The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1895. THE FLOODS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 245, 18 April 1895, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Oroua & Kiwitea Counties Gazette. Published Daily. THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 1895. THE FLOODS.

The recent floods and the damage done by them has re-opened the question of whether the Government should not come to the assistance of the several local bodies affected and contribute a sura of money towards making the necessary repairs to the roads and bridges. The probable cost to this district is variously estimated at from ten to fifteen thousand pounds, quite apart from the losses inflicted on individual settlers. Our contemporary tlie Standard, of tbis morning, says very truly that tbe worst part of the matter really is that the local bodies have heavier burdens than they can bear in meeting their ordinary expenditure, and how some of them can weather the recent storm will be a puzzle very difficult to ? unravel. It is considered probable that the Government will render assistance if they are approached on the matter, especially as a precedent has been set by the aid given to other districts under similar unfortunate circumstances. But, as our readers — in fact most people in the colony — now know that in this district the ratepayers have been so self-reliant and accomplished such great work in the interests of settlement in the past, that it is fairly entitled to consideration when a calamity like the floods in question have devastated such a large area and inflicted such enormous injury upon the only means of communication available for a large number of tbe settlers. We trust that our contemporary will join with us in urging tbe representatives in Parliament for Rangitikei and Palmerston North (Messrs John Stevens and F. Pirani) to move in the direction of obtaining help from the Government without waiting to be pressed to do so by the local bodies most iuteicited, and having the. work of repairs well in hand before the winter sets m.