THE Manawatu Times. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3, 1879. A DANGEROUS NEGLECT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 97, 3 December 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3, 1879. A DANGEROUS NEGLECT.

" Words nre things, and a drop of ink failinj Hk« ~ dew upon a thought, prodnces that which makes yj Ihq^ntjs, psriiaps pillions think.". ivj=^____Z__!__l^i___U-!l! ___^_1_ '__

At the close of l^st September we eh ronicled a rqost da/iiorerous apcident whicß occurred to the mail coaoh while crossing the Eerry a,i the ManigataiuQbe Eiyer, isesujtii^g ii; the destructioh of the vehicle, the- loss for soin6 days of the mail bags, and the : imi^ineut peril of. hum,an life, di^tllough nine. peek's have elapsed since that time, would it be believed that no step wili^tevetvhas beerftaken' • tt|iie"in ( e4ytheinjuKies then sustained, or to ascertain' what damag©. has bee c done to the punt, or the gear fan working it. "We have been informed by ar^ aqtho.rity ,xipp,n whose reliability we can safely depend, that a very strong hook to which the wire is made fast is nearly straightened out, a sudden jerk jvvould , make i$ give way, aud^ the vyliole coi\cenq Woul<l ayiain be carried off with, the current. In ( addition to this the levers are broken off from o^e end of the punt, and as the landing places are fjlled up by tHe. late freshes, they are riot only m a dangerous a.nd scandalous condition, but a regular trap left for the unwary traveller. The ferry qt the 3tyana\vatu Biver, three miles from the Mangatainoke, is /very little better or safer, astlie flaps of the punt are pointing downwards and are iii imminent danger, of catching the current, "a.nd if such a thing should happeA the pui\t n^ust go duyvn. head forem,«st. ' When the late accident occurred it was. clearly pro ted that it \yas occasioned by the shameful incompetency and disgraceful cowardice of the Maoris m charge of the punt ; but they are so very indolent aud indifferent to, the working -of the conveyance that the traveller 'may cop-oy for an hour, qr two from ■the*,- Wood vi He' side, and when lie. has a^t lepg^i^ n^a!ia,ged to get himself takaiioyen/they point blank refuse to put him over the Mangatainake, itlthough the one toll coverts both rivers. ' The whole management a»d cond uct 0 f the f eiu'ie*» on the ( id) then* side of is'Jitoiply : \ dts* [gray© to ihet Gonnty Gounoii undeir I whose jurisdiction they are, as, reeeiying the contract money frboi the jesseeSjit studiously ignores all prof^otibn to life or property. Their action is at once a nuisance and anrioyauce to'the travelling public, aiid : Mtßr;>vith the-^on-tfactors for carrying the mailf wK6" i/fcQ toy- frequeutlv £ut. to ex^eijsej

and delay m the perform.anee of their tender. In connection with the late accident at the Mangatainoke, Messrs. Hastwell & Macaba, tl>e mail contractors were put to considerable inconvenience and loss m defending an action for the recovery of a swag sunk m the river during the foundering of the coach. This certainly is- heaping injustice upon injury. Through 'the laches of the County Council m not appointing proper servants, and neglecting the ordinary precautions for safety, the property of the contrac tors was destroyed, and m addition to that they were subjected to trouble and annoyance for the neglfgence of the Council. There can be no doubt that m leasing the Ferries to Maoris, the member?? of that body are sadly abusing the trust committed to them, and should any fatal results arise through the chronic carelessness an - incompetency of those m charge, the Council as the the primacy agents would be held responsible.. There can be no doubt that there is strong culpability, and engineer, ferry mep, and Councillors are ail to blame. We do not know what may be the custom m the district m which the ferries are, but certainly such a state of affairs would not be allowed m Manawatu County for twenty four hours, where the Engineer furnishes thorough monthly reports of femes, punts, pounds, and every matter connected with eaph riding of the County.