PORTOBELLO.

Otago Witness, Issue 1567, 19 November 1881, Page 13

PORTOBELLO.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRBBPONDHNT.) November 14th. The event of the past week, of course, was. tho holiday on the 9th, and if we take the action of the people of a district as a criterion of their loyalty or otherwise in|tho keeping of the P.ince of Wales' Birthday, then 1 am afraid the residents of Portobello are very disloyal ; but to make up for their deficiency in that respect, we had a considerable number of visitors' by the steamers and by tho road. As the morning was good a great number took advantage of it • but towards the evening the weather changed, and some rain fell, which would interfere with their pleaAn accident occurred to a young man named Robert Harwood'from his gun going off promiscuous-hko, whereby the charge passed through the fleshy part of his left arm. He was conveyed to the Hospital the, game evening. The nomination of candidates for the Peninsula County Council took place on Thursday last, and five free and independent electors turned up on that important occasion. Messrs Dickson and Kerr were nominated and duly declared electod, aa only two members were required. The first-named only was present, and stated in answer to a quostion that he was opposed to the whole of the Counties Act being put in force, as there was no use for two local bodies in the Peninsula. Mr G. M'Cattnoy,' as sponsor for Mr Kerr, stated that his man hold the same views. A vote of thanks to tho roturninjr-ofneer finished what has been .the tamest affair of an election I have ever seen here. Our School Committee met on Saturday last, and matters were a little more lively there. Exception was taken by a member to tho mode of signing the minutes by the Chairman, that gentleman not adding the word " chairman . to his signature. As the majority of the Committee apparently dare not say anything to the Chairman when he does wrong, tho member who ' Objected had to, sing dumb. When the boundaries of the Hooper's Inlet district was brought on, two letters wore received, ono signed by three and tho other by one gentleman, against their being put into the new district. One pathetically stated "he had for 20 years been connected with school matters, and had given his time and money to further the interests of the Portobello School; and now, to think he should be put' into another district "! -the thing was not to be Dome; and, besides, the new school was built' in Buch a place, surrounded almost with stagnant water resting on a rotten bottom." The thing was horrible,, and besides all that he had "a good macadamised road from his own door to the Portobello School, whereas the road to the Hooper's Inlet School was— well, impassable 'for a considerable .part of the year. lam not sure whether he stated cix months of the year or not. I think one of the letters did. You see the one school is at the north pole and the other at the equator. The allußion.tO' the macadamised, road is very suggestive, and I hive no doubt will be appreciated in'the right quarter, and the allusion to the bad road to the' Hooper's Inlet School is just as suggestive. As I hope to have the pleasure of seeing the letters in question in the newspapers, I will make no more comments upon them except one, and that is upon one. statement contained therein, to the effect that the attendance at the Hooper's Inlet School would be sosmalj that there- would bo no inducement for a good teacher to apply for it. , Well, we have the fact patent in Portobello that there are a male and female teacher employed there, with an average attendance of less than 60 for the two to teach, and they are both well paid. . ,