Ashurst Notes

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 22, 20 August 1891, Page 3

Ashurst Notes

" (OXJB OWN COKaESPONDBNT-i A resident .of Pohangiisa who lately interviewed the Minister of Lands on the snbjeet of- reading the Pohangina back •country, informs me that In all probability •one, of the instructions given to Grown Hangers for their guidance in the future, ■will be to report on the accessibility or - otherwise of the blocks they have to inspect. A very necessary piece of. information to hand into headquarters, " -when all looks level on the map. It is oiie thing for Government to sell lands to intending settlers, and quite another for those settlers to get to their lands. In •some cases in dur district ; it is almost a' .matter -of impossibilty to "do necessary '- improvements, because tattlers are un_.able' to get to their sections' except by •a pack track. ' Just imagine what a pack -track is- after 4 or 5 years of traffic! . Men do not care to take bushfelling contracts where it costs so mnch "to hump the tucker." Here, you see, is an instance where the. much-enduring pioneer lias to pay through the nose. Is he not a man who deserves all encouragement? Aye, he does, and his freehold too. As " long as Government' sells lands without loading them, so long will tlvs hardship to first settlers continue. Yo-i see they ■can't help themselves, for atter having spent two or three years on their sections, in' daily hope's of getting communication with the towns in the neighborhood, they <jan't very well afford to throw up their improvements; they have often attempted to do so, when year by year goe3 by, -and the Colossus of roads overlooks them." I know that it is a policy of Mr Macarthiir's that roads should be opened tip before the land is offered for sale. 2Jow that he has been enabled io take his place in the House again, we should strengthen his hands on this important; question of roading, and at the same fame point out to him how much the xapidly-being-settled Pohangina valley is in need of roads. If someone with an interest in public matters would take, the initiative and endeavour to get a representative meeting of the Pohangina settlers, I am sure the result of it woul 1 be a help fo our Member, in his efforts for our district", by showing him the necessary roads on which settlement is marching. Anyone' can see the difficulties in the way of opening up a large extent of country. It is really outside the province of a Road Board, being, a question of Imperial importance, which should be solyed by Government in the first instance, not left to struggling settlers to do; they i'ave quite enough to bear without saddling themselves with special rates. As the Stab circulates amonsr many resi dents of the Harbour Board Block and Pohangina. 1 trust you will allow the columns of your paper to ventilate this subject. One object is to endeavour to get a meeting to discuss the matter. I trust that one will be held soon, wt«n Mr Macarthur will learn that the settlers ara throughly in accord with him m his roadirg policy.