A MUNICIPAL LAUNCH.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17199, 20 June 1916, Page 4

A MUNICIPAL LAUNCH.

WORK AT LYTTKLTON

PRIVATE OWNERS PROTEST TO

COUNCIL

Ever since tho Lyttelton Rorough Council purchased a motor launch for i'ulliiling vho fesry s-emco between the

wrt and Diamond Harbour opposition

has been raised againsb th« launch competing in any way with privatclyownecl vessels.

; The matter has been touch:d uyon j on frequent occasion:? and further light ! was thrown on tho subject at the | meeting of the council last night, when j:\ letter war received from Messrs ! Agar and Thomas and Mr A. Auder : son. launch proprietors, complaining i Unit the council's launch, Ruahine, I tvas interfering with the trade ot I other licenced vessels in the port. ! [fc was stated that during the I seme in port of tho barquentino i Wes! field tho Ruahine had someI times carried as much . as two tons of cargo for 7s 6d. "We would point out," continued the letter., "that the current rate for work of this description is ten shillings psr ton. " and it should now, owing to the increased sost of mining, b? even more. To allow to carry cargo at rarl.es charged by the mast?r of tho Ruahine fe tkTir.'4 us a grave injustice aud we cannot po:-xibly compete against such ridiculous rates. If the council intends to com no to against privatelyowned vessels for the ordinary harbour work Ihev should have tho benefits of tiie curren'. rotes of freight and hire, as it is grossly unfair to ratepayers if tho council allow their boat to be hired for cargo or passengers at rates which are 50 per cent and 75 per cent below those charged by other vessels. When the letter e.-.me up for discussion Councillor C. Johnston raised tho question as to whether the council had any right to consider a matter from a non-rat enaycr. The Mayor stated that only one ot the signatories was that of a nonratepayer, but he thought that might be sufficient for a non-hearing. Councillor T. Hempstalk in secondin" a motion nro forma, that the_ lette" e'v-iiUl bo received, said councillors ehould look at the matter as one of principle. He understood that tbo Ruahine should not engage, in such class of work tmksK it was really an urgent matter, and no one else- was obteinablo. The hunch should bo worked on a fair basis some time back forwarded ktters to hunch owners suggesting that they s'*o"H not. -70 to Diamond Harbour. \t "iny rrto outside launches had to i>er head for uso ot T>hmond Harbour wkr.rf. The Rnahino was undertaking work at rates ||t which others could not compete. Ihe Diamond Harbour launch should be kept" for the ferry service only. _ C—ue'l'or Johnstone n.gain raised the question as to whether the council was right in discussing tho letter. He ron'.dndad that it was not • Cottueillor.-; Miller, Norton and B osier --• of omnion that the ktier should be referred to the Ferry Com-

mittee for a report. Councillor IL Uhind said lie was re&ooTsibl" for the whole matter. When ho found that the council was carrVin? twontv sacks of ixitntocs for 7s Cil he thought it wps time for sometiuurr to be done. No doubt some wonid snv that be. tw agent tor Agar and Thomas, was bringing tho matter up for ncrsonnl reasons, but they wero wrong. U was in the interests ot tbo rrt*pnvers, and ho contended that tho launch"had no right to carry cargo ft .'J.- 9d a ton. when 'tho rate, tor freight to Diamond Harbour was 0s a. ton. No authority had been given the master of the launch to run the cargo, and he failed to see why the master should run for any amount ho thought fit. He knew of no firm who would allow such n thing. He contended that tho council was not gettinf the benefit of the trips and neither were the ratepayer.?. The whole business should be fought out, Councillor Johnston said he did not think there was any fighting out to be done. Councillor Rhiud had' made a charge against the master of the launch which, ho thought, was a. most aerioits matter and should be tho subject ot an inquiry. , .. Councillor Rhind, in exploration, said ho inferred in his remarks that somebody was getting an undue ndas the outcome of the launch carrying stuff at 3s 9d a ton. He denied'that he had made a personal attack on the master of the hunch. The Mayor said that ho thought the best thing to do would be to refer tho matter to the Ferry Committee. After further discussion it was decided to refer tho letter to the Ferry Committeo for inquiry.