Poverty Bay Standard. Published. Every Evening. FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1130, 25 August 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published. Every Evening. FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 1882.

The fact of no regular contract existing between the Post Office authorities and any one else for the landing of mails on their arrival in the Gisborne roadstead is one that demands an immediate investigation. Not long ago we called attention to this shilly-shally state of affairs, but the Powers that be do not seem as yet to have taken any steps towards placing us on a surer or better footing. Like everything else in this place we are left a good deal to our own devices and may get our mails landed the best way we can, and such being the case we have adopted the inexpensive but somewhat derogatory method of loafing upon the lifeboat's crew. If those men choose to turn round some day and refuse to bring the mails ashore, who is to compel them to do so ? There exists no authority in this place which can interfere in the matter. The men lease the boat and make what they can out of her by charging passengers a small sum for coming or going to or from the vessels in the roadstead ; but they are in no way bound to bring the mails ashore, and if their boat happened to be crowded with passengers it is only natural to suppose that they would prefer carrying the passengers, who pay them, to the mails, which don’t. True, the Postmaster, recognising the value of their services, has occasionally given them a gratuity, but that does not materially affect the matter ; nay, it th er aggravates the evil by tacitly acknowledging that there should be payment made. Why we should be left at the mercy of these men, actually under an obligation to them, loafing upon their labour for the performance of a service which it is the duty of the Postal Authorities to have carried out by regular contract, we fail to see. It seems to us to be very unjust to ourselves and equally unjust to the boat’s crew and the owners of the boat. We would beg Mr. Shrimpton to represent these facts in the proper quarter with a view to the execution of a proper and complete contract for the landing and shipping of Her Majesty’s mails.