ROAD BOARD VAGARIES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 503, 10 May 1881, Page 2

ROAD BOARD VAGARIES.

To the Editor. Sir,—l notice that the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board, as will be seen by advertisement, have determined to call a public meeting, to be held on Saturday next, at 11 a.m., for the purpose of considering tho vexed Banger question. It can hardly bo wondered at that such a large amount of acrimonious ill-feeling shojld have arisen over this matter when it is so easily seen by perusing the memo, of instructions to tbe Ranger bow some of tlie members are guarded from bis action. It is well known that they have scores of acres of road reserves fenced in, and off which they have cut tbe timber and grass seed, besides grazing the same for years and for the use of which they pay nothing. "Vigilans" must really mean that by keeping tho cattle and sheep off tbe whole of the roads of tbe district these people would be compelled to rent the same, and £150 a year might he saved in that way. In regard to the cattle doing damage hy way of trespass, this is all moonshine, and savors too much of the dog in the manger, as every contractor for keeping in repair tho roads has been complaining of the vegetation choking up the watercourses ; in fact, they've had but little else to do but chop up grass all tbe summer, while the danger of fires has been very great indeed, and but for the extreme caution of many settlers, miles of fencing might easily have been swept away. There are a class of individuals (or I should rather say a clique) who are for ever studying to find fault with everything and everybody that is not of their property and within their own pale or caste ; tbey expect tbe police to be up all night and awake all day hunting for poachers, oid cows, and unregistered dogs ; and notwithstanding that the police are generally admitted to be too fast (even the Judges of the Supreme Court have often checked them), these self-constituted cliques, so common in New Zealand, are for ever pushing and striving to make them worse than they otherwise would be ; and not content with this, they wish to appoint a Ranger, to be for ever prowling around other people's places, and for no other purpose than to harass and annoy them- This they boastingly call " combi cutting by the Cock Ranger." Yet these erstwhile Timber Kings have for years been grazing their own sheep and cattle on the roads with impunity, and are doing so yet, while the roads were frequently cut knee deep in mud by dragging logs on Ihem, while a quiet populace patiently forbore complaining, allowing them ovory license and liberty as appeared expedient to the promotion of industry.E Have tbey token the dogged and determined stand in this Ranger business simply because cheese is depressed and wool in the ascendant? What do they mean ? Let us know on Satuiday.—l am, etc., BLACK PINK.