THE GREAT BARRIER ISLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6578, 16 December 1882, Page 6

THE GREAT BARRIER ISLAND.

♦ THE GRIEVANXE OF A COMMUNITY. A correspondent, resident on the Great Barrier Island, write 3 as follows :—" The Press is now universally acknowledged to be the organ through which grievances are ■ventilated, if not redressed, and as I write in the interest of a whole commanity, of more importance than tho authorities ssem to imagine, 1 will not plead for a small space id your valuable paper, but claim from vour sense of justice the insertion of this complaint. From observations made at various times, when reading o: accidents, ic, on this island, 1 deduce that people have a very wrong impression of the status of the plice. This is not a small island, inhabited by firewood cutters anil gum-diggers, but a large one, of about SU.OOO acres, of great beauty and natural reso:irc2=, containing a fixed population of over '200 souls, in respectable and prosperous condition, some, indeed, holding a social position not inferior to any iu tiie colony. The oiiimi returns of its production will. I think, show favourably with any like extent of settlement north of Auckland. Wood, cattle, butter, hocey, &c, are the chief resources in farming. There is also a shifting population of bushrnen and gumdiggers, who are just as entitled to their letters as anyone else. Xow comes our grievance. It is now seven weeks since we, living 4S mile? from Ar.ekl.md, have had a mail, at least to Tryphena. I need not dwell upon how much is involved in that one assertion, it speaks for itself. We pay our quota of taxes, are larire cousuinera and producers, and yet have never hail a thought cast on us by those in power. I know that self assertion is the ruling principle of modern conduct; and as we should be in harmony with the times, we will try to make our voice heard, and this is the -.-ommencement of our wail. There may be some trifling dilnculty attending the forwarding the mails on the economic principle of the present, but a small subsidy granted to steamer or sailing vessel will soon meet that, and I think we are entitled to that, at least, since we ask for nothing more. Iα conclusion, may I suggest to the Chief Postmaster the following motto : BU tint, qiti c'du ilit."