Ashurst Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 13, 30 July 1891, Page 2

Ashurst Notes

(from our own correspondent.) Ashurst ia sore disquieted within herself as to her unmade roads. The dis- ! comfor* is felt more especially in the winter months. Two roads are particularly bad. There are 250 chains of town roads to form, all quite level, and not' many stumps ; the felled timber has all been used up for firewood years ago, so that the work can be done much cheaper now than when it was newly felled. The attention of our residents is drawn forcibly to this question : first, because there is money available ; and secondly, because a certain number of people wish to get at this money to form footpaths in the main street. Footpaths are certainly necessary, but the general opinion is that the Board should not be asked to allot any money for them till we get the roads attended to. If there is sufficient money in the Board's hands to make both roads and footpaths no objection would be raised, but we think, the money ought not to be spent for this secondary work till we know that the roads of primary importance can be made. The Board may expect "your petitioners ever pray" at their next meeting. The Pohangina people don't make any headway with their separation from Kiwitea Road Board. How odd ! The Ei,witea is willin', and the Pohangina " Barkiss is also willin'," but it can't be effected because of the supineness of some settlers who won't take the trouble to come to sign the petition. One petition is lying at Mr Palmer's store at the Pohangina, but is not very extensively signed as yet. A committee has been formed in the Pohangina district to look up some of these halting ones, and the members have offered a donation each towards paying some one to canvas the district and get signatures. It is feared that this is the only way to get it signed by a sufficient number of petitioners. The letter you published from "8.J.8." shows the difficulties of an editor's position. " 8.J.8." says that the Star must necessarily haye "readers of all shades and opinions," and, therefore, that publications of a religious nature should not be found in the columns of a secular paper. Now, I beg leave to say that I am one of a different shade of opinion from " 8.J.8.," and I would venture to say that three-parts of your readers are of a different opinion from " 8.J.8.," providing always that your " secular " space is not too much abridged. In the Old Country many secular papers have "religious columns." The cage destined for the wire rope crossing to be thrown over the Pohangina river by Mr W. W. Corpe, near his Pohangina mill, is at Messrs Eimmer, Duley and Craven's shop. lam afraid it won't reach its original destination. It has been appropriated for the use of those unfortunate residents in Stanford street, the one in which the water lays for days and days after rain. The name is printed on it to inform passers by : " The Stanford street Ferry Boat."