The Akaroa Mail, FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1882. THE OPENING OF THE RAILWAY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 614, 2 June 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail, FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1882. THE OPENING OF THE RAILWAY.

|M n Garwooo received a letter from Mr [Coop.of Little River, on Tuesday, stating KTmt Mr Back, the Traffic Manager of [Railways, had been to LiUle River to ■vrratigo repfsirtling the formal opening If the railway. After disenssiou, ifc Itppefti's that it wjir arranged the opening day should he on Wcdnosday next, ■lino 7th, and that the principal persons li the county should be. written to, askBig them to meet for the purpose of Bplebnitinsf the occasion. I As will be seen by a reference to our ■cal columns, the matter was unoi'fiwlly discussed after the special meeting ■ the Borough Council on Wednesday Honing. At this gather! n , :; , the quesHm was considered in n fresh light. It Hs urged by Mr McUregoi , that ThursHy woul«l be a belter day for the openHγ, as uieana of transit could bo more Hily tuoeured ; and furt-her, that openHt on Wednesday looked us if the rai]were to run on Mondays, WednosH|s, and Fridays, tiie 5a mo days on the imiil arvivos from Uhristciuirch ||the Pigeon Bay route, ov in ol.her H|ds, that the opening of the railway a tri-weekly instead of a daily or a retrogressive instead of a promovement. In consequence of the Mayor telegraphed to nek yesterday, asking him to alter to Thursday next, us it would convenient to the visitors re|Hg at a distance. Me received tlie telegrams shortly after, the |Hf'f which was evidently sent before telegram reached Mr

Christeburch, June 1, 11.£5 a.m. first sec ion of die Akaroa lino wi'l for ( next tvoek. An oxtrain will run from Chrisichuroh to arrive at Biidlin«'K 11.10 a.m., and return at '1.45 p.mi. present trains will run every and S.'uiirui'.y, couwilii coach. Frkci;. Back. Oliustchurch, J l|T)e 1) 12.11 p.m. and hand bills liave !in>l coinpleied :y, I ivn afraid if dnlu were wuiiid lead to dLsapnoiiiUncnt and caiido tlie excursion lo Frgdi:. Back. we quite agreed with tlio ]n-o- - .a matter of convetransit, and hoped the reasonof the Fathers of the HHi would lie gi'iintctl, but it eoetns advanced too far, and 'that was considered dotritins railway authoriticF. It us, therefore, that the mistake in giving such a ridiculoiioly

short notice that alterations were impos- ( sible- It appears two or three | resiilonts fit IVit.fe River weie consul Jo.l, and (he ivst of t2ie county coolly ignore !, and v. rv likely it will be disc vered, when too li.tc, tVit many of tlinsn most .•{nxii'ns io ,i<t'.ond will'r'ceive no invitoturn*. The w»y in which the news first !••■ ■ oil Akania was a very carious one. Instead of a proper cow'iumioatiou coming to the Muyur, as hca-1 o f ' <!ie municipality, a private individual;! .'it l,ittle Hivor wricos to a private imliviflnni at wlio, though a leading cilizon, is just now o'licial position, and it is only when a viTiuf'st -/.maile'. ito nJior , - day that telegrams nre scifc from head-quarteia to the main contro of the Peninsula. it is co.. airily to be Imped that all the public bodies in the County haγ-o been requested to attend, for they are all interested and will «ll help to" feed tho railway. The ChristchuTeh excursionist* to have been the people most studied, but we sVmld like to point out that it is not they thai will support the line, but the people of the Peninsula, and the leading prions of the County, viz., the County Council Chiini'.'Ui, the Mayor of Akavoa, and the Chairmen of various Road Boards should have been communicated with before the opening , day was fixed, or the days on which the trains were to run. It is most desirable there should be a ]ar#e and influential gathering on the occasion lof 'an event of such vast importance to the whole county as the oneuin:? of the first section of the line, and eve y weens should be laken to facilitate the attendance. We do not, luiwevev, for a moment thiok that the postal auihoiities w'll ever deprive Aka'-oa of its present n ~il privileges ; in i'act, we have fcood reasons f->i- stating , that the Chief Pos(ni/sf.ee , has hit'dinted that the new

t>rwivments will (as thoy should -.be), be ro:u!e a mentis of improving the mail service. Wi , rmdorstand tbat thee is no intention whatever of at present dispensing with th; , . Pigeon J>.y acrvxe. and we arc sun? Irmfc an nUcmn'c uui'l by boat and rail will bo arranged. At the same time 'Air B ick's telegram to the effect that the iiauis will run for the ptvsent on Monday, Wednesday and iNitUitUy, the regular steamiu , days, is vo\y disquieting, and why Tuesday, Thursday, and fcjatutday would not do cis well we imagine, except, as hat been suggested, siag'le i\vo lickets issued as usual on Saturday would be avaUablo for letuvn ou Monday. This d'l'ficiiLy, however, could be got over by making fchem available ,; on ; t Taosday. Wliether the Pigeon Bay steamer will run on. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays we do not luio,v, but they socm awkward day- to us, and if the boat wer.j to go o'i fae s:imo days as the railwaj it would ■C'-rt-aiuly doi''preat harm, for at the present moderate faro of 15a return, many people 'would prefer ttie Pigeon'; Uay route

We mulpvstaini th-»t ifc was agreed nt the meeting , that the Mayor and Council lors of Akaroa'shouM .form a deputation to the railway authorities on the occasion of the opei , " of the line, pointing out the necessity of the trains running on alternate days with, the steamer, so that the daily mail fn-tui Christchurch may continue. We should like to see this deputation include not only the heads of the muuicipaliiy, but also some of the other influential men in the district. As we said before, we hare every faith in the postal authorities, but it is better to put the matter at rest at once. There must be no mistake about it ; the daily ma ; l from town will have to be continued, or the railway will be deservedly unpopular, and there will bo such an outcry from one end of the county to the other as will speedily put matters to rights.