THE BLACKBALL FERRY.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 22 May 1901, Page 4

THE BLACKBALL FERRY.

(To the Editor)

Sir, —Allow me through the medium of your paper on behalf of the people of Blackball to state a few facts regarding the inconvenience the people of this and surrounding district and the travelling public are put to through the way in which the ferry is being worked at present and has been worked for the last twelve months. Whether it is the fault of the person in charge of the ferry or

the County Council, I can hard y say but I am inclined to think it is '. ie County Council or perhaps our own Councillor that is to blame. But whoever it is, I uii 4 say it does not reflect very great : lit on either Council or Councillor Liu i»ay this district has been neglected ns far as getting to and from it is concerned. In the first place if you want to get from here to Ngahere you have to go by coach to get to the ferry as the river has cut out a new bywash and the least rise in the river makes it dangerous even for the coach to cross it, and it is an impossibility for foot passengers to get to the ferry. Then again when you do get there you are not sure whether you will get over or not in the punt. The Council might' say this is the same old growl and that wo asked to have the ferry shifted down to the present place. Well, so we did ; but wo could not control the river or keep it from breaking through into a fresh bywash which we would have to cross before getting to the ferry, and which will I believe before very long become the main stream unless there is something done to slop it which should have been done about three months ago and which I believe could have been done at a very small cost. This stream has for the last week kept us from getting a mail over or any goods across. Now, sir, I think it would be the least the Council could do to try and remedy tliis matter, seeing it is not very hard to remedy as by putting a boat where the old ferry used to be we could, unless the river was in very high flood, get both mails and foot passengers over, and, therefore, would not be so isolated as at present. Resident of Blackball.