Timarn Herald.

Timaru Herald, Volume VII, Issue 246, 5 October 1867, Page 2

Timarn Herald.

iSATUBDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1867. "We cannot say we are surprised at the decision of the Government with regard to the leasing of the Timaru Landing 1 Service, although, by accepting Mr Crawford's tender, we consider a great injustice has been done to the people of Timaru and the South. The Provincial Government of Canterbury have! always acted m respect to the Timaru Landing- Service as if the few thousand pounds that have been expended on it were m the shape of a loan granted out of the provincial chest, and derived from funds of which the South had no share m providing. And following up this idea, they nave m the present instance accepted the tender which, we presume, promised the largest yearly rental, namely, £500 for the first year, £600 for the second year, and £700 ior the third, which sums give a very fair interest on the total amount expended on the service. This principle of demanding a large rental is doubly unjust, when we know that many public works m the North have been Duilt and paid for out of the public funds ior the public convenience, and handed over to the public for their sole use and benefit. The Timaru landingservice is exactly on the same footing as any other public work m the province, and why the people of the South should be made to pay for the use of a service — the cost of which was paid for indirectly out of their own pockets — we cannot imagine, except on the assumption that Timaru is not to be treated on the same principles as obtain m the North.

In accepting Mr Crawford's tender, the Government have chosen to isrnore the will of the Provincial Council expressed m adopting the report of the Select Committee, which sat last session on the Timaru Landing Service. That report distinctly recommended a small rental, a rental just sufficient to provide for fair wear 'and tear, and no more. The Committee evidently did not contemplate the Government making a revenue from the leasing of the service ; the Government, however, thought otherwise, by accepting a tender which provides paving a rental more than double the actual needs of the service. We have before expressed an opinion that a sum of £200 ia year 1 would be the very outside sum necessary

to provide for all contingencies. Many people might, however, object even to this, and might argue with great plausibility that the Timaru Landing Service should be placed on the same footing- as the Lyttelton harbour works, or any other public work from which no revenue is directly derived. The great mistake has been the Government fixing tbe tariff of charges, and asking for a yearly money rental. Public interests' would have been far better served if a minimum rental had been fixed, leaving it open to the tenderer to name the tariff.

It cannot, however, be ilenietl that Mr Crawford's tender having- been accepted, the public will have the advantage derived from the opposition of two landing- services, ior us tar as we are m a position to judge, the Company seem determined to carry out thbir prospectus, anil at once put the requisite machinery m motion to commence landing- and shipping' goods. One of the directors is now m Dunedin superintending; the building- ot the boats required; and it will be seen m this clay's issue that the Company have applied to the Timaru Municipal Council for leave to erect capstans and Iniililinos on_ the beach reserye. at the ! corner of G'eorg-e street. The Municipal Council have, we presume, acted on the twentieth section of the Municipal Council Ordinance of 18G0, which says that " Every such Council shall " have the care and management of the ;< public roads, streets, squares, paths, " wharves, jetties, piers, bridges, and " thoroug-hfares," etc. But although the Council have such an authority for so acting-, yet we cannot disguise from ourselves that the forthcoming- lessee to the Landing- Service will most probably demand as a right the landing- and shipping of all goods at the present landing place, and quote as his authority the Timaru Landing Service Ordinance, 1865, which stipulates that m the parcel of land lying between Whale's creek on the north, aud North street on the south, (this parcel of land being handed over to the Superintendent of Canterbury for public purposes): — " 1. It shall be lawful for "the Superintendent for the time " being of the Province of Canterbury " to charge and recover rates and tolls " on all goods and effects landed upon " the said parcel of land at such rates "as may from time to time be ap- " pointed by the Superintendent by " and with the advice and consent of ;< the Executive Council. " "2. It "shall be lawful for the Superinten- " dent for the time being of the said " Province by and with, the advice and " consent of his Executive Council " from time to time to demise and " lease to farm the tolls and rates payable under the provisiono of this " Ordinance for any term not exceed- " ing three years upon such terms and " conditions as the said Superinten- " dent by and with such advice as "aforesaid may seem proper and it " shall be lawful for the lessee or " lessees for the time being of the said " tolls and rates m his or their own " name or names to charge and recover " the tolls and rates payable as afore- " said." It is, we think, very evident that a good deal of litigation may arise between the lessee and the company, without the Superintendent wisely exercises tuV right and grants to the company -such land on the reserve as may be l-equired for establishing a landing service. It would be preposterous if his Honor, under the above Act, leased to a single lessee the entire block of land alluded to, thereby establishing a monopoly of the whole beach ; for between the two points above-named are the only available landing places. In all reason the incoming lessee cannot expect more than the use of the present ways, buildings, and machinery, leaving open the rest of the beach ; and if, m spite of these powerful aids to working a landing service a company finds itself capable of starting m opposition, there must be something radically wrong iv the present systeml

The wire to the North is down again. This is really becoming unendurable. Every week there is something wrong with the wires, and every week we are assured that it only requires twentyfour hours to place the line m thorough repair. "We have twice recently been presented with telegrams from "Wei-, liugton more than twenty-four hours after they were handed m for transmission by our correspondent. Oh the arrival of last Suez mail the press message from the south took not less than six or seven hours m transmitting, whilst the same message was sent on the "West Coast line m about forty minutes. There must be something radically wrong m the management or superintendence of the line, when such constant complaints are made by the public. There is no denying the fact that up to the present time the facilities afforded by the electric telegraph m Xew Zealand have been miserably deficient, and not what the public are entitled to, or what is afforded m other countries. The loss to the colony is very great, especially at the time when the Assembly is m session and members away from their homes. The Government have no right at all to close their eyes to the numerous complaints presented to them.

A very unseemly controversy is justnow going on between Mr Travers and the hyitelton Timts, m reference to the conduct of that gentleman m drawing the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works Act, and explaining its principles at a public meeting m Chmtchureh. The 27»>g*made some very severe remarks upon his speech, which provoked a long reply from Mr Travers m the columns of the Press. The Times then complained of Mr Travers being an. "intolerable bore," as well aa " irritatiiigly pertinaceous," and thought he would nave gone out, after the meeting m the Town Hall, "with a smell like an expiring dip." Our contemporary uses many other equally strong terms, which are rarely, we are glad to.say, to be found m the press of this colony. "We have,

though, seen m an erratic periodical from Dunedin — presided over by the famous J. Gr. S. Grant — articles of a similar stamp. Perhaps our contemporary has obtained the services of the writer we have named !