The Globe. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1877.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1025, 8 October 1877, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1877.

The mercantile community here as well as elsewhere have for some time past been put to very great inconvenience from the absence of any recognised person upon whom notice of action for damages sustained upon the railways could he served. Over and over again the members of our Chamber of Commerce have requested the Government to appoint some officer xipon whom service could be made, but without success. The result has been that in many cases where damage has been sustained the merchant has preferred to stand the first loss rather than risk an expensive lawsuit, which it is probable he would lose upon a mere technicality. It is di It cult to see why the Government should so long have evaded giving a direct answer to the question thus asked, In managing the railways for _ the public they by no means get rid of the responsibility which attaches to them as carriers, and it is therefore not a creditable thing to find them sheltering themselves behind their posi tion as a Government to evade this What the Chamber of Commerce was unable to get from the Government has been accomplished by the Hon. Mr. Hail. Xu tae Legislative C<sUnc : l that gentleman asked the

Colonial Secretary whether any notice of an action for any damages sustained through the management of the Government railways at a distance from the seat of the Government could be served upon some officer of the railway department in the Provincial district in which the cause of action has arisen ? To which the Hon. Dr. Pollen is reported to have replied in the affirmative, only that notice must first be served upon the Minister for Public Works. This settles a question which is of considerable importance to the mercantile community, and one which should not have been allowed to have remained so long unanswered. The thanks of all business men are due to the Hon. John Hall for his services in this matter, which has resulted in so explicit a declaration of the intentions of the Government, and the removal of what has hitherto acted unfairly towards the mercantile portion of the community.

The runaway of Saturday last in Cathedral Square, and the narrow escape of fatal consequences seems to us to point to the necessity of a consideration of the desirableness of continuing the express stand in its present position. The place selected is unsuitable for many reasons. In the first place the crossing near to it is perhaps one of the most used in the city, and yet the express drivers cross it, both coming from and going to the stand, at a most dangerous pace. They turn suddenly on to it, and the unlucky pedestrian has but scant warning to get out of the way. Again, most culpable negligence is exhibited as to the supervision of the horses on the stand. The drivers are congregated on the pavement at some considerable distance from their horses, and quite unable to exercise any control over them should they be startled in any way. It seems to us, therefore, that it amounts to this, that the City Council should insist upon a far more rigid supervision being exercised over the drivers of expresses, to secure the life and limbs of the public, or the stand should be removed to some less frequented part of the city, where the chance of accident is less probable. If something is not done, one if not more lives may be sacrificed, and then we shall suddenly wake up and take those precautions which should have been insisted on long ere this. In this, as in other cases, prevention is far better than cure, and we trust the City Council will see their way to deal with the matter before anything serious results.