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Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1168, 20 December 1879, Page 2

The price obtained for the Hamilton bridge tolls on Thursday is anything but satisfactory, and the Borough Council seema to Lave stidly mismanaged the whole affair. On the 20th of June last the right of collecting' the tolls on the Hamilton punt was leased by public auction for a sum of £68 per month, the previous lessee, who knew as well as anyone the value of the tolls, running them close up to that figure. For the last four months, however, the rent has never been paid in full. An ad misencordiam appeal to the Council has been made monthly by the lessee, and a remission of .£lB asked for granted on each occasion, without any steps being taken by the Council to ascertain what grounds there were for making any snch reduction. The consequence of this has been that the supposed value of the tolls has been persistently docried, and a spurious authenticity given to the appearance that they had so largely fallen off by the action of the Council in so readily^ lowering* the rent. The final outcome is that now we have a bridge, and though the tolla are considerably raised, the rent of the bridgo is actually more than a third less than that realised by the ferry. The matter will come further home to the understandings of tho burgesse3 when they have to make up any deficiency in the annual liabilities and maintenance of the bridge, from a special rate or increased tolls The proper and honest course for the Council to have taken when the lessee four months ago declared that he coujd not pay the rent was cither to have let him give up the lease, and have offered it to the second highest bidder at the sale in June, or to have put it up for sale again. It is no use, however, crying over spilt milk, but the Borough Council may take steps to remedy the evil ia the future. The general opinion is that the bridge is let far too low. This may be so, or it may not, but in the interests of the borough it is exceedingly desirable that steps be taken for ascertaining the real value of the tolls, and this can beat be done by employ-

ing some person to take account, of the traffic across tlio bridge for at hiust two wneks in tho month — say alternate weeks, or weeks during .vhich neither the Cambridge nor Ohiiupo races take place. For a tew pounds the value of th« tolls could thus he arrived at, and if at the end of January n sufficient sum is not offered, the Council may then farm the tolls themselves, -which, with a proper system of checks, could be dons without uny fear of bars by dishonesty on the part of a paid collector. As it happens, however, the Borough Council has, an opportunity of ascertaining the value of the tolls without- any expense. It is necessary to retain the services of »u employe, as was explained by the Engineer at the Council on Thursday niglit, for the construction of contemplated protective works to the piers, and as such employe must be paid meantime, whether at work or not, be coald scarcely object 'to undertake the duty sug* gested of, ascertaining the actual traffic across the bridge.