THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE BALGUERIE ROAD.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 374, 20 February 1880, Page 2

THE COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE BALGUERIE ROAD.

Sir, —The writers for the Road Board seem quite demented since the County voted £250 for the Balguerie road, and •one of the writers (I should say cioakers) makes a personal attack on Mr Armstrong in connection with this matter. I wish now to enquire how far this is justified. Mr Armstrong held his Wainui property for seventeen years, and saw no prospect of getting a road to it; he then sold it. The purchaser held it for about three years, gets a road to it, and then sold it for double the original cost. The .grade was bad when it was Mr Armstrong's but disappeared when in other hands. Again, was it the grade that prevented the lioad Board from making a road to Mr Armstrong's German Bay property (now belonging to his sons). If not, primps some of the Road Board champions will say—why ? This property was bought twenty five years ago. I now come to Aylmer's Valley Koad, at the south end of thu 'town, where a number of dairy farms are situated, and where the road has been formed up to the property belonging to one of the Road Board clerks. Will any conscientious person say that this road had been formed for the exclusive benefit of the person

whose land it reaches ? And may I ask why it was not extended about twenty chains further, so as to reach Mr Armstrong's property ? Bad grade again—

Whare envy moves the breast, There justice is denied.

I now come to the Grehan. Valley road at the north end of the town .where the road has been formed up to the property ; of the said; Road Bpardiclerk. I again t ask conscientious people if they think this road has been made for the exclusive benefit of the person whoso land it happens to reach. I think it will be admitted that it benefits all persons having land along the road. I now come to the Balguerie Valley road leading from the centre of the town, and where the land is quite as good as Aylmer's Valley, and better than the Grehan Valley, but the Road Board and their clerk don't happen to own any land in this district; so that no road being made, will at least leave grounds for suspicion, especially where the Road Board champions assert that Mr Armstrong will be the only person benefitted. Let me see if this is the case. Beginning at section 924, Mr Mullin's land, who will have at least 30 chains frontage on the north side of this road, then Mr Lelievre, with about 20 chains on on the. same side; then Messrs Wright and Kedge with about 15 chains same side. This being near to Mr Armstrong's land, where he will have a frontage of 15 feet to the road, that being the width, it is comtemplated to form the road. Now, following down the south eide of the road, Messrs Wright and Kedge will have 15 chains frontage; Mr Lelievre about 40 chains, and Lucas'- estate, section 703, about 10 chains. Now it appears after the great outcry of the Road Board croakers, that Mr Armstrong will actually have a road 15 feet wide to just touch his property, and no more, and this 15 foot road is the great quack medicine that is to work such a miraculous cure, and for which Mr Armstrong is supposed to be humble and thankful.

" Where ignorance is bliss Tis folly to be wise."

I now come to the question of benefit to the people living over the range. Supposing the road to be made to the boundary stated, from there to the sea the country is open, and at present a horseman can ride the whole distance without dismounting, and there is a road reserve the whole distance; this will make them independent of a right-of-way through their neighbors' property. . Now this is the road that is to be an eternal disgrace to the County Council— So say Mr Fred Williams and his croakers. Does not the disgrace rather fall on the Road Board for not having made this road years ago ? But then they owned no land here, and the grade must be wrong when that is the case. I would strongly advise Mr Fred Williams to go and inspect the grading of the upper portion of the Grehan Valley road, made about a year ago, when he Was chairman of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board, and after that inspection to look at himself in in the glass and see if he is not wilted right up on the grading line.

Oh what a fickle web we weave, When first we practice to deceive.

To any person wishing to form an impartial opinion about the necessity for this road, 1 would refer them to the report in the Canterbury Times of the 7th Feb. last, drawn up by the Chairman of the County Council and Mr Wilkins (who are in no way interested in the road), and just below the report look at Mr Fred Williams' remarks, they will give the keynote to the Balguerie squabble.

Yours faithfully, / CLEON. /

Akaroa, Feb. 17.