NORTH SHORE FERRY.

Auckland Star, Volume III, Issue 801, 12 August 1872, Page 2

NORTH SHORE FERRY.

At the meeting of the Harbour Board tomorrow the regulation of tlie North Shore ferry will be taken into consideration; The subject was committed to the hands of the Chairman of the Harbour Board, Captain Daldy, and Mr Nicol, whose recommendations, we presume, will then be submitted. We understand that certain regulations, based on the suggestions of the Harbour Master, made to tne Board last year, will be recommended, and we trust that the subject will receive considerable attention from the members of the Harbour Board. This is not a matter of concern to the residents on North Shore alone. That suburb is the legitimate sanitarium of the people of this city—the breathing-place at which they may blow off the poisonous odours inhaled into the system from the city sewer. The irregularity of trips, the dangerous overcrowding of boats, and the numberless other irregularities and inconveniencies that have characterised this ferry in the past are notorious, and it is remarkable that it has not long ago been brought under some form of regulation. Not only have medical men almost tabooed the North Shore and felt almost disposed to let the people there live and die untenled —owing to the'risk of hours of needless detention — but multitudes of people are deterred from benefitting by its unquestionable advantages, either for a few hours' trip, or permanent residence, owing to the totally unreliable character of the ferry service. It is now in the power of the Harbour Board to rectify all this, not by doing anything either to inconvenience or injure the proprietors of the ferry steamers, but by more accurately defining the relations existing between them as carriers on a public ferry, and the public themselves, who have the right, as they have also the power to make arrangements for their own convenience. There are a few points which, in the name of the public, we would desire to impress as necessities in the regulation of this ferry. The time-table, the fares, the freights, should be determined, and tables containing them should be conspicuously posted up at the landing-places and on the boats. These should be enforced under penalties annexed. Under similar penalties the boats should be prevented from having on board at any time such a number of passengers as may imperil their safety, and should on no account be allowed to tow vessels when there are passengers on board the ferry boats. The only causes that should bo permitted to interrupt the regularity of appointed trips should bo accident or actual stress of weather—not a mere shower of rain. The present time-table, as posted on the boats, contains the remarkable words, " weather or other circumstances permitting !"—the other circumstances being tho tugging of a vessel in or out of harbour, or the supposition that because it is a wet evening there will be few travellers. We question if such a notification was ever seen before in connection with any public ferry in the colonies: There should also be provision against the dangerous scenes that were witnessed during the commencement of the opposition between the Devonport and the Enterprise, when actual collision and trials of strength between the two boats pushing against one another were of daily occurrence. From what we learn we understand there will be opposition again during the coming summer, and on the Harbour Board will rest°the blame of any danger to life or limb. These evils are all easily preventible by a few simple regulations passed in time and before the actual necessity arises. Full power is given by the 30th section of the Marine Act, and we sincerely trust that the Harbour Board will give this matter attention once for all, and so regulate and define the relations between the travelling public and the licensed ferrymen as may be equally beneficial to both.