The Standard. (PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY, AND SATURDAY.) THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1874.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 143, 5 March 1874, Page 2

The Standard. (PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY, AND SATURDAY.)

THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1874.

■“ We shall sell to no man justice 'or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

There is but little satisfaction contained in the reply received from the Government by the Manager of the Bank of New Zealand in Gisborne, on behalf of the inhabitants of Poverty Bay, in reply to their address to the Postmaster - General complaining of the non-arrival of the mail at this port by the Bangatira on the 14th ultimo. We publish the letter entire, so that our readers may draw their own conclusions. As far as we remember, the prime object in addressing the Government at all on the matter, was to prevent a repetition of the serious inconveniences which arise quite as much from the fact of the Poverty Bay mail being enclosed in the Napier bags, as from an unpunctual time-table. But to this we find no allusion made. The reply is just one of those official truisms, which, while it answers the purposes of departmental courtesy, is so cleverly written as to evade the main question; and the security of the Government, against a decided expression of its views as to future action in removing the cause of complaint, is obtained at the cost of further incurring “ considerable in- “ convenience and probable loss to the “ inhabitants of the district.”

We are not told that any steps will be taken by the Post Office authorities to prevent a repetition of the blunder by —first, making up the Poverty Bay mails separately, and, second, by seeing that vessels subsidized by the Government carry out the mail portion of the contract for which service the

subsidiesaregiven. Tbecurtstatement, that “ the delay was unavoidable,” is slightly incorrect. The Rangatira on the occasion referred to, was advertized to sail from Napier late at night, and the telegraph had apprized the Napier people of her probable arrival. How, then, could it have been unavoidable ? We knew, before being told by the Secretary, that the delay “ was to be attributed to the “ fact that the Rangatira sailed from “Napier before the time officially “ announced to the Chief Postmaster “at Napier by the agents,” but we want to know that it shall not so again occur. The settlers naturally look to be told that the Government will exercise its power of control over the subsidized boats so as to make freaks of this kind no longer probable or possible, We have not a word to say against the uniform urbanity and obliging consideration shown by the officers of steamers arriving at this port, but it is a fact, that, subsidized or not, their sailing instructions are generally of such a nature as to bring those gentlemen within the range of adverse criticism. Hitherto steamers, the Rangatira excepted, have called, stayed, and departed, just when, and so long as it suited themselves. Cargo is landed and taken on board if it suits the ship’s reckoning. Outward mails are made up and despatched without notice, and often before the inward mail is on shore, and the course of post is lost. If we mistake not, the cause of the mail of lhe 14th February being left behind, was owing to the great, and possibly natural, desire of Captain Lloyd, to hit the tide here so as to return in time to take up her berth in the Iron Pot before the Paterson, then on her way from Wellington ; but we submit that the £l,OOO a year subsidy is not given to the Company for the fag end of a mail service ; and we look to the Government for something much more satisfactory than is contained in a subordinate’s letter, written for the Post Office Secretary, deputed by the Postmaster-General, on account of the Government.