The Dunstan Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1873.

Dunstan Times, Issue 563, 31 January 1873, Page 2

The Dunstan Times.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1873.

Beneath the Rule of Men entirely just the TEN is mightier than the sword.

The calling for tenders by the Pro- , v vincial Government for the construction of a bridge across the Olu'tha at the Bes'-mont is evident :«at a be ginning uas at last been " r v.,ide towards .ridding the north-western R>y ':,g districts of that most obnoxious and unjust measure, “ The Ferries Ordinance,” with its concomitant nuisances and obstructions to travelling in the shape of punts. Although useful in themselves as a means of crossing livers,, the whole valley of the Molyneux and Kawarau, as far as locomotion is concerned, is in the hands of the punt owners, and the travelling public are severely mulcted thereby. Tltese people appear to hold the keys •of all the accessible country in this portion of the Province. They apparently £ charge what they like, do whift tiejr like, and it would almost

seem that, for their special "benefit, all tiro thousands of pounds that have hi en expended in the construction of toads to connect the various gold-fields between Tuapeka and Lake Wakatip have been for their special benefit. W hen we look at the great highway of traffic, it only puts us in of the man who, at great trouble and cost, made a strong cable chain, but, failing to put in one link, the whole Was useless; consequently he who supplied this small deficiency was enabled to convert all the long and protracted labor of the other to his own individual advantage. e can offer another simile of (he very absurd proceedings of the Provincial Government. The , Province hes been taxed heavily to m ike roads along the river banks, and failing to connect them fry punts or bridges, the traffic lias virtually become the prize ■>f persons who, at a comparatively •nsignificant outlay, have completed the connexion. Did the Government < xnrcise a proper control over these ferries, we might not have ranch cause for cornp'aiut ; hit there appears to ■e no control whatever The boa’s upon which these floating platforms are built might be rotten or leaky, and in danger of sinking at any moment, or the pl.iiform itself might be decayed and liable to part company with 1 fie boats; the wire rope which spans the river, and which keeps the punt in its place, might be worn out, some of its strands broken, the moorings night be insecure, or something wanting that places human life or prnpeity in danger; but there is no supervision whatever. These fortunate punt proprietors are subject to no con To 1 whatever, except “The Ferries Ordnance” | which absurd measure appears to deal ' with ferries generally all over the Province, and permits the owners of punts to charge- should they choose ! to do so—raves of toll that would annihilate a ! l traffic. It matters not how important the thoroughfare, there 1 is one rate throughout. From Clyde downwards the toll demanded hy the ferry owners is somewhat moderate ; but, when we go higher up country, these charges become enormous and almost prohibitory. Com .hunts made by visitors to the late Queenstown Races are loud and long, and we cannot really wonder at the non-success of that mee-ing and the paucity of strangers there’when th - high charges ' fer crossing and re-crossirg the,,' Kawarau River 1 are taken into consideration. Teamsters complain bitterly of the high charges in this direction, setting them d iwn as double wbat is demanded on the Lower Molynetrx, riocwithstandingthat the anmu it of traffic is in every shape consider- ' ably greater, and we are led to believe, • upon good authority, that, were it not I for the excessive charges made at these ' Kawarau punts, a considerable amount of the Dunedin traffic would take the route via the Teviot, rather than by the way of Palmerston or the Rock and Pillar Ranges ; but, placing the whole cost of pu its together between Lawrence and Queenstcwn, the total necessitates a diversion elsewhere. We can scarcely blame the ferry owners for making such high charges ; in fact, we almost admire their magnanimity and self-sac.itice, especially when we find that, withal their high charges, they are considerably below what might be levied were “ The Ferries Ordinance" adhered to; but we do blame the Proviucia Giwernment for their want of control in not insisting that the cost to the public for ferryage bears some proportion to the amount of traffic, and that the proprietors of ferries should have posted up in a conspicuous place the rates they are allowed to charge. Ferry owners have done too much as they like in these matters, arid it is high time “The Ferries Ordinance” was condemned, and the crossings of rivers placed upon an equitable footing. During the coming Session of the Provincial Council we hope that some gentlemen representing Gold-fields interests will take the matter up. A great deal has been accomplished lately towards unlocking the lands, and we ought now to go a little further, and do something towards unlocking the roads.