course possible to reinstate it which was accordingly clone, and the " peers " having been informed that MiBaker's was a boarding school of a very good stamp where they did not take day scholar* at all, tlry assented to its passing, and it accordingly became law, and nothing now remains to bring it into effAct but the appointment of the Board of Governors, which we hear will be done at the very first meeting held by the nominating bodies, so that we fairly expect to see the machinery complete before another month has passed

away. Parliament has voted £16,000 for the Little Kiver Railway, and out of that at least £6000 will be required for work already done. The remaining £10,000, therefore, is all that is available for extending the line and making sidings and stations, till next session. We hear that the contractor, Mr Coates, has seen Mr Blair on the matter, and that gentleman informed him that there were to be no sidings or station buildings constructed at present, but that the line was first to bo continued at least as -far as Like Forsyth, which is about a mile from the end of the present contract. Mr Blair further said that on his return from Dunedin he would put affairs in train at once; and the question that now arises is, in what direction the permanent way is to be extended. There are two alternatives, we believe, one of which is to take the line to the end of the Lake, to where the timber is landed, so that one removal can be saved, and the other is to carry the line on the original survey, so as to add another mile or so to the extension towards Little River. We think that nearly every one will agree with us in saying that the latter is by far the best course to pursue. Let us get the line at all hazards as far as we possibly can in the right direction, and sacrifice any small temporary convenience for the one great end. It is sincerely to be hoped that some stops will bo immediately taken to let Mr Blair know that this is the wish of the great majority ol the people, so that he may consent to this course being adopted. The people of the Peninsula should never cease, as the great U'Connell said, to " Agitate, agitate, agitate," till the line is carried at least as fir as the proposed tunnel in the Little River Hill, for the whole benefits of the line are lost without it absolutely reaches the timber, so that the expense of carting and floating can be saved.