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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3245, 24 November 1881, Page 3

County Council, Hawke's Bay,

Napier; February 10, 1879. SIR, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 10, 1879, and in reply to state that your letter was to-day laid before the Council. The Council fully recognised the desirability of the formation of the road you refer to., but the estimated expense is entirely above their means. The Council would suggest that the most feasible course would be for the settlers in the Patea and surrounding districts to memorialise the General Government that a portion of the amount that is proposed to be expended between Patea and the West Coast may be expended between Napier and Patea. —I have, &c, 3?. Suttoit, Chairman County Council. W. J. Birch, Esq.,

Napier, June 4,1881. To the Hon. Minister of Public Works, • Wellington : — Sis, —As I presume the estimates for your department will shortly be settled, I •wish to impress upon you the desirability of the Government providing further assistance to enable the County to open up for wheel traffic the road from Napier to inland Patea. During the session of 1879 a sum of money, £3000 was provided by the Government towards opening up this line of road. This County has spent already since that date the sum of £1700 on that road in excess of the Government grant, and is making arrangements for the opening up of another section between Okawa and Mangawhare in connection with the above road. When this is completed the road will be open for wheel traffic from Napier to the inland bank of the Ngaruroro river at Kuripapanga, where the County has erected a bridge. The large and important tract of country lying inland from there cannot possibly be opened for many years unless the resources of the County are supplemented by the Government. The country affected is for the most part outside this county, or in the hands of the natives, and there is consequently but a small amount of votes derivable from it. I would therefore strongly impress upon you. the necessity of providing assistance in this matter. If you see your way to allocate £3000 to be spent on that portion of the road inland of Ktiripapanga, I think I can undertake on the part of the Council that the road shall be opened through to that point at once. The County Council has recognised the great importance of this work, and has devoted to it a much larger sum than is properly available considering the claims of other portions of the County, and I confidently hope you will be able to see your way to assist in the manner I have suggested. I have the honor to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant. P. StTTTON, Chairman 0.0. Hawkes's Bay.