OKAIN'S ROAD BOARD.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 380, 12 March 1880, Page 2

OKAIN'S ROAD BOARD.

To the Editor of the 'Akaroa Mail,

Sir, —In looking ovar your Tuesday's issue, I see the report of the Okain's District Road Board meeting, held on the 28th Fob,

In that report I do not see any mention made about the Little Akaloa Main road, which should have been one of the first jobs taken in hand, for the following reasons:—

1. That it is the only outlet there is to get to town now the steamer has left off running. . . . .

2. That it is impassable on account of land slips, dangerous, and not fit to travel.

3. That there is still due on this road iil.")8 from Pawson's contract, which the Board would not pay Pawsou, because these said slips came down after Pawson had completed his contract, but had not got it measured.

, Now, Sir, I think these are. sufficient reasons why thia work should be put in hand at once before winter sets in.

Again, Sir, this road cost the Board last year for making £1000, and now it 13 going to destruction, with land slips stopping up culverts and watercourses, causing the water to cut away the outside of the road, which was benched 16 feet on the solid, and now in places it is only 4 feet. I feel certain, Sir, if this work is not done there will be eoine persons killed by their horses going headlong over some of these dangerous places, some of them 100 feet nearly perpendicular.

I was beginning to think, Sir, that the

member for Little Akaloa was asleep, but 1 find he is not, because I see in your report of the Road Board meeting he is asking for some compensation. I hope this compensation is not the cause of the delay in not having thia important road made passable.—l am, Sir, yours, &c,

A TRAVELLER.

To the Editor of the Alcaroa Mail.

Sin, —I was more than astonished to read in your report of the last meeting of the County Council the letter signed " Alfred Condon, Contractor for Royal Mail." The letter in question has the appearance of a gross misstatement, mildly speaking, as several members of the Beard distinctly say they never received a letter from ihe above " contractor " on the subject The only communication the Board hud was from Mr W. Barnett, and a sum

of money was at once voted for the par pose, and the repairs wero nearly completed by the time the County Council read the letter, and I have no doubt the work was begun at the time the letter was written. I hope the " Contractor for the Royal Mail" will in future either stick to the truth, or take a back seat. Yours, &c, RESIDENT. 6thMarch, 1880. " POOR OLD JOE." •* — To the Editor of tlie AJmroa Mail. Sir,—Can I make a talk thro , your paper. I 'aye been out of work for a long time, and that 'as caused me to fall into a bad 'abit, namely that of ponderin' or musin' over things in gen'ral, or, in t'other words, the>diff'rence atween "things has are an' things has orter to be." Now, in common with a lot more of the unemployed, I stepped t'other day into that grand buildin' you call "Court-house." Law, Sir! at fust I.thort I were in a 'ouse of wuship, but then, when I pulled myself up a bit, I minded that if I wasn't about to 'ear a heloquent sermon from , s some learned Divine, still I was a-goin' to .'ear words of wisdum from a Beak, but I felt kind of licked at the manner that Beak 'ad of conductin' operations. There was'nt no appearance of defendant in the fust case, so he couldnH make no mistake; second case, tho', he had a rather curius way of talkin' to the parties, but the third case was a reglar licker —it was agin' Joe Bates, from Wainui. Joe did not think as 'ow he ought ter pay the hextra mileage he was charged for takin' and choosin' to live in Wainui, more especially as Joe said as 'ow he was sent for on some wild goose chase, an' hactully come over 'ere an , tuk his summons like a gentleman just outside the ole Court-house. Howsumever, the Beak never axed he any questions, but jus' give judgment for amount claimed and costs, and then said the Court was a'jorned. There was a little chap there as seemed a bit fly; I 'spose he acts as bum-baily, but any'ow he hollers out " the Court's a'jorned," sort of what you calls a hoffishal 'nonncement.f And Joe, he he's putty tall too so he be, looked out from 'is little barricadement as is called witness-box, an' axes if he can't 'aye a say, an' the Beak, altho' he knows as 'ow he had a'jorned the Court not two seconds afore, axes he what he 'ad to yarn about, tuk his evidence, discussed the matter, and gives judgment again, without having reopened the Court. If that be the way as things should be done, may I be shot. I am AN OLD WOMAN.