Terry Charges.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 141, 25 June 1901, Page 1

Terry Charges.

(Times Correspondent,) AVairoa, June 22. Readers of the Gisborne Times will no

doubt be much interested in the following discussion for which I am indebted to the Guardian : A deputation waited on the Council, comprising Messrs J. Davey, Broadhurst, Chapman, and H. Brenkley, to urge the abolition of the charges on tho Frasertown ferry. Mr Davey, who acted as spokesman, handed in the following petition, signed by himself and 35 other ratepayers and residents: — AVe, tho undersigned residents of tho Frasertown, AVaikaromoana, and surrounding districts, beg respectfully to ask the Council to tako tho toll off the Frasertown ferry. AVe would respectfully urge on tho Council the fairness of this course,

now that the toll has been taken off the Mohaka bridge. Mr Davcy said they were present that day to ask the Council to remove the toll from the Frasertown punt. It was a great tax on the people of the riding who used it. They had freed the Mohaka bridge, and it was not fair that they should have to pay at their end. They had as much right as other people to a free passage over the river, and as the general fund was bearing the cost of a free bridge at Mohaka, it should bear the cost of a free ferry at Frasertown. Mr Chapman said this would only be an act of fairness on the part of the Council. They should take off the toll, pay a man to take charge of the ferry, and pay him out of general revenue. Mr Brenkly endorsed what had fallen from the other speakers. Cr Brown asked Mr Chapman what he thought it would cost to keep the ferry.* Mr Chapman said he did not know. Cr McKinnon: LIOO at least. Mr Chapman : That was less than the interest paid by the county on the Mohaka bridge loan. Mr Brenkley pointed out that Frasertown was the only place where there was a toll |Cr Brown : “ Nuhaka.”] , and they were paying Ll5O to the Council now over the wages of a ferryman. The chairman mentioned that Mr Bennett had spoken to him in favor of doing away with the toll, but he said that would be too great a tax on the finances ; he advised Mr Bennett to ask for a reduction of the charges. Besides, he (the chairman) imdersfood from the clerk that there was a legal objection to doing anything now. The clerk said there was nothing against

doing away with the tolls, but the upsetting of the finances to the cxrent of about L 220;80; they could not now alter the rates in the schedule, which would take two months to legally .carry out. Last meeting was the time for action. Mr Davey said they had not the least idea that the Mohaka toll would be taken off. Had that not been .done, at the expense of the county, they would not have moved as at present, Mr Brenkley asked what revenue the Council got from the Nuhaka ferry, but no reply was elicited. Cr Neale pointed out that it was Messrs Walker and Lomax who took the toll off the Mohaka bridge. He thought they should now be toll free all round. [Cr McKinnon : “ And pay a man there ?”] Cr Neale : Yes, the county paid L2OO to let Mohaka people cross free, and why not at Frasertown ? The chairman pointed out that it was not open to discuss the subject in the present irregular way. Cr Brown then moved, and Cr McKinnon seconded—That tho Council go into com-

urittee on tenders. —Carried. The deputation then withdrew, after thanking the Council for its attention. The Council then went into committee, and a lengthy and rather warm discussion ensued, the result being the acceptance of a tender for the lease of the ferry, which implied that the request of the deputation was not acceded to. The Wairoa Guardian states : —lt seems to have escaped the notice of the deputation to the Council re making the Frasertown ferry free, that the ratepayers would be simply paying a man to ferry over Maoris. As a Native once put it tersely : “ Pakeha fool, make roads, Maori rides on them,” but the Pakeha would be a double distilled fool to make a free ferry and row Maoris and their horses backward and forward all day for nothin £r.”