CORRESPONDENCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 243, 28 February 1855, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. Sir,—l'shall be much obliged to you if you can find room for the iusertion of the following .remarks. Probably few of your readers who have had occasion to travel the North road during the ; last winter, will have forgotten the abominable swamp-crossing near Mr. Raven's house. Upwards of a year ago, when the Provincial Council were voting funds for public purposes, I applied to Mr. Fitz Gerald, as did also one or two .of my neighbours, representing the great want of a substantial dray-bridge at this place, which is in the direct line of traffic for the /whole north district. Mr. Fitz Gerald promised that itshould be done, and I believe gave orders immediately to Mr. Cridlaud to that effect. Months passed on, and seeing little or nothing accomplished, my neighbours and myself reindustrated urgently with Mr. Cridlaud with no -result save promse promises on the part of that gentleman. On the "-return; of Mr. Fitz Gerald -froini Auckland, I spoke to him again on the /subject,he promised to stir up Mr.,Cridlaud, .and I; believe did so, for Mr. Cridland's promises soon became more definite—-" that we need be in no disquietude about getting the '■. wool down, the bridge would be ready long before it was wanted," that the contract was let, and would be finished in a fortnight, &c. Vain delusions all! What has been their upshot? We, have had to dray down all our wool round by Mount Grey, a day's journey out of the *.yay, and a much worse road, and, as far as the. Go vernment bridge is concerned, the swamp at Mr. Raven's house is as impassable '.as ever !'. Now it may be impossible to get on better than this, it may be impossible to spend the public money to better advantage, but if so, the public certainly ought to be made acquainted with so curious a phenomenon, aud it shall not be my fault if they remain longer in ignorance of it. I remain, .Sir, Your obedient servant, C. H. Brown.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton limes. Sir, —I observe that there was no report of the meeting of the Provincial Council in your Wednesday's paper, as there ought to have been. My curiosity was excited upon this subject, and I *vas naturally led to enquire the cause, because I have lately observed that your paper has contained a fuller, and generally speaking, a most accurate report of the proceedings of that august assembly. The business of last week was perhaps, so faT as discussion was concerned, perfectly unimportant, but there were documents of importance laid before that council which your readers were entitled to have placed before them nt the earliest.moment. I mean the speech of His Honor on the adjournment, and the report of the committee on the affairs of the Canterbury Association. This latter document has not yet been published in your paper, but I find it partly in the Standard. As I ha J.*e said, I enquired the cause

of -. your Christchurch; correspondent, arid >was (informed tbat:he;had <no .intelligence; of the assembling of the^Council., lam curious to,know who is ; to blame in this matter, ,'l'he explana-. tion of your cbrrespoiident; clearly .convinced; ;me he had no. share in the responsibility, indeed"* I have been told ithat several members of the Council were also ignorant of the; meeting in question. Well, Sir, I wain toknow a little about lit., If meetin»s,of our Council iikeitheseva.r- to ; take place •■ at the -whim of/ the Superintendent, or at the caprice of the Provincial Secretary, and the .Press is to be unin for iiied:. ;of the fact ! great evil might ensue.: :' We -may have proceedings of moment, business of4yitalimportance smuggled through the house in like , manner, and the public; kept in total ignorance. vThe press is our; only safeguard. ; Theni ? cpines the question.-why this partiality in affordingjn- . formation; to the 'Standard, aud,:furnishing -it with documents, and withholding/them from the Times. Are public documents to be thus dealt '.with by public officers, and are the readers of the one, paper to be less favoured than the readers of another ? Can I trace this sort of spite back to a little flippant speech of the present Provincial Secretary on '^introducing.-his Waste Lands Regulations, and which I; learn, led subsequently to the resignation of the office of Government printer. Your readers are entitled; to some explanation of thematteiv and possibly there may spring out of it some good now we are on the eve of an election, and the Provincial Secretary is about to ask a renewal of our confidence. Yours, My. Editor, j An Elector and a Sobscriber jto the '* Times '' from the Cobijiencejient.