ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCES.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 104, 21 October 1863, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCES.

WE DO NOT 1101/DO*UJksET,VBS RESPONSIBLE -FOB THB OPINIONS. EXPRESSED BY OUU CORRESPONDENTS. (To the Editor'of the Inmrcargill Times.) Sra,—l be ievo' it will be generally admitted thafc if all laws were strictly enforced; all freedom ot action would be comoletely destroyed. In illustra tion of this remark, I would beg to draw attention to a course of action which the police authorities i have taken in carrying out the provisions of the ' Cattle Trespass Ordinance whicTi seems qnite uncalled for. The necessity of laws to prevent horses or cattle from-straying about the inhabited streets of the town cannot be disputed, but when we see police sent round to sweep all horses or cattle off those streets which exist only on paper, we,may be allowed to dispufe (he wisdom of such a course of procedure. List 'week, I returned to this place from Queenstown, and as I did not expect to roquiro the services of my. horse for a few weeks, after having fed him, I turned him out to graze, along with a Tew other horses^ on the flat between Puni Creek ond Biggar-strcet. which seems to be naturally adapted for a Town Common till occupied by a much larger population thim exists there afc present. However, a.policeman comes round and collects all the horses, aud in coipmon with others lam summoned and fined. Ido nofc complain of the decision of the beuch, but I certainly think the police havo .shown an over-officious ness; if a policeman sees horses straying in a populous street, or endangering life or property, it is evidently his duty to take such horses in charge; but when the police are specially sent out to drive in all horseindifcrimina'tely, I consider ifc is sending them out of tie logititnaie litre of their duty, and is calculated to briiig tho force into merited conto npt. Whon carriers come to town, it sometimes hunpens : they cannot get loading afc once, or have other business to detaiu thorn for a few days, and as their horses are accustomed to be turned out fo graze when on the roads, ifc affects them prejudicially to keep them cramped in a stsible ; in fact, I have known horses get violent colds aud other diseases from this cause. Matters that seem trifling often cause important results, and an over-officiousness I on Ihe part of the police may drive some of the curriers who come here (but who have no fixed residence) away to Dunedin, and thereby cause a serious loss of trade to Invercargill, for nnless cartage from this place can be kept considerably under Dunedin rates, most orders from the L-ike District will be sent to Dunedin, as many goods can be bought there much cheaper than in Invercargill; ancj although the distance from Dunedin to the Lakcis so much greater, still as carriers cau buy their bOrsef'eed iv Dunediu considerably under Invercargill rates, and have repairs executed in better style and more cheap(3* also, a very trifling circumstance sometimes decide them wli. t .er to select luvercargill or Dunedin for their next visit. As my pony don't half like to be tied up, and I would much rather see him nibbling the spring grass than eating hay all da}', we should be much obliged to the Police Authorities if they would allow us, to Live axd Let Live. Invercargill, 17th October.