SEAMEN AND DESERTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 621, 14 December 1863, Page 6

SEAMEN AND DESERTION.

{To the Editor of the Daily Times.) . . [The following letter has been uninteationally overlooked until now. - E. D. T.J Siß>—-Having seen var i ou3 remarks and observations with reference to the required additional Water Police Force, Government Officers, &c, for the purpose of affording greater facilities to masters of ships and vessels in port, in order that they may be enabled to retain their crews in their respective.ships—in the first instance, with refecnce to the suggestions respecting the W. P. F., I fullyconcur with the views of " Nauticus," as to an increase in that force, as it would to a great extent neutralize and check a great deal of desertion. I may mention an instance of effects produced through the addition' to the Water Police Force in Sydney; in the year 1831, there was but.(as in Otago) a- small force there then, At that time it was quite the predominating feature then for the whole of the crews to desert in the 35th to the 40th lay (as good as from Ll4 to LIB or L2O per month.) Ships going to India ... having to give 1,10 or Ll2 per.month. Desertion got to such a pitch, that put of some twelve or , fourteen vessels lying there (principally convict-' ' ships), some four or five of the masters convened ■■& meeting; A memorial was 'drawn up and forwarded J;o the then Governor (Gibbs) through the Executive. It was favorably received at the Lands of the Government. Prompt measures were tsken, a good strong force to meet the exigencies ot. th. c ca?e was organised;_ desertion prevented a uniform system of pay adopted and adhered to, until this day, with but few modifications The . promoters were entertained at abanquet given by ■ tte ffChas <!'. ca Ptahls. agents, &c, to Captain S " an* C?a^ utors-tlie former so many years examiner of the Local Marine Board, in London The Sydney Water Police Force, I '"' :SKwW ? Onein the thus showing what benefits have accrued from the indefatigable exertions ; of a few, and having 'ample room for the development of similar talent in : *Go^h^lSeS'^ tU 0W : h r2' th T referen? e t0 Government Shipping ££!;rf ma? ohsl^% ™th many,others? thf desirability of such a department being formed rnLttrs n'f «? lag -^-Bwato facilities^ to the masters of ships and vessels • also fortheuni . Sma£°i a Pay 'th ieprinciPles of which should asMmilate as nearly as possible with the home 2S g T eS# S° M !°cal custom would «SC. i? 3y men, ti oa with the view that Sfif InX* M myself ™ay be brought to know, thfriSnn^ Bf r a- ry stePaha™ been taken for tnepurpose of havmga Government Shipping ■-"SrfTAn 1!?'^ C°llectori tLe on tSSt C. vs'°ms,having been consulted 1 SJiSfJS? ttw? an in4 erview had with the HonorrSSf i W°?i' Commissioner of Trade and Customs, all without any avail, the invariable liSwnn^ ? at W: adoptinganythinsof • -S£SJ «h vetobebroughtbeforethe General JS*'1*!"-^ been taken prior to the departure of the representatives for Auckland on 2^i 1?T ?a. t?. tlle AB?em% to endeavor to K& e + ,exi^ng evils with his Excellency and consent of the Executive; if that fails the subject luf<f n r°Ughhl)e^re «* General Assembly, as it is apparent to all, tbe rapid strides taken by fiofZ^ strf uouslydemandsan ameK uon ot the present system Time?* fik adv? rt toa Para^ph in the J. tmes, with reference to the comhitipd XS g?h^ c\ ater? olice a nd-Sp"ng - oacers-the two branches amalgamating. I am of to* that a BH pPin^ officer takes cognizance" th? 2¥?™' ex^ fc in an officlal manner through f™l f' DOt the P°liee force- Again with re^ -:Sh«?S«.hlSi«it?> or^aiting-room, the latter wnere perhaps 150 seamen are waiting Postpd S thv r?T .are -the n^es of the velels (g<S S a dtlP^ eafc!?atio^. nUmber °f men waS; " lav 2ft ■^-■«- ca Ptam comes in. wants a ere*of ThP ZL re. Call- ed ln,! and Pass the same ordeal. UantS t ai «vg c names is taken UP by 3 \™t It Shipprag-mastef's room ; articles they Z t r«' ™ W^J™ anses^as to 'whether cSw 08868^ of discharges or not; the SroSp am + atti r.of course; exercises his own IhnSjf6 a 7to of seamen ; thus Srror« ail- e thatitdoes not c°mprise any SthpVriJ?l^lll^l?.3B*^'B dufy t0 interfere - 225? i anhasa or not. With recStS af ?i Ot mw]x aPP^ciated by the re- (/ t^o No^ They ai:e ? eQerally lost in a day or ' nave TfT' ask, what remedy one can Wm^ln H /• x? pected tliat a Registrar would ef fiP mmoJ' ed|?r^ epurpose of keeping a record : wea ™en- 8 dlschar Ke3. ™ Otago, when there is " r-S^S°«i smil a. r P^ce in London. Having iust '.-■SS? th.c. outline of the programme pursued in : I trust it will be seen by the above thnt amalgamating^the Shipping Offices with the Water Police ; Force would be futile, each having ' a separate duty to perform ; also, that the necessary stepp have been taken forthe prompting the - - interest of the. mercantile community as stated aoove, application having been made through the , proper channel. Having the welfare of the subject in question at heart, I am; &c, ...... ' ■ Geohge Ltjmb, i— • Alias 'fOne_ofthe,l4o."

THE TOKOMAIRIRO RO.U) BOARD. (To the Editor of the Daily Times.) Sir—Two abortive meetings of the Tokomairiro Road Board have been held for these last two weeks—abortive in consequence of some letters sent to Dunedin not having been answered by officials there. So it was agreed to send the Clerk of the Board to Dunedin, at the public expense, to learn the reason why the tetters had not been answered. About this I will make no comment. I mean through the medium of your valuable paper to make a few remarks on the state of the coal road, and on the manifest injustice of the Board attempting to tax all lands indiscriminately without any regard to their value. First, in regard to the coal road, I may inform you that the coal lies on the same side of the river as the Tokomairiro Township, and that a t<ood road could be opened down the same side of the river at a cost of between three and four hundred pounds, available at all times independent of floods, and would always be a road to the bush, and a great extent of Government land. Kot content with this very obvious line, three or four years since, some of the Tokomairiro sages whose thoughts seem to soar and to' revolve in rather eccentric orbits, when public money isto h-. spent —for reasons best ki own to themselves,conceived the idea of makiDg a bridge and a detour to the other side of the river and .to recross by a second bridge, nnd the road was laid off accordingly. The Government with their usual liberality offered to supplement the scheme to the extent, I believe, of five hundred pounds, but fortunately for the public money, this sum would not have put on one of the bridges, so after spending a considerable sum raised by starting a coal company—bridges, roads and coal are, "as they were." Only one of the proprietors has lately fenced in the road which at one part consists of a rotten swamp, which no mau could lead a horse across if he was paid a hundred pounds for the feat. Before leaving this subject, I may remark that they are still carrying out the same principle of road-making, as I; understand at a point below the coal road it is proposed to turn the river and make an embankment at two places across the old bed which might cost LIOOO, while a better road might be made by a siding without crossing the river at all for LIOO Now, Mr Editor, experienced as I am in the manner of Otago road making,' even this egregious folly would not have tempted me to address you, but for the second part of my letter which is a climax to the first, viz., for such roads and such management, it is proposed to tax all land sixpence an acre per annum. Now can anything be more unjust. Suppose I hive land in a favored locality capable of growing 10 tons of potatoes or 70 bushels of oats and oaten hay per acre, and that would let in its natural state at £1 to £2 an acre; suppose again I have land not adapted for ploughing, and which can only be improved by improving the pasture, am I.to pay the same for raising a few pounds of wool as my neighbor, who is sending away his tons, or is it fair that I should be compelled, whether able or not, to make a road to his potatoe fields. ' No, Mr Editor, law is nothing without justice to back it, and cannot, continue. What would a Highland laird think if his acre of heather, which would not keep a black faced sheep, wai to be taxed at the same rate as an acre in the neighborhood of Glasgow; if this is to be allowed to go on, injustice, thojie purchasing land should be made aware of it, in order that they may only buy the best land in the beat localities, if such is to be had, aa a great part of the land in this country will not stand any such impositions. But I trust there i 3 still some con servative element in force in the country to regulate1 the balance, and to mete out justice, so that the lands not fitted for agriculture may still' be of some value, and be improved and, turned to the account which nature has intended them, which they never can be if they are to be taxed at the same rate as land worth ten times as much. Excuse the length of this, I could not say less. I am, &c, :■• - Thos. MmmiY. P.S.—Why should I be taxed so heavily on wool grown on purchased land, while all grown on runs goe3 free ? Mount Stuart, 9th December, 1883. ;" -. ;. > ■-—— -. .•