ROAD BOARDS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 426, 20 August 1880, Page 2

ROAD BOARDS.

To the Editor of the Akaroa Mail.

Sib, —The impression ie gradually forcing itself upon the minds of the ratepayers that two governing bodies are too many, especially when the County Council has foreshadowed the striking of a rate to carry on with. For my part I think the days of the Koad Boards are numbered. At the same time I feel that all thinking , ratepayers will regret it, through their being a thoroughly local, representative body, having 30 members well distributed over the whole county, and it is only common reason that that number must have more knowledge of local requirements than the nine members of the County

Council,

This body, (the County Council) has done little to encourage public confidence, notably in such spasmodic attempts to govern as it has already made. Unfortunately, however good the intention, these have always ended in failure—witness the Balguerie road. No Road Board would have mad* such a blunder. Also in regrading a portion of the Summit Road in the Okain's district; LSO w*s thrown away through not giving proper instructions to the engineer,;, but this was not the worst feature of the affair, as the Okain's Board I was mulcted of the LSO by this euperior Board of Legislature. I maintain that this '"■ was an arbitrary act of the distributing body; because there is a clause iv the 'Counties Act which givee them certain is no reason why*?they should twist it so ai to enable them to debit any Road District with their mistakes. 1 ther feature is that the Road Board members have done the district's work without, remuneration ; and if we are to take the present expenses of a County governing body, which at the present time merely doles out a paltry pittance to the various Road BoaHs, after deducting such' moneys from any Botfrd in whose district they have experimentalised, I feel assured that the old system will bear a favorable comparison with the new. And further, if the Counties Act must be adopted, let us have more representatives—say double the number—and one-half to be elected each year, so that no member shall sit more than two years without coming before the ratepiyeteV ; TJnder the present system the fbrie years'tenure is too long. Members 1 get antiquated and self-opinionated, but with the chance of one-half of them losing their seats each year, I feel assured , fthey would keep posted .with ithe requirements of the County.—l am, etc.i ROAD BOARD MEMBER.