Correspondence.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 490, 15 July 1857, Page 5

Correspondence.

To the JSditor of the Lytteltoii Times. Sir, —You have made such hold assertions as to "public opinion," on the question of immigration, that I have become quite anxious to Know who has made you the representative of *' public opinion." I can understand that the votes of the electors of Canterbury have constituted the 24 members of the Provincial Council exponents °f public opinion, but I cannot, for the life of me, discover who confers the character upon tlie Editor of a newspaper, unless it be his printer, or his " devil." So far as I can mak< it out, the opinions of an anonymous Editor

are worth just as much as those of an anonymous correspondent, or of plain Mr. Smith, and no more ; and when the Editor states " the public says this," or " public opinion declares that," no more weight is to be attached to such statements than if they were signed " Header," &c. As our Maori friends would say, it is " gammon." Fortunately, we have before us an opportunity of really testing public opinion on the immigration question, and on other matters. We had better refer the matter to the hustings! I shall be ready then to defend the vote I" have uniformly given in favour of the resolutions on immigration, and I look with confidence to the verdict of my constituents,,when they shall have had placed before them the real facts of the case, stripped of the clap-trap and misrepresentation in which they have been so industriously disguised. Believe me, yours truly, A MEMBER OP THE PEOVINCIAL COUNCIL. July 13th, 1857.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times. LOCAL STEAMERS. Sib, —There is a letter in your paper of this date written by " A Subscriber," from the tone of which I think he cannot be favourable to the scheme before the public; as I am, allow me to say a few words as to the real merits of the case. I am told that the steamers are being readily underwritten for. The risk to and from Christchurch is generally. considered as great as any incurred. " What are the proposals ?" Ten per cent per annum to insure steamers making two trips to Christchurch and back per week. This certainly appears to me a very liberal rate of premium indeed for the Government to pay. During the past twelve months (I might state a longer period) there has not been a single vessel lost out of the many traders constantly going to and from Christchurch, during all kinds of weather and at all seasons of the year. I need hardly tell you, sir, that it is customary to regulate the rate of premium charged according to the losses incurred during a given time; and, had underwriters received ten per cent, per annum on the value of the vessels trading to and from Christchurch, they would by this time have realised a very handsome profit indeed. I think, as a speculation alone, many will be willing to underwrite ; the premium, the very liberal premium of 10 per cent, will be paid by the Government, even should there be no loss. But it is not as a speculation that the colonists are invited and expected to underwrite. There has been a prolonged outcry for local steamers: a capitalist now comes forward (you will bear me out, Mr. Editor, in saying we have hitherto looked in vain for similar enterprise) and offers to provide at his own cost thoroughly efficient steamers for the service; the Government offers to pay a very liberal rate of premium to insure the steamers; and surely the colonists will act their part and underwrite for the respective amounts required. I believe, Mr. Editor, that they will. The amounts, when properly subdivided, will be very small. Take the £1000 for Timaru as an example. I have made a calculation and find that the owner of 20,000 acres of pastoral land in that district would only have to underwrite for £12 10s. as his proportion. And if the squatters, storekeepers, and others in the Christchurch district will take the matter up with the same amount of enterprise and energy as jthe Timaru gentlemen have evinced, there would be no difficulty. I believe, Mr. Editor, that they will do this ; I am told it is being done, and I have no doubt we shall see the day when the gentlemen who underwrite will be proud of having helped forward a local steam service, and when those who throw cold water on the scheme will be ashamed of having been so far behind the age as to sneak away when asked to lend a hand in ago-a-head enterprise. I am told that the amount for Timaru has already been promised by several influential and enterprising gentlemen in the Timaru district, and surely Christchurch will not be behindhand in so good a cause. I think better of the enterprising colonists in our capital than your subscriber appears to do. In my opinion steamers will improve this colony as much as railways have improved England ; and shall we quietly look on and see Wellington beforehand with us, as in the postal arrangements ? If we do not look alive, I shall expect to see our neighbours sending down steamers and taking wool from the shipping places in this province to Wellington ;so by degrees we shall lose,our trade, and with it will go our importance as a colony. " What about general average P" Your subscriber is under a wrong impression, and evidently does not understand insurance matters. He has put up a straw which is very easily knocked down again, I would refer him to any of his mercantile friends on the subject; they will tell him that a vessel is not liable for the cargo (in case of accident) if it is sacrificed for the safety of the vessel. If the cargo was insured, the underwriters of the cargo would pay; if uninsured, the loss would fall on the owner of the cargo, not on the vessel. I am at a loss to know why your subscriber" should import erroneous objections about steamers that would equally apply, but have never arisen, for the sailing vessels that have been trading on the coast for several years. As one who will willingly underwrite, I am sorry _to notice the tone in which your subscriber writes. Because he does not favour the scheme, he would clog the wheels of this good and go-a-head enterprise. If he does not favour the scheme, let ' • -■' "" ~ to sign; but why unless he is positi\ir the enterprise, as

he may perhaps be? In that case, I shall expect him still to write or try to write it down, but I am glad to think that there are many of our fellow colonists who say "by all means let us have steamers." I say so, and I know that a large majority of my fellow colonists say the same. I believe that by assisting to get produce quickly to hand for export, steamers would tend to increase the value of our exports ; and the advantages to be derived from a quick means of getting imported goods into the consumers' hands are so many and so obvious that I need hardly enumerate them. I have always been called a safe and cautious rather than a go-a-head man, but I say by all means let us have

STEAM, STEAM, STEAM,