STATE FERRY SERVICE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16515, 10 June 1919, Page 6

STATE FERRY SERVICE.

CITY COUNCIL IN FAVOUR. EECOMMEDATION TO GOVERNMENT. A recommendation to the Government to run a State forry service between ilio two islands was adopted by tao City Council last evening. The discussion arose ttirotigh the receipt of a loiter l'rom the liou. T. M. "Wiliord, Minister of Murine, stating that tiio Inspector of Seamen had spoei;il insiriivlions, :u;d tho .uarine UopamtsoiU was doiiiii cveiyiaing possible to men for li-o stoiienoiil of tiio Maori. cr. Flojher said if there was one thing tho Government ought to do it was'to satisfactorily connect its North ami South lsiaiul railway services, and that it v.'ouid be unable to do until it possessed its own ferry service, moro particularly as the service was now m tiio hands "of a company outsido New Zealand. He moved:— "Tliat tho letter bo received, and this Council is of opinion that the time has arrived when tho Government should acquire tho neeossaTy steamers to conduct the forry service." Cr. Sullivan: 15" Jovo, you fellows are getting quite radical. Cr] Fiesher: Wo mo always radical. Cr. Sullivnn seconded the motion. Cr. Jnmieson movod nn amendment: —"That the letter bo received." He did this, he said, because the Mayor' and Council had quite enough to do in looking after tho City's affairs. Tho acquiring of tho ferrv service was quite out of their jurisdiction. Cr. McTvellar seconded the amendment. He could not seo how tho Government taking over the ferry service would make any difference when the firemen would not tnko the vessels. The same trouble had arisen on tho Government vessels. Ho would prefer waiting for a Government, ferry service when thov got tho railway through to Pieton. Cr. Nicholls did not think peoplo would bo any better off bv tho Govern* ment takinc over the ferry service. Cr. Hunter considered that tho main reason why tho firemen were so difficult to handle was Vmcnnse of tho poor accommodation provided for them, and tiio mnmor in whHi thov woro treated. Cr. MnK'ollnr K aid the arco'vmindotion provided on tho Maori for tho (iremen and seamen was .as good as the second-rlass nas?en<rer accommodation provided. The conveniences nlaced on the vessel had been crreat.lv abused. Cr. Lantlev asked whv it was that when a steamer was held nn for firemen in n-'no times out of ten it was the Mfort nnd not the Mirnroa 5 Cr MeKellar said ho did not know. Tt. had hnen stated that it was due to fir'ng reasons. ■ • Cr. Lnnrdev snid ono man had told him he could not "ton op tho shfn »ny longer, as the conditions woro intolerable Tho Mararoa appeared to be a. favourite boat compared with tho Maori: there mnst be something wrong with the Maori. Cr. Andrews supported Cr. Flosher's motion. Things wore in such a deplorable condition, he said, that feonfe move was necessary. Apart from passenger traffic it was almost impossible to shin a small parcel to Wellington, and then ono was treated with discourtesy. The Government managed to keep their through trains tunning, and, therefore, _ho considered tliejr would keep their through scanners running If tho motion were carried it would show tho company tho way the wind was blowing. Cr. Armstrong strongly favoured the motion. Cr Agar said his opinion was that no 1 State-owned service could hope to com- ■ pete with tho Union Company. Ho i had had no trouble in getting space with the company, and he considered tho company had proved a Benefit fo the country. He did not see why the State should purchase the service because of the firemen's auarters, which coidd be regulated by the Minister of Marine. O. "Fresher's motion was declared carried on the voices without the r amondment being put separately. j r