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Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 1886.

Looking over the list of fenders invited for mail services in this dis* trict for the years 1887 and 1888 we observe the following alterations and alternate services are dealt with. A through service from Blenheim to Nelson, to be performed in one day each way, stands pre-eminent, and is an undertaking which ought to have been in existence months since. We reco’.lect there was some agitation on this matter while Par iament was sitting and, at least, one ques ioti was asked by Mr Conolly, respecting the apathy displayed by the Government in not completing the Havelock service to Nelson, but it was then decided, cr, at any rate, made an excuse by the Government, that, until the road was metalled tin-oil hout, it would bo futile to attempt the task of instituting a service to last through the winter months in the then imperfect state of the roads. It is now for our members, in conjunction with the Nelson members, to see that the Government place the road, or such sections of it as arc now unmetalied, in a condition fit for traffic,.so that the mail coach can perform the journey without fear of de’ay in one day. And if an overland service is to be established that ca.i compete, either for correspondence or passenger traffic, with the ooastal service, that service must be performed in one day. Respecting the term of tins service, —ls the Postal Department wist? in fixing it at so short a period as two years 1 And, another question arises—Gould not a thrice-weekly service be run at nearly the same cost to the contractor 1 Unquestionably, the successful tenderer for the through service will have to make a considerable outlay on the mcesiary plant on the road, and the short term means that, to protect himself against loss frnn successful opposition when his contract expires, he must tender at a very much higher figure than if the term were extended, say, to four or five years. Then, horses and plant are, under a twice-weekly service, idle two working days out of the week while they have still to be provided for. It seems very clear that a thriceweekly service woukl impose little or no extra outlay on the contractor,while it would make the connection between the districts on either side of the Rai much more complete and enhance the value of the service in so far as additional revenue from passenger traffic is concerned. A service to Kaituna and Havelock is also called for, but, wo presume, tlrsii merely an alternative line, so that if the Department finds it can make a service to Havelock from Dl nheim on the one hand and a service from Nelson to Havelock on the oilier hand, at a much less cost than for a through service it wi l do -so. While this may be a vei y 1 uulab c object for the Postal Deparmcnt to keep in view we ti u it the fact wi 1 not be ov.-i looked that the interests of both B cheim and Nelson in s ■ far as the u--vei-ling public arc conc.-rnel wi 1 be best scried by a thoroughly officio it and rapid service. Business men will not travel overland if delay an l uncertainty are probable contingencies of the journey. Looking more closely into the advertisement we find there are several further departures from existing arrang ■- ments. For instance it would seem by the proposals that the Wairau Valley service is to start from Eenwicktown instead of from Blenheim. There are at present two mail coaches running over seven mile 3 of the same road, between Blenheim and Renwicktown,at the same time, and no doubt this fact has been consider d in proposing that the YVairau Vall-y service should now start from Renwicktown. It is well to consider, however, how the travels ling section of the public would be affected, and, we think, in the conveyance (ft mai's, the Pus musterGeneral ought to fake a somewhat broader view of the case than as ii aff cts bis own Department. iVt see no nece sity for disturbing existing arrangements in tips particu lar, especially as it might often happen that the through coach was full of Nelson and HaveUck passengers and the Wairau Valley settlers, if they had only this coach to depend upon m'ght, to use an Americanism, “get left.” These remarks apply with equal force to^

the alteration in tho Havelock and Deep Creek service. Too close cheese-paring should not be exercise! in cases where the public convenience is endangered, and more (-specially where the convenience of settlers in outlying districts is concerned, and wfc are pleased to observe that, in the Havelock-Deep Creek service alternative tenders are c died for. Port Underwood would -ippear to be well served under tho new proposds as, not only is it intended to maintain tho service via Piet n and Walamonga, but a new service, probably alternating weekly with tlie Pic on service, is in view, via White’s Bay from Tua Marina. This will prove a great boon . to the settlers residing in the locality indicated as we suppo e their business lies as much, if not more, with Blenheim than Picton. Onaroalutu, a district hitherto neglect'd, has not 1 een lost sight of and, with a twiceweekly set vice, should be fairly well satisfied. Altogether we congratulate the Secretary of the Department upon the care bestow.cl upon Marlborough in respect to postal services for the years 1887 and 18SS. It is not stated in the advertisement how these services are to be conducted, whether by coach, horse or otherwise, but we have no doubt tenderers can, upon application at the Post. Offices, ascertain particu ars on this point,

It will hardly be necessary that we should remind ratepayers of the poll to be taken to-day on the question of authorising the Borough Council to raise a loan of L 14,000 for the purpose of purchasing the present gasworks or erecting new ones. Nor is it at all necessary that wc should go into the merits of the case pro and con, for the whole facts have been faithfully placed before the public an I thoroughly discussed. The burgesses, as well as their representatives in the Borough Council, have apparently made up their minds to the purchase of the works or, at any rate, that the gasworks supplying gas to the B trough shall bn the property of the ratepayers. This seems to us so rigLt and proper as a matter of principle that nodiing remains to be said on that point Ratepayers will find full instructions ns to the method of voting on their voting paper?, and wc need only urge all who are desiroui tnat the gasworks should be owned by the burgecses to !< rdl up” and record their votes to-day. The number of vo es required to carry the proposa ! must exceed one-half the total number of burgesses.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MDTIM18860918.2.5

Bibliographic details

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1962, 18 September 1886, Page 2

Word Count
1,172

Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 1886. Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1962, 18 September 1886, Page 2

Marlborough Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, SEPT. 18, 1886. Marlborough Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1962, 18 September 1886, Page 2

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