The Waikato Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1877.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 775, 5 June 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, 1877.

Equal and uxact mtice to ali'inen," ' Of whatever state orp-.-r* tasioii. religious or poiiticA' * * * :•...*. Here shall ttie Pies-, the Pkoplk'h rigU maintain, • : .•- ' ■■: | Uuawe.i by influ-itcp an-i utibribed bv gait

A Cokrespoxdext writes to us, asking if tlt« lessees of ferries have a right to eharge toll, as is now don- 1 , to passengers. on a Sunday, on their way to 'and"fromdivine: .«ervic».The question is very easily answered. A reference: t<> the 'Public Works Act. 1.877, wh/eh, of/course, overrides alf Provincial ordinances in the manage-; merit of Ferries, db«s hot exempt such persons from the liability. to : pay toll. What .has m.slead bur coi respondent i«, no doubt, a copy of the Fabric;. Works-'Bill, intituled an* Act, <kcv, which did contain "the provisions mentioned "amongst the exemptions irom toils; as : weilasthat of .all .minis;era of religion, when envngt'd oil «i"material duty.' The As:-e;nbly, doubtless, thought that; to give exemption to the Clergy in suea oases would? b» to give them exemption.-altogether,' as a clergy--man may be m id to be always on duty, and it may have been thought that it would be paying: a poor compliment.-to their ability if, by oxi-mptiiig their- congregations, it! inferred that any oiie, would let a-hait-peuny, or a penny, stand in the way^of goimr to hear them. While we .-ixto about ii, we may as well draw, the attention of those con eeniSd, to bearing of the Act in qiu-s:ion, as far a» it has reference' in-this matter, to the management: of ferries. The scale of tolls to be : chaffed, rests with the Board or Council Under whjse control the ft-rry'happens to be, and., the same may be Revoked, oral tered, from time to. time, as such ' Board or Council may determine, but no toll shall be. leviable, unless the scale of tolls is publicly ■ notified for thirty days before becoming first payable. The name of the feivy, ani the name in mil of the collector, aud the scale of toils, painted in black letters of not less thai two iuches iu length, on hj white board, must be exposed in some conspicuous place oil, or near the Ferry-lwuse. By the 104.,h clause of the Act, exemption from payment of toll may be claimed by the Governor arid all in attendance upon him"; hy every member of'any Military, Miritia or.Volunteer force, when on duty, or going to or returning from parade, and in the uniform, if auy, of his Corps; by every policeman and constable oa duty, aud,every ptisouer in his charge; by every ..person, animal and vehicle when exclusively engaged-in carrying- her Majesty's Mails; by ail passengers, by any. public,,-.convey-ance, but this exception will not apply to passengers at any ferry at which tolls are lawfully taken from foot passengers, and by every child going to or from school. Former regulations have restricted this latter, exemption to children under fourteen .jrears of age, but, under the Public Works Act, the term children ia such case will apply to .ill youths attending school. Persons falsely claiming exempt! in _from toll are liable to a penalty of not less than two, or more than five pounds, and the proof of being 'xempfc, will lie with the, party claiming to.be so. Where a person refuses to pay a toll, the collector may seize and distrain any animal vehicle, or goods carried by such animal or Vehicle, and, if the toll is unpaid, may, after four days, cause the goods seized to be sold, or he may recover such toll, and compensation for loss of time ia recovering it as the Court may determine, by or inary process of law. On the other hand, a toll collector is liable to a penalty not exceeding £6, for demanding a larger toll than is due, lor not main"aining a printed board as above referred to, for being int >xic<ited o'\ du r y, for using abusive or offensive language to passeugeps, or for ota-ruotiug any person in passing who has tendered the lawful toii.