CORRESPONDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 195, 20 August 1888, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

Pensioks.—"Gnarus" yriteS : — "Each year sees the vexed question of, pengions brought before the House, and each year, the feeling .agftinsb pensions-grows stronger. We cannot break faith \yibh those who entered the Civil Service under a system of which pensions formed a part, but I think a batter plan would be, in the future, to, insist on all Civil servants and teachers insuring their lives for Sums varying according to their income ; such sums to be payable at death or at, say, 50 years of age. The system of insurance has this advantage, that the : family of a deceased member would be provided for, whereas at present the thrifty may be called on to assist the famines of 1 those who have been improvident. The Government might select an office and stop* the premiums out of the salaries. 1 might point out many advantages in the system I have indicated, but I fear to trespass too much on your space." City Council Retrenchment.— Mr G«o. H. Leaning, Wellesley-street, writes: "ite adjustment of salaries of City Council officials, we will pass over the very slight reduction of some of the big salaries. Nobody expected much. Now, with eomo of the officials dispensed with, the reductions only amount to £1,006; the rest ia in leaving the city in darkness and stopping works that will have to be made good again at some future time. But in doing their duty* they ought surely to be honest to their employees if they cannot to their victims, that ie the ratepayers. Now a messenger is to get £130 per year for a very easj billet, short hours, plenty of holidays, etc., etc., while another, man in their employ, that is the night caretaker, works eleven hours every da"y of the year and gets £2 per week, or about 6d per hour, for a very tiresome and responsible position. la this honest on their part?" .: ~ ' J Ciieai' Bread.--"lndigestion" writes: "I should like, with your permission, to draw the attention oE the authorities to the urgent need thero is for vigilant inspection of some of the bread which is being sold lately. lam sure that some of it is unfit for human food." Average Attesdanch.—"Mow-eo" remarks :—" As I anticipated, the Board x>f Education has answered the question satisfactorily regarding the closing .of public schools, and'the affair has ended in a mare'snest. Lot a quarterly return .-be made out in future from the various schools uhowing the days such schools have been closed and the reason why. This will have the effect of preventing windbags from asking questions based upon statements which are •Only from what I've been told, you know, find 1 tell it on to you.'" WIfAKF AT KATPAEA AND KaUKAI'AKAPA Junction.^Mr John Gardner, jun., Chairman of tho Komokoriki Board, comments upon tho inaction of the Rodney County Council anent a petition sent them for signature for presentation to thp .Government H:a landing station at the junction of the Kaukapakapu and Kaipanv rivers. " The petition showed that while fell© distance by road from the junction of the Kaukapakapa find Kaipara rivors was only three miles, by the river it was ten miles; that owing to these peculiarities it \v.as all but impossible for sailing vessels of any size to get up to the present railway station unaided. That the last Government had lowered the tariff on grain to induce vessels so laden, from tho South to Auckland,' to dischargo and send by rail from; Helensville, but none had availed thempelVefi'oT^it because of the difficulty, of navigating the Kaipara above the junction. That/vessels, including steamers^ will be running1' parallel with the railway from the junction to Helensviile, the vessels carrying the goods while the trains run empty, in consequence of no landing place at the junction. It is o|, vital importance to' j every unib of the community that our railways should pay as much as possible, but it requires no political tjconomisb to see that the powers that be, by making noprovision for landing goods and passengers, aro compelling the general public to travel by steamer to Ilelensvilleagainst both their wish and purse. The Hon. Minister for PubIb Works, in, answer to a quest ion, 'Would tho Government undertake tho proposed work ?' says, ' I am. cognisant of the great importance of the work, but there are no fiuide. I hold that the funds necessary for the work' would be raised, by aell'ng the landaab and around the site of th,e proposed wharf, whipli; I am informed on good authority, belong to the Government; and1 they baye but to make a start with the i work, survpy the land, and sell ib in lota to .recoup them the cost tenfold.' MrGubb, in the late report of the Rodney Council, ia reported t6 have said—'There is no locality it would do more good to than Port Albert, but the people were not anxious for it because there is a mudbank at the mouth of the Kaukapakapa River which would prevent vessels from getting to the proposed wharf' (or words to that effect). ; To this I would simplysay that he was speaking of what ho knew nothing, as tlieru is no mudbank within about ono and a quarter miles of the Kaukapakapa River— the last bank in the Kaipara River ends one and a-quarter miles to the north of the Kaukapakapa River ; and I maintain that there is no better place on the Ka?para: River than the aforesaid junction, as ..the1 river is wider there than at any othei1 part, above it, with deep water close into tho bank, and, bettor than all,; a;' rocky bottom as ;a foundation/ Jand a straight run of I should say two.v.miles up to Hi. Now, I would earnestly appeal to the people of Kaukjipakapa, Pout, Albert and TafaHoa i'or tUeir support in this matter, as we are detei'mined to leave no stone unturned to get the work accomplished, and I think I have cleai'ly demonstrated that, the 'localities last mentioned are not only md ividually but collectively pecuniarily interterested in this .natter."