WANGANUI RIVER NOTES.

NZ Truth, Issue 63, 1 September 1906, Page 8

WANGANUI RIVER NOTES.

TO THE EDECOBi

Sir— A number of ' correspondents have ' stated some of the grievances of this long suffering community m your valuable paper, m the matter ot unfair treatment 07 the owners of the river steamers. They/ have shown that the charges for passages and cargo are much m excess of the contract prices, but it is useless while the. Government ignore 'facts and believe the statements o£> the mail contractor, evidently "resuming on the known fr-ie;ulshji> cl the present Premier. The position is netting worse siuw hit auvatit W power, wid we

only have one hope^of redress, andt that is by the 1 well-known good, re-< piite of the Ministers, who are a-i ware- of the injustice that has been 1 rgoing on all these years. As a. sample : The contract fare .is .one <pen-aiy-half-penny per mile , or seven, shillings to Pipirtiki, but fifteen: shillings jis-stillv demanded and is, being paid 'by all /but those who are : ;?preparied- to ' tfighib for tTieir rights. It.- is quite a.' icomnion* occurrence for ; passengers to 'be- told'f-that -if they do- not pay 15s' they wiH.be put ashore. If> the-pass-enger can^protept' himself *he -will get off for*-7s 6d r How long As- this to-' *be ' allowed/? To show how public imoney is 'bei-ag- wasted^ m- the' 'inter- i Ijests of'the-swindlecate^nien! ar.e sen-fcs [{to; near ..Ma^Etote -from*' Taumarunui,. tvkti Pipiriki , and Kaetih" i , consigned* ttoVHatrick-iaßtcl^Co., w-ho have all the' Tfieyaearest route is by rail" }±o Kaurimu, atfd on to'tiiesworks,* ?tess than h^f' the distance -of the! ?Pipiriki way, an-cf half the cost. The! irmenvhave-to pay .niae --shiliings eachi Tfor carriage f; 6%.their swags -f rom vPipiriki,. and v , have to plod on through. Hhe-nvud themseilves. Is 'if any won-: ider that'the -men are*;disgusted when* afeey have fto^pay >all-^he..rlrstfmoniths' iearniaigs for /fares and fo6d. The fniWdie portion~'ofs'ttie central 1 -route? $WJH cost\, double- oi ■ the" other por-j ftionse.; w*fen>>-the TbHl' for carrying' |masfcexial> fr-om r Wainsianui to*^Ohakuru|is tdtted- up it- will -be a staggerer,* |and one -fir-m.'has the benefit. The* iteaffe ow* the rircer Ais - aboutf"tbree ; wKen^the-- settlers' fisteamter was running C it is so» Mnanfced ttirat .there -is to^'be^another:' e6mpa»y^s.taT2fced shortly. The land^ ♦on tiie river is. being taken, up ate Hast and" that' will mean- a-permanent' 4n< fhe> • traffic. If^aACompanr » iisi, well managed there»-is money m it; allowing- tliat- the traffic -from the back blocks will -co -by rail. There? the* river, and the* itcade- mugt - come- to * Wanganui . The [inland 1 settlements will never vgefc pfair treatment from the present^ jtcompany, as their system hast |teen one- of grab all through';- and jrbhe Government are much to* vjblarhe : for allowing; it. The injusifsice? iis- so -..glaring that it -must ;be--.knowni' 4o them, rt is 'no secret -that everywrae here believes ; that some of the l Ministers^have an interest m thertroffic. The present- Premier made' at| : highly .^eulogistic statement m refer-ence-to the conduct of the traffic, at •the - end ,of last session , which was •not' borne out by fact ; and was .a* -direct contradiction to his own writ--vten statement of a. few days 'before. •It is evident that the former was in--' spired, and it would be easy to^ guess-, "Where the inspiration came from^ The Liberal Government have done j*ood work m tlie interests of thepeople, but there, is a big black mark against them for upholding a system of barefaced robbery on the* Wanganui River for the last fourteen years.— l .am, etc., SETTLER, > 'Wanganui, 'Aug. . 22, 1906.