The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7. PASSING NOTES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 546, 7 October 1881, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7. PASSING NOTES.

THE REGATTA.

The Lyttelton people have at last thrown off their lethargy with regard to .the Regatta, and ai a well-attended and enthusiastic meeting unanimously resolved to have a Regatta this year, and to strain every nerve to make it as great, or a greater success than its predecessors. We wish them every luck in their undertaking; and have no doubt that on New Year's Day, port will, as usual, be crowded to excels, greatly to the benefit of Lyttelton and its inhabitants gener..n: y

As yet, however, no steps ha c been taken here to have even a preliminary meeting, although our I»egatta day is nearly a month eirlier than theirs! Surely somebnly should move in the matter at once. There are barely two months now, and that is not nearly sufficient to get up a Regatta properly and make the programme widely known. We arc sure that if proper steps were taken we might expect plenty of cooperation from all arts of the Peninsula, and outside also, but tbe matter is being delayed and delayed till there will not be any time to do anything. Why cannot a number of citizens sign a requisition to the Mayor asking him to call a public meeting on the question at once, so that the preliminaries may ba arranged ? As New Year's Day is the

j-'Hla day of Lyttelton, so is the Ann Ivorsnry of the Provincial District the red letter day at Akaroa, and our visitors have been accustomed to come to our Regatta on that day, so it would be extremely injudieh us to change the date.

There is no doubt that the main object of our Christchurch and Lyttelton visitors in coming to Akaroa on the 16th of December is to see the Regatta, Once here, it is true, they visit our Industrial Exhibition and our Horticultural Show, but it is undoubtedly the Regatta on our lake-like harbor that is the principal inducement, They can fee industrial exhibitions and horticultural shows in Christchurch and on the plains, but they only have a chance of seeing a Regatta twice a year, once at Lyttelton and once at Akaroa, and they thoroughly enjoy the novelty. It is therefore the very best policy of all those desirous of assisting the Industrial Exhibition and the Horticultural Show to work as hard as they possibly can for the Begatta, and make it really worth seeing, for on its success in a <.*reat measure depends theirs. Let us hope, then, that before another week has passed something will have been accomplished, and we bhall have proved that the town does not deserve the cognomen occasionally bestowed on it of " Sleepy Akaroa."