ROTONGARO.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 13 August 1915, Page 3

ROTONGARO.

Own Correspondent. I must admit that I owe an apology to your correspondent “ Drover,” I woke him up too suddenly; evidently he is a follower of Rip Van Winkle, this is the only conclusion that is possible, after reading his letter. Why, he thought it was a lady that was trying to rouse him. After reading his letter, I think I can safely cut out 'all the personalities, then after we clear all the dust away that he has raised, naturally to obscure the issue, what do we find ? Drover admits that the passing place is not a credit to anyone, but no doubt it will be altered ; good old “ Sleepy Hollow.” Just what one might expect, like Mieawber, he expects something will turn up. Months ago I drew attention to the fact that the rails at each end of the approach were dangerous. “ Drover,” who was asleep at the time, but subsequently was awakened by my comments, evidently rushes off to the bridge, and found that in the interim, some metal had been put down at both approaches. By the time he is thoroughly awake, he may find some improvements done, perhaps also he, v/ill tell us where to find the point of his ponderous humour, and by the way he has thrown down a few challenges that I would like to answer. He wants me, a lady, to tell him what 'is wrong with the approach. First, the western approach of the bridge is too far north, and should have been constructed quite half a chain further south. As it is at present, coming on to the bridge from the west it is almost an impossibility to get a vehicle across to the proper side, that is the left hand because there is no room, and the horses heads are np against the fence, in fact there is no head room for horses. Again, he asks what the settlers have done. Again I .can only think that he is not properly awake, or there would be no need to ask such questions. In early days before ever the pre-historic punt used to ply, one of our settlers used to swim his horse across the river at Huntly; as a matter of fact he used to do this pretty often, as he was on a courting expedition, and this was his only way to go and see the young lady. By dint of such deeds of valour his suit prospered, and now there is a fine farm, and I believe ten olive branches. This is one instance only, others had difficulties quite as great. Naturally people could not always go on swimming a horse across a river, especially with a lot of olive branches, it was then that the settlers had a talk, and decided that they would try and improvise something better, then the hat was passed round, and a good deal of money was collected. This money was paid over to help obtain the punt — I mean the one that was torpedoed, or at least came to an untimely end, and although these settlers or rather pioneers, helped, and very considerably too, to pay the first cost of the punt, yet, they always had to pay their fare the same as an ordinary traveller. I think any of the old hands will admit that those who used the punt to cross must have paid in passage money many thousands of pounds, and by the same token this was the only approach to Huntly from the west, and what did Huntly do to better the conditions ? Perhaps “ Drover ” can tell us some little thing they did. I am a pretty old hand but I can’t call anything to mind. If “ Drover ” looks up some of my previous notes lie will find that I pointed out that several carts had been wrecked on the bridge approaches, as they were at the time I wrote. I am sure the approaches must have been a great source of revenue for the coach builders and especially wheel wrights. Again, time and again the local Farmers * Union, at Huntly West, has,

by letter and otherwise, tried to get both approaches made better, also the passing place- The Raglan County has also written to the Minister pointing out these faults, and that they be remedied as they were unsafe, for the third time I ask, what has the Huntly Town Board done? The Huntly West settlers would really like to know, especially as this is the only approach to Huntly from the West I would respectfully ask “Drover” not to distort my words, I never said the bridge was no improvement on the punt neither did I say .1 was a driver, and I never dreamt that he was a drover.