The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1889.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 53, 22 October 1889, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1889.

The Kiwitea Road District

The Kiwitea Road Board deserves every credit for the enterprise the members are now displaying in the direction of opening up the country uuder their government and control by making good roads, so that settlers, whether new or old, shall have ample facilities given them to get on their land, and shift their stuck and other produce to a market. At the meeting of the Board on Saturday, a motion was carried to the effect that to enable the settlers in the outlying parts of the Kiwitea Road District to take advantage of the Loans to Local Bodies Act, and enable them to provide them selves with, roads, the Board do take into most earnest consideration the advisability of either dividing itself into separate Boards or becoming a County Council. The following motion was then proposed, hut by agreement held over for further discussion until the next meeting of the Board:- "That the County Act being suspended in the County of Oroua, and it being the opinion of the Board that they have in consequence the borrowing powers of a County Council, application be made for a loan of £12,000 under the Loans to Local Bodies Act, to be extended over a period of two years from January 1890, to be expended in the following wards, Foxton Small Farm Settlement, Hautapu, Onga, and Apiti wards." Very properly, we think, the Board decided to write to the Government so as to ascertain what the powers of the Board were in this connection before further committing themselves to any more definite line of action than that indicated in the resolution. It appears to us that the Board has pledged itself to one of two things, i c., either to be divided into separate Boards or to become a County Couucl As to the latter we find in the Counties Act, 1886, clause 24, that, "No new county shall be constituted except under a special Act of the General Assembly." Now, unler existing conditions in Parliament, it is almost impossible that an Act creating a Kiwitea County would be passed. During last session Geueral Whitmore got a County Bill passed by the Upper House, but it was not even preseuted to the Lower House, because the Com mittee appoiuted to select Local Bills of such importance as to demand at tention, left aside his as 100 insiguifi cant. It is not probable there o that a Kiwitea County Bill would meet any better treatment, so the idea of forming a county must be put aside. As to dividing the Board's district ; while we fully recognise the possible good which might follow from the ad ditional borrowing power th is gained, we alao foresee possible evil in the fact that what is now a united, well di.e:ted and powerful local body may, by disintegration, become two weak and ill managed boards. It is true that a division might be made on the understanding that after the several Boards had obtained from the Govern rnent under the Loans Acts what money was available under their new conditions they would again amalga mate ; but it may safely be conjecture that no such unwritten engagement would ever be fulfilled, leaving aside altogether the political immorality of a transaction which would really involve a charge of " obtaining money under false pretenses from the Government," or to put the best inter* pretation on it — by a trick. We are aware that the settlers in the Board's district have the greatest confidence in the ability of the members to manage their affairs wisely and discreetly, which confidence is amply justified in the past history of the Board. Any cry for separation could only result from partiality or in j ustice to one part of the district at the expense of another, but such cry has not yet been heard. We are aware that the duties and responsibilities of the wardens, individually and collectively, are heavy, but we are also aware that the men who have undertaken them are quite able to bear the burden. The reply to the question as to whether the Board has, or has not, the borrowing power of a county council will, we expect, settle the most important part of the "subject under consideration, and if that is in favor of the Board raising the money to make the roads required in the district we will hear no more of division.

On Saturday nig-ht the Railway Station at Foxton was broken into and the safe removed about 300 yards along the railway line and then broken open. The net returns of the speculation amounted to £15. This style of robbery has become quite popular in the profession, aud that popularity has also extended to mere amateurs, who are encouraged to make the attempt at burglary from the facilities offered by our paternal but stupid Government. Notwithstanding the well known fact that at certain times aud seasons there are large sums of money lying at the Railway Stations ; yet the buildings are flimsy and easily "cracked," and the so-called safes are miserable little iron boxes bought in the che ipost marke , wit i L cks which could be opened with a toothpick, while their backs and sides are : iriaile of such thin metal that a camp oven would blush to be seen in their company. This carelessness and false economy is the worst of foolishness. Four Jtfyiltray Stations have been op >rate<J on in as many months, and yet the Commissioners have not taken a hint. Adoocmsnt has been signed by the business people of FeiMing, with one or two exceptions, which expresses an agreement to observe Monday the

I lth of November, iustead of Saturday the 9th idem, as a holiday in honor of the birthday of the Prince of Wales. While we have no objection to support the movement, yet we must express our regret that it was not commenced at an earlier date, because several Sports Committees iv the neighborhood have made all their arrangements for celebrating the holiday on the Saturday, which appears to be the mobt convenient day for men working in the bush. It is true that if Monday were the iday chosen a number of young men employed in the stores, &c, would then have nn outing which they would not have if the legally appointed day was kept as a holiday, but, on the other hand, the Government offices and the banks, which always close on the 9th, are not likely to make any new arrangements so late in the day.