MARLBOROUGH TELEGRAPH CHARGES.

Marlborough Express, Volume VI, Issue 297, 17 June 1871, Page 7

MARLBOROUGH TELEGRAPH CHARGES.

Instead of writing on this subject again ourselves this week we beg to present our readers with some remarks by another pen. Our Kaikoura contemporary does not often give us a chance of culling honey, therefore we take it with the greater pleasure when the opportunitj* does occur. The Herald of June 3rd says : In recent articles the Express showed very clearly the great injustice under which Marlborough is at present laboring in the matter of Telegraphic charges, and on the present occasion, we purpose to further discuss this important subject. In consequence of tho impecuniosity of poor Marlborough—with which, by the way, our Members in the House were often twitted —some of our readers will recollect that, during two or three Sessions, the Assembly voted £3,000 on each occasion, to aid in keeping us on our legs as a province, or other words, and as some facetious members termed it, they put a pillow under the head of the sick man. It was done in consideration of the greater part of our Customs Revenue being collected at AVcllington and elsewhere. AVhen the Fox Ministry took it upon themselves to navigate the State barque, the Capitation Scheme was brought forward and carried through the House, than which, a fairer measure was never brought before our Parliament. AVe believe that all parties wore well satisfied with it, Marlborough rejoiced, for at £2 per head, wo ought to have received about £9,400, in place of the £3,000 which we had been receiving under Air Stafford’s Government; but in some way or other poor Marlborough has always a grievance. It appears that this Province is now charged by the General Government with the whole of the working expenses of tho Telegraph Line, extending through it for about one hundred and seventy miles, with no less than five stations, employing, collectively, about ten men, and two or three lads, and with all the heavy contingent expenses continually necessary by standards falling, and wires breaking, &c. AVe believe that, until the commencement of tbepresentFinancial year, the cost of keeping the Telegraph Lines was borne by the General Government, One thing however, must be very clear to everyone, that the arrangement referred to is unjust towards this province. It is the merchants and others in the large towns who are chiefly benefitted by the Telegraph, and for a population of about 4,700 persons to have the cost of keeping about 170 miles of it in working order, and the maintenance of no less than five stations, to be saddled upon them, is little better than robbery. AVe believe that we have been coirectly informed upon the subject, and we trust that our Members will not neglect to bring this subject prominently before the House as soon as possible after it assembles. AVe have a t legraph station at Havelock. Picton. Rlcnheim, White’s Ray. Kaikoura. [and KekerjffigfTJ, while~Tn the adjoining province of ‘N'eTsbny with its large population, only three or four stations have to be maintained to enable its merchants and others to communicate with the centres of population along this coast and elsewhere; and precisely the same may be said with respect to AA r ellington. In a matter of this kind affecting the general welfare and progress of the whole of the people of these Islands, the charges to which we have referred should unquestionably be apportioned to each Province upon a population basis, and charged against the Capitation Grant. It is alleged that the Kaikoura Station was established, not to benefit this district, but to connect the current between AVellington and Christchurch, which is often too wealT Tar, and also to facilitate the keeping of the line in repair. Marlborough

has a population of about 4,700 and it is said to be charged with about £250 per month to maintain the Telegraphic Service, say 12/8 for every man, woman, and child in the province. In the adjoining province of Nelson with its population of say 23,330, there is a station at the Cheviot llills, one at Westport, we imagine, and, no doubt, one at the Grey, and one at Nelson, four in all. Let us now assume that the four Nelson stations cost the same to keep in order as the five Marlborough stations, although we think that about two-thirds would be found to be much nearer the mark, because the Nelson station, at Cheviot Hills, is, we understand, about half supported by Mr llobinson, and we are under the impression that at White’s Pay there are two operators kept. If therefore the Telegraph charges are only about £2,000 against the Province of Nelson, or a little less than two shillings per head upon its entire population, as against the 12/8 in Marlborough, further comment is quite unnecessary, but it maybe that the General Government are only waiting until the Assembly meets to take some action in the matter. We shall see.

We believe that justice would have been done to Marlborough in the matter of the Customs Revenue some years since?, had MiFox been in power. At all events, that honorable gentleman promised to act fairly by us then, if placed at the head of the Government. One adverse vote kept him out in the cold until last session, when upon his accession to office, every man, woman, and child throughout the colony, wore speedily treated all alike, under the Capitation Grant Scheme, and wo shall wait patiently for the redress of our present grievance when the House meets. We believe that Marlborough is charged with fully £2,000 pei- annum, or about ten hilling per head upon her whole populations more than she ought to be for the maintenance of the Telegraph,