The Lyttelton Times. Wednesday, April 14.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 568, 14 April 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times. Wednesday, April 14.

The only obstacles in the way of easy and certain communication with the Southern portion of this Province are the rivers Itakaia and Rangitata. During a large portion of the year, those who know them best consider them most dangerous streams ' to ford. The river Waitangi, which forms the boundary between this province and Otago, is perhaps the largest of the rapid shinglebed rivers of New Zealand. The other rivers between Ghristcnurch and Otago, although, sometimes swelled by continued rains, are scarcely ever formidable enough to detain travellers. There is a boat already upon the Ilakaia, but, before any postal system can be satisfactorily established, means ,must be taken for establishing' good ferries upon the other two large rivers we Lave spoken of. The increasing interests at stake in the southern portion of the province .would certainly appear to call for immediate attention to this necessity. The traffic is getting greater every day, and every year that steps are delayed for facilitating the crossing of these rivers will iidd to the list, but too long already, of colonists who have died by drowning. The Provincial Government are pledged to impure into the question of establishing a fi.-rry on the Kangitata, and as soon as the most convenient place is ascertained wo !j(:lievc that a boat will be provided. We bfeiuive there has been no expressed intention either on the part of our own Provincial Government or that, of Otago for establishing a ferry over the Waitangi; and yet this is most necessary for the more

security of life, apart altogether from the question of postal service. As it is at present, there is a most unfair demand not only upon the hospitality but upon the time of a neighbouring; station, whose owner has for some time given great assistance to travellers by means of a boat which he has for his own use. If a boat were found and an annual subsidy of £100 a-year provided between the two Governments for a few years, it would be encouragement enough to induce some suitable person to set up an accommodation iiouse on the river, and to attend to the ferry, charging* according to a settled scale of fares. Surely this would be no great burden ; the advantages to be received from such an expenditure need not be recapitulated. The Otago postman who now stops at the last station on the southern side of the river would come on, in case of the establishment of a postal service throughout on our side, and meet our postman.at the accommodation house on the Waitangi; so that communication between Christchurch and Dunedin might be effected in seven days. Above all, we repeat that these ferries should be urged upon the attention of the Provincial Council, more on the grounds of security to life and property than of mere convenience. While we are on the subject we may add. that a moderate ex- i penditure upon four or five miles of road between Pareora and the Wainiata bush would give good travelling" ground from Christchurch to the Waitangi. This road is needed to avoid a very bad piece of travelling- on the shingle bed between a lag-oon and the sea, over which it is downright cruelty to dray wool or any heavy produce. The fine large Waimata bush might be made available for supplying the wants of a large extent of unwooded country, if this road were made. As it is, the province is losing part of its export for the want of it. Much of the wool which would be shipped at Timaru will for want of good means of communication be boated across the Waitangi, and shipped at Oamaru in the Otago province. £500 to £800 would be well spent upon this work; and such a vote would be certainly more proportioned to the interests and exigencies of the south than that of £200 which is all that appears on the estimates for the whole south road from Riccarton to the Waitangi. . ;