The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 859, 16 January 1879, Page 2

The Evening Mail. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1879.

>Er. C. Adrca.n" f«r theCnnimw9i«ner of Railways for t-he Middle Island. ! has addwssed a letter to the ttsttfofci Rniwt twnvril, peeirfuvr t>n account »>f t!ie want of : fcnowUHtite- it evifturices of the taws ot' the land and other facts. WV refer ottr readers to his letter, which is printed in fwtt in our report yf the |>r»e««"tifw» at day's nteetinj; ft the Hoard. Mr. says that fio is directed by the Minuter for Fwhtic Worltst iritirnate to the ffcarit that it is, jointly with the Wainiate Iliad Board, fairly with the espettses of tendinis the Waitaki bridge. fit the first place the Huth scctiott of the " I'ablie Works Act, provides that " every hridite, feriy, or fcrd otw a river at a point where the two barvks are in itii&rent Counties, shall b« tittder the eontnd of the ♦»enera! >Joverntneut, or of such one of the two Counties as the Minister directs." Now, as the river Wattaki separates the Cotmties of Waitakt amt Wat mate, it is plain that the Councils of those Counties are liable f*>r the expenses incurred by the ♦•ovemment itt conducting the traffic over the bridge that spans that j river, if any public bodies are liable. In the second place, there is n»» Watmate I Roai-t Hoard, that institution fovms been merged into, the Watntatp County Council, frv the t-hint place, the road j front Oamaru to the WVvitakt belongs to the Waitaki i'ounty Council, and what has the Waitakt Road ftoard to do- with it, or the conduct of traffic upon any portion of it ( Mr. fJ\r>K.v\t shottbl have made himself better anjitainted with the law upon the matter. We can scarcely believe that fie could have received instructions from Sir. Mwasmssw t«> write a tetter contairvity a threat of what terrors the tloveranient would visit, upon us if the Waitakt Uoad Hoard refttsed compliance with that for which there is no- te.ifat wsvrrant. TTttr law tafceat iv»> cognisance of the ignorance of any person of the laws of the land : what, then, can bo said of those who are ignorant of the laws which they are supposed to administer in connection with tlte departments over which they preside { Whatever the liability of the V.«;tt»»te arid Waitafci County Councils may be. it is plain that the Waitakt Road Hoard is no more liable than Sir. H.U'ff ur himsetf. We would also like to know where the County Council's liabilities t'-T the peuse of conducting tratf'nr over bridges will end if they are to be made t« pay the wasfi's of the j/!vtekeepers of the Waitaki fb-idu'e. They will W asked next, to pay the wages of the man tfiat minits the railway crossing over Thames-street. ft' Counties are to beheld responsible for the waives of men to mind bridges, it is only fair that they should have the appointment and control of such ruen. Et would never ] do to allow {rovernment otliciats to appoint and have the control of workmen that are to receive their from County Councils. After sayimx that the Uoad Hoards before-mentioned are considered t.. be fairly ehawaV>le with the waves ot these men. Sir. lUpnah a<Ks tfie Waitaki Road Hoard it' it is prepared to recoup t!r: amount to his deparf-ment. ♦>£ course the Waitakt Road Hoard U not. under any cir(amistances, wiHiri:.'f"C"iiU'fj' withsttcharei|iiest ; anil as to the Wainiate Road Hoard, it h;us" ijoue to that bourtte from which n.o traveller return*." ft is alnt"*t t« bad, fo suspect it, but we would not be surprised it the department of which Sir. Hamivm' is the rnour.|ipi"ce, dUcoferine its mistake, were to forward a similar comtfninicatiori to tie-' tt.i.iiuate and Waitaki Ci.uuty C«imc>ls: but tliese bodies will then- probably inquire- r. fiat ts tbo amount r.bat tlifv wtll lie to recoup to the Public Works fVpartment. and iiow it is that notification ot their liability was so t«.nv debyed,. if they are expected t" pnv arrears. The teffer of Sir. is a more than oM-ltnarily stupid one even, for an elKi-ial; documcnr. It is absurd to say that the Hoards to whom this document was addressed: were in the opinion, of the Minister for i'uMio V/ orks liable. tf a little more precision tc-d ln-eu ol'iserveil by the public Works IVpnrtment, it would have endeavoured to find chapter and verse to warrant if in holding such an opinion, and:, not bout:.:' able to do so., would have saved fts»'!f from exhibitinu' Hie iu'norance displayed in Sir. |V*r>H:tjr'* letter. The letter is like thaß of a mendicant. It asks whether the Waitaki Hoard is prepared- t» recoup the aruount, and concludt s with a chreait that it it cannot se" its way clear t« do » the ifoiv. Slinisterwi.il: have no. alternative but to issue instructions nluit a toll shall be levied: on all antmals, and: vehicles passing the iheactioft of the Slini.sf.er for Public SVorks is somewhat analau'ons to the.;, "f a v*f'« a-sk.s for breail. a-nd wu'j ris tfiat m it is not ii'iven Uinu he will p.teal it. Kither the Hublic Works Department entitled to the refund of the amount for whicli it a.*ks <»r it is rot. If its claim: was based: upon law. it was unnecessary to threa ten the dire vengeance of veturxtto the obsolete and universally condemned custom of levying tolls to make up the amount which it says U due, because it could enforce its payment, without niakinu''an appeal tmwortfiv of it. and threatening to perpetrate an injustice if that appeal vvtti; nut cotuplieii with'. Wc .idmire the re|>fy of tin-: Hoard, because it will be the means of sp'.eddy sefluuj tfw matter.