THE Kawhia Settler. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907,

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 296, 8 February 1907, Page 2

THE Kawhia Settler. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1907,

In a new district such as ours where the individual holdings are of modernto size, and settlers have to go il for mixed farming, not grazing only, the subject of reading is of perennial in terest;tbo welfare not only of the land-owuir g p irt the ommanitv, but of all living within the dirtriot is .«•» intimately a fleet-d by " roads ” that we’left no apology is necessary if we constantly return to the eUbj ct In a report otje >rrof-pondence on the question off Gvvernraent roads that appears in a lato issue of the King Country Chronicle, the Roads Dapartment plainly lays down the position of the Government in respect to the main roads through tbo Waitomo County, and wbat applies to W si to mo applies equally lo Kawhh. Shortly it li to the effect that since tbo Counties Act has been brought into force the main roads are uo longer Government roads, but County road l1 ', that the Government muH r.o longer bo looked to, to help •nrtke or maintain any of these mads, t>r iliat is now the I ir iooss of the County Council, ns L-.M down in sec tian* 105 and 106 of b- PubHo Work*

Act. Mr Hursthouse further says, however, that the Government will not necessarily cease expending money on these roads “ if funds are voted for this purpose from time to time by Parliament, but insists chat because of tbe above sections in the Public Works Act no obligation to do anything rests with the Government.

To anyone who has bad to do with roads in New Zealand for the past 15 years or more this position is well known, and it is none the ter for being an old grievai.c with older counties. It is impossible in ihu dietriot, out of rates and borrowed money io construct, metal and maintain the main road*, and do only what is abso lately essential on the branch roads, for years and years to come. However willing the settlers may be to help themselves (and let it be known they are willing and have shown that they are) this is a task outside their powers-

Tbe main arterial roads are of colonial importance as well as local, and common sense and fairness point to the general Government as principals in tbe matter, Public Works Acts to tbe contrary notwithstanding. It is not pleasant that our local bodies should have to go cap in hand to the Government and play the pari of the “ importunate widow ” for what strictly should come to them by right, and we would suggest that all the local bodies interested should have a conference and endeavour to initiate a scheme for roading that would be fair and equitable and applicable to new counties. We believe such t conference would do much good, ’at present the Counties are like the fabled bundle of sticks, in this case combination directed as we suggest would have great weight.