THOSE JETTIES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 627, 18 July 1882, Page 3

THOSE JETTIES.

To the Editor.

Sir,—Allow me io add a line on this very important subject, affecting as it does the welfare of our whole district. It is a matter evidently beyond the "savee"of our Borough Council; in fact, it begins to look as though they had got a veritable "Jumbo"ofa white elephant, and they didn't know how to keep him alive, his feeding capacity being so much more extensive than they bargained for, and the buns and cakes from bur small district being nowhere, in comparison to his requirements. Consequently the speculation is tunning out to be a complete failure, and being utterly unable to cope with the difficulty, they do not seem to care Who they tax to keep tho aforesaid animal from ■starving. ANot content with an import tax on all goods from other ports, tin y tax our own produce from 'he Bays. Now they .talk of tasing all exports; th-n I expect' there will,,lm a* poll t,«x.,, bir, have yon or any of tlWdounoirever/lhoiightilio tmtierjfiit? Look'at "the 'Ak-i-oa'.Hior--keepers nlone They now have to pay wharfage on all the goods they i nport. Then, perhaps, they buy. cheese from the Bays, or grass reed—a Ret.oml wharfage <>v that. Then there is to, be a third charge on all exports. .with .till these taxes, they are expected to sell their goods at Christchurch prices, and sell the produce At the samo prices as the producer himself. Against.this, the farmers round the Bays ■can have the vessels bring their stores fiee, And can send their produce away again without any cost. Thus the storekeeper is so heavily handicapped) he„ is unable-to •compete with other places and live. Then, again, when the grass seed time comes round, will the seed come near our jetties ? No fear 1 . The vessels will go to the Bays «fad. take the'< eeed and wooi, and Akaroa will never see it. Mat Wight and Jack Dixon, may shut up shop, for they will certainly have no more wool or grass seed to bring to the jetties. What! ls 8d wharfage, ls 8d receiving, ls 8d storage, Is- 8d delivery, and another ls 8d shipping. Oh my! hold me tight! before I put the Council into the shed to be eaten up by the rats. .Some are using the rotten argument that other.ports charge import and export dues. Of course they do; but is there any comparison between Akaroa and Lyttelton or Dunedin. They forget we pay those dues on the goods we buy, before they oome hereto be taxed again. Fire away, my boys, but remember that the more taxes you put on,, the less business will be done, and the more you will depopulate our already diminishing township. Take away the trade we do with the Bays, and we are "cooked." I hope, sir, the matter will get alt the ventilation it deserves, or else in & year or two there will be nothing left here but the Borough Council. Trusting I have not taken up too mu-ch of your ■valuable space—Yours etc., ' ■'■ *.''■• • VOX POPULI.