BAD MANAGEMENT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XX, Issue 1522, 13 February 1891, Page 2

BAD MANAGEMENT.

There has been a great deal said lately of the U.S.S. Co.'s trade falling off. No doubt it has, for the rivalry between the Jane Douglas and Akaro& has lowered freights, and made people go to Christchurch for goods formerly procured in DunediD. Besides this, many of the Eastern bays are now supplied direct, and the pack horses ibat used to throng our town laden with goods for the bays are at present, alas, few and far between. In spite of all these drawbacks, however, the U.S.S. Co, might have done double the trade, and thereby benefited themselves and Akaroa if the management hud not become so exceedingly penurious as to absolutely drive people away from them. When the trade lessened, instead of meeting the times with improvement, they simply relegated us to the colliers and Beautiful Star. For a time we were simply at the mercy of the " Star," but that extreme depth of night has passed, and we have at any rate reached the " coal " period. It will be remembered how our jubilee was nearly crushed [ out through the action, of the Company, 1 and at last Regatta it was only after the greatest trouble and worry a boat was granted, though it meant that several hundred pounds were netted by the Company. Half our fruit rots under the present system, for the Beautiful Star crawls in once a week, the unfortunate fruit is recklessly chucked on board, where it stows in the hot sun till Monday morning, and is then landed in a rotten state for the consumption of the good citizens of Dunedin. And whilst this is going on, five steamers that do the trip in a few hours are almost daily steaming past within a mile of the Heads. Does anyone suppose that if those steamers were to call in it would be any detriment to anybody ? No one supposes so; the passengers would like to call in and see our beautiful town and harbor ; the delay would not exceed an hour and a half, and our perishable products could be swiftly and safely carried to their destination. The present system means a reckless waste, turning good wholesome rateable food into a loathsome mass of rubbish. Depend upon it, the present policy is a short-sighted and ruinous one both for the Company and Akaroa. Let good steamers be sent here and our wants attended to ; let Akaroa be justly represented as a place of beauty, worth visiting, and instead of a feeble perishing trade we shall soon have visits from crowded steamers, and every carpenter will be hard at work to provide the increased accommodation required. Now when the tide of prosperity is turning towards these shores is the time to strike and so hasten the good times that are bound eventually to come, in spite of all that prejudiced and incompetent persons can do to prevent their arrival.