RAROA ROAD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4579, 27 June 1923, Page 2

RAROA ROAD.

(To the Editor.) Sir—On my return from Wellington on Saturday my attention was drawn to the report of the Borough Works Committee, as published in your issue of the 2O.th insL, referring to my application for metal for the above road. The report is such a perversion of facts that I cannot allow it to go unanswered. I did not give half an acre o£ land for a strip of new road, and I did not receive two acres of closed road in exchange, as stated in the report. The two acres referred to were public County roads, which became vested in the Borough on its incorporation. The bond referred to as being laid upon the table is not, signed by me, but is signed by Messrs W. J. Towers and John Clarkin, as.trustees of the Jockey Club, and is to the effect that the club will form and metal, when required by the Borough Council so to do, a small strip of land running through the club’s property from Raroa Road to Ainslie Road- This strip was given by the club (not by me, as stated in the report) in exchange for the two acres o£ closed roads which were vested in the cluo (not given to me as stated in the report). It is also untrue that I retained £7O out of £l5O, and paid the balance of £BO into the District Fund Account. The facts are that I formed and metalled a private right pf way for my own use through my own property, at a cost of over £7O. Subsequently this right of way was dedicated to the Ohinemuri County Council as a public road properly formed and metalled for a distance o£ six chains. This was before there was a Borough Council. On the incorporation of the Borough the Borough Council took over this road from the County as a street formed and metalled for six chains. Mr John Phillips completed the formation for, me across the swamp for the full length of the road. So the formation did not cost the Borough or the ratepayers a single penny.

Some time later, the Jockey Club purchased portion of the adjoining land, .and required two other public roads closed in order to set a continuous area. To get those two roads closed it was necessary for the club to give a road in exchange, and the club gave the small strip of land running through its property at an acute angle from Raroa Road to Ainslie Road. This is the strip of land referred to in t,he bond and has nothing to do with me and’nothing to dp with Raroa Road, being merely a small area given by the club in order to get the other two roads closed. The bond was given by the Jockey Club to the Bbrpugh Council in order to obtain the Council’s consent to the closing of the roads. The Roads Branch of the Publie Works Department, before consenting to che exchange, required the Jockey Club to pay £l5O to the local authority for equality of area between the mads closed and the new road to be opened. I wrote to the Departmen-. nnd pointed out that £7O rad already been expended on Raroa Road, and asked that, credit be given to the Jockev Club for that amount off the £l5O required. This was agreed to, and a reply was received that if the jockey Club paid £BO into the Borough Fund, the Order-in-Council would be issued closing the two roads and opening the new one. Mr Poland paid the £BO on behalf of the club, the receipt was sent to Wellington, and the Order-in-Council was issued. -This £BO was not for land sold, but was equality of exchange of a public rpad. From this it will be seen that I di I not retain £7O, as stated by the Works Committee, and I have not received one pennyworth of benefit.- I saved the club an expenditure of £7O, as it was allowed credit for that amounh previously expended by- me on Raroa Road* and the Borough got what was practically a gift of £BO from the club, for a matter in which the Borrough had nothing to do except give its consent to the exchange, and for that consent it received the road referred to. I have the official correspondence from the Public Works Department, Wellington, which confirms the foregoing and am willing to it show it, to any ratepayer. As. during the past two years the Borough nightsoil dump has been at. the back of the racecourse* and the nightly passage in all weathers of the Borough nightsoil cart has destroyed the road that was formed and metalled by me, and that was handed ov*>r by the County Council to the Borough Council as a road properly formed and metalled, I thought it on'y a fair thing that the Borough Council should now r,e-metal the road out of the donations of £BO from the Jockey Club. Instead of my retaining £7O as stated by the Works Committee, that expenditure by me has been rendered practically valueless as the road is now a quagmire, with the result that I cannot use a road I formed and metalled at my ow»n expense. The Works Committe should now either justify its report or retract it through the press with ,an apology. E. W. PORRITT.