THAT NEW ROAD TO OHOPE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 268, 7 February 1941, Page 4

THAT NEW ROAD TO OHOPE

Sir, —I have read tlie letter "1 to *08" in your columns. I'm another that fails to see the sense of the continued agitation to get a new road (a road that would pass through the beautiful garden of Mr Runnerstrum) at Ohope. Chairman Canning whiiVes only a few attend: his meetings and remarks that the> matter of the new road repeatedly comes up. Why does Chairman Canning allow the neV road question to monopolise the his meetings? Think hard, aIF of you, and perhaps many of you will be able to answer'me. There is only one section owner beyond Mir Runnerstrum's garden and the proposed new road would serve just that one —the others have a good road. That owner bought his section knowing it had only a good beach' access— and no provision for road access.

Now to maiie the proposed new road the section owners 1 to 58 would be called upon to give frontage land worth £1000, the road would have to be made, jtlie maintenance of it would have to be attended to, and rate* paid on it for all time. And all to serve one owner. Recently 80 per cent of the owners concerned by signed petition, dafin itely stated to the County Council that they were perfectly satisfied with the existing - roading at Ohope and that they did not want any new road made. But "those .four" won't take no for an answer. I say this— is the proposed new road worth while—is it necessary—is it a fair and reasonable thing to put upon us ratepayers when Ave don't want it and when it is not required. " I - hope the County Council puts the applications for the dedication of a new road at Ohope ' into the waste-paper basket. Yours etc,., ANOTHER 1 TO 58.

Sir, —For some time past my hand [ lias itched to put the correct i tion before your readers, re that wretched road. But I have desisted mainly -through decency and ths temptation to become as personal as your other correspondents who with their tongues in their cheeks appeal so glibly to sentiment, and crowd their threadbare arguments behind the horrified cry of vandalism to a beautiful garden and all the other high flown etceteras. Well, as far as I am concerned it matters not one iota, whether the road goes through or not as a dedicated thoroughfare, but I have always been-taught that right is right and whether influence or pull can overcome tliis remains to be seen. Misrepresentation and distortion of the true facts may have succeeded. in filling a petition with 75 per cent of the section holders, but I have yet to learn" of a single man in a British community openly defying the right to apply a legal clause in his title deeds, to give access to his neighbours and! getting away with it. What I want to know is, what would happen to* me if I decided upon a similar attitude and half-way along the beach decided to throw a fence across the roadway and make a garden. I hope I'm more of a man than to ever do such a thing, but is there anything to stop me? Yours edjJ^j; ANTI-TARTAN-