The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1893. THE GRANDMOTHER IN LEGISLATION.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8591, 19 September 1893, Page 4

The Press. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1893. THE GRANDMOTHER IN LEGISLATION.

The grandmother is indeed abroad in these times, especially in our legislation. We do not object to a little of the grandmotherly spirit, bub the line must be drawn somewhere, or life will soon not be worth living. One of the most grandmotherly clauses of the proposed new Shipping Act is that by which it is to be provided that each steamer shall be licensed to carry only so many passengers in each class, according to tbe number of berths, and that if the number is exceeded in any class, the whol3 of the passengers in that class will have the

right to receive their passage money from the owners. If this becomes law it will, we hope, cause such a howl of indignation against the Government who passed such a measure that it will have have to be repealed next session. It will simply mean this that whenever all the berths iv a steamer are engaged, as must occa-

sionally happen in ordinary times and constantly happens at holiday seasons or on other special occasions, the Company will be compelled to refuse to take other passengers unless they go into the steeraga They will have to wait for another steamer and curse the Government. We quite admit

that there must be a limit to the number of passengers which a steamer may carry, and that to carry an excess of that limit ought to be punished with the most severe penal ties.

The maximum should be fixed with regard to the number and size of the boats and other life-saving apparatus the steamer carries. The object of so fixing a ma-imuta is to ensure safety. But if this law goes on to Bay how many of that maximum number must go in the saloon or how many in the steerage then the law is a silly law, and interferes most unwarrantably with the public convenience. Until this present Ministry—this Ministry of Meddlesome Matties' —came into office, and until Mr. John McKenzie was annoyed by having too many of the Gaiety troupe, or some other common plebeians, crowded into the same saloon with him when he was making one of his Koyal progresses along our coast recently, the law was supposed to be as we assert it ought to be. That is to say, so long as steamers did not carry more than the maximum of passengers they were authorised to carry it was nob supposed to be criminal to carry a few more passengers in the saloon thaithere were berths for. If those passengers were so anxious to travel that they did not mind the inconvenience of sleeping on the saloon table, whereou they could stretch a rug, why should they be prevented from travelling . The number of passengers travelling varies from one week to another. Sometimes a steamer goes up the coast with only a few berths occupied, at other times the saloon table is covered with beds. The Steamship Companies canuot always guarantee to have berthing accommodation for all who wish to travel. If the views of the present Ministry ia this matter are to prevail, then good-bye to all chance of reduced fares at holiday times, and mauy of us will have to abandon pleasant little holiday trips to other parts of tbe colony. Ii at show times and races our hotelkeepers were to act on these principles and lock their doors on all guests for whom they could nob provide bedrooms on these special occasions, and wero nob te make up shakedowns on the billiard-table and elsewhere, many of our country cousins would either have to stay at home or sleep in tbe Park or oa the streets. So on the trams and on the Government Railways. If on public holidays no one is allowed to stand on the platform or sit on somebody else's knees, then either the Tramway Companies or Eailway Commissioners will have to double and treble their rolling-stock, which is out of the question, or a large section of the public will have to be deprived of their expected outings. One other certain result of this grandmotherliness and meddlesomeness is that the public will suffer in pocket as well as ia comfort. There can be no cheap fares unless steamers can crowd their saloons and railways can crowd their carriages at holiday time.

We are led to make these remarks because we hear that owing to the Government intending to hold the Steamship Companies to the new interpretation of the law as regards the limit of passengers the Companies will be unable to issue tickets for the November week at cheap fares. This will mean a loss to the A. and P. Association, to the Jockey Club and to the various other bodies which cater for the public amusement during the carnival week. Many of as also will lose the pleasure of seeing friends and relatives from other parts of the colony who take advantage of cheap fares and holiday times to visit us.

If all this loss, inconvenience, and disappointment were necessary to avoid risking the loss of life we should not say a word. But seeing that the only possible justification is that some stuck-up atrabilious swells—Ministerial and otherwise—do not like to have to travel "with too many of the common herd in the same saloon with them, we can only say that it is really too bad. However, it is perhaps in comparatively small matters like these that public indignation is most easily aroused; and possibly the indignation in this matter may have a salutary effect on the the publio mind, and largely increase the majority Dy which Mr. Seddon and the rest of his coercionist and compulsory Ministry may be swept into the political oblivion from which we hope they will never arise.