PEMBERTON ROADS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 267, 15 May 1895, Page 2

PEMBERTON ROADS.

TO THE EDITOB OF THE STAR. Sir, — I see in your paper that Cr Homer has a letter excusing himself and his fellow wardens of the Kiwitea County Council from the charges detailed in my letter to you re the Pemberton roads. lam exceedingly glad to hear that he has done so much for us, and that the Kiwitea County Council is not to blame for the lateness in metalling the roads under discussion. Cr Homer is to be commended on the celerity with which he let the contract, but, perhaps, if he had not been in quite such a hurry there might have been something in the specifications as to the quality of the metal to be used. I understood " metal " to be equivalent to gravel, and not, as Cr Homer designates it, " as no better than papa rock," though how such useless rubbish can in any way be likened to rock passes my perhaps limited comprehension. It may be that I am of a too enquiring turn of mind, but though Cr Homer denies liability for himself and the Council, he does not inform me who it is that chooses the metal pit, and who passes the contract when completed, though he says Cr Morton, himself, aud the Engineer were appointed to see to the spending of the money for the contract. Cr Homer states that my letter is not worth bothering about on account of my using a norn de plume. I may say it was by no means from want of courage, as he alleges, as I can assure you I am not the least afraid of the Kiwitea County Council, either individually or collectively, nor need anyone be so long as the Pemberton road is a specimen of their undertaking. Every settler to to whom I have spoken regarding these roads agrees with Cr Homer in condemning the metal, but, like him, have apparently an objection to move in the matter unless pressed. As a frequent traveller on these roads I wrote calling your attention to their state, but not wishing to put myself forward as a redresser of wrongs, thinking, wrongly apparently, that that was our warden's duty. He states he informed the Engineer of the bad metal previously to my letter, but not before, I believe, his attention was called to the fact by some of the settlers. I may state that I, with others, as soon as the quality of tne metal was apparent, had been trying to see what could be done, but, though each was dissatisfied, no one would take the initiatiye. If, as is evident from Cr Homer's letter, the Engineer has the passing of the metalling contracts, I would suggest that the road be remetalied from Mr Lowes' pit at the [ Engineer's expense if he is really to I blame, for if our thirds and road rates go to metal roads, I, for one, object to the placing of clay, etc., on our roads in place of metal, and so long as I do not put my name to any paper passing such a mud heap off on the heavily rated settlers as a metalled road, I have no hesitation in signing myself, Austin Moss. Birmingham, May Oth, 1395.