The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1882. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 648, 29 September 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1882. THE BOROUGH COUNCIL.

That the Borough Council has still one " vacant chair," we regard as highly detrimental to the public interests, and a disgrace ti the community, as showing the extreme apathy of tho burgesses. Municipal matters arc; very important, not only to the town itself, but to the ■surrounding country, which draws its supplies fr-.ru it, and it is clearly the .luty of every burgess to endeavor, as ;ar as lays in his to see the busiless properly conducted.

Such, howeve - . is evidently not tlie desire of the good burgesses of Akaroa, who prefer occupying the seat of the senrner, with that calm superiority shown by many that we meet, who, never by any chance doing anything at all, never incur censure, and are therefore great authorities, and often popular idols. Now, in our opinion, one man who does anything, is worth a dozen critics ; and speaking as we do in the humbler capacity, we think this may be taken as a g nerous admission. But, apart from jesting, it is really a miserable state of thinp-s that the people of this town cannot find a few persons to represent their interests in the Borough Council. The Borough funds are in a prosperous state ; there is no lack of nioney ; in fact, the present Council do not seem to us to lie pushing enough in this matter, for out of the £750 which, according to their statement of probable receipts and expenditure for 1882, they were going to spend on the streets of the Borough, only some £80, at th" outside, has yet been expended, though, it is true, works are now to be tendered for which will consume between £200 and £300 more. L'vcn with that, however, only about half would have gone, and so there would be no want of kinds, if a man with some definite idea of improving the town (and heaven knows he could hardly take a step without seeing need for improvement!) were to talcs the vacant chair.

We honestly b lieve, however, that the present apathy is owing to the perfect content of the citizens. Everything in the Council is going smoothly ; there is plenty of money, and everyone agrees with charming unanimity as to the manner in which it should be spent. No rude thunders of debate now shake the well insured Council furniture. Like the polite ship's company in " Midshipman Easy," every one takes off* his hat to every one else, and all is politeness and peace. It is indeed delightful to attend these pleasant twenty minute meetings, which consist of a few whispered conferences, a proposition or two, and then unanimous assent and universal calm. Can it last ? We are afraid it canm t, even in this "happy valley," where the rude breath of real trouble so rarely descends. Some wretched creature bursting with energy, one of those terrible people who " want to know, you ie ow," will bd sure to intrude, parties will be formed and information elicited ; and in our private opinion, the sooner the agitator comes the better for the public interest,

One thing we are sure of, and that is, that it is the absence of danger, the sense of prosperity, that makes it difficult to ship another hand. Once let trouble come, let the waves rise and the winds roar, and eager indeed will be the competition for that seat which is now so difficult to fill.