KING COUNTRY ROAD
(to the editob). Sib, —The followi ig lea tin» artie'e a a petrel in tbe “Evning P »at” 2-5 h Bratsmber, a-» a oeuiofam <>n M T. B ird’s report • STRUGGLERS IN THE WILDE <N “On the 29:h ulr. we p.’bl -oc<l a letter from Mr R. Gregg, of K here, in tbe King Country, wbic j talj a pitiful atiry o r she '-ufferfag4 «>t •»-*%- tiers left by offici tl cruelly to waste their fortunes and their lives in a hopeless struggle with ’b-» wilderness. The tragic details of M Gragg’s nirrrjwa ikftots bi-e 'he ravine im>m' > truth, but we wars c ireful to a Htain from acosp’anca of all hie th'nrin -»f ad mini-tea ive bl ii I'ring mil the object of hisc'itici< u bil hti to, opportunity of reo’vmg. Tii« oop r runity wa< iudeeti iff •“I*! t-> -he Minister iu charge of toe D »»- m r concerned, the Hon J. M‘G v 1», he. fare Mr Gregg’* I 1 ’ter wn jijl-syM in order that criticism a sd rep’ • nignt appear together. Bat afte • p- s 1 a Ally studying ’helet er, the Aj i »•» '{ »- ister for Public \V rks dern'l 1 it visable for him n »t to enter int» a paper controversay on tbe s r»j c , wi h tbe result that a very telling indictment of some of the method« of bis department was given some thr-e weeks start of the official rej under. It may still be beneath toe dignity, nr theantidiluviau standards of propriety, of the Acting Minister to pay any heed to what appears in a newspaper, bat as the substance of Mr Gregg’s complaints was included in a petition wfeich was signed and forwarded by himself and ocher settlers in the district, the subject has on that acoonnt been deemed worthy of official notice. Tbe petition was submitted by the Minister to the Chief Engineer of R who in turn passed it to the D ’triit Riad Engineer at Te Kuiti—toe particular object of Mr Gregg’s strictures, and the result is that we were able on Friday last to publish tbe departmantd reply prepared by that offhor. It is s lie to say of this dneume at that it is far from equal to task •.( c >ping with the handicap which Mr G egf * indictment has secured by its thrta weeks start. In soms details tbe ans- ' wer may bo both relevant and sound, but on tbe main question it is rather a plei of guilty on the part of tbe Department than a defence. Theicrega--1 ir, piece meal, useless fashion iu which tbe roods that should ciuuect the unhappy settlers with have ho in 0 instructed is admitted by the District Engineer, but hi urges that he mads tbe best possible use of the utterly inadequate provision that the Diparrmsnt supplies. M? Gr gg oan - plained that tbe Kiritehe e XI ir A »?i rood was begun at the end awh
left unfini-hed and unconnected ‘About one end a bnlf miles (that road has been constructed,’ he paid. ‘Bir no one bas eerir i: or is likely to see i< until it is fir ibhed.’ Wo have not Ibe necessary local knowledge to appreciate the force of the engineer's a< swer on its technical side, but the important part of it for our purpo-e is that ‘there was not nearly enough money available to do the whole distance and even up to the present time I have not bad sufficient money to enable me to do this and consequently the pertion formed cannot be utilised.' By con sent of both parties there is nearly two miles of excellent road away up there in the wilderness and all that is wrong with it is that n<body can reach it! •This' says the engineer ‘is ray mis fortune not my fault.’ It is certainly the misfortune and not the fault of the settlers, and it is equally clear that it is the fault and not tbe misfortune of the Government. A rational and humane system which duly recognised tbecountry’sobligations to its pioneers would mnke such cruei absurdities impossible. ‘These men seem to imagine (why I can’t say),’ says the engineer •that I have power to transfer money which has been voted by Parliament for one road and then expend it on Some other place, bu 4, of course you are aware that such is utterly impossible with Ministerial authority.’ We are of course also aware that with Ministerial authority these things can b> done and by such authority tbe whole system could be overhauled and tbe voted made sufficient in tbe first instance. That adequate reading should precede settlement is an absolutely essential conditi >n which is habitually Ignored. In the present case tbe engines’ himself says that a scheme was prepared for providing tbe whole district with roads, and loading each section with its due proportion of tbe cost but just as be got under way ‘the work Wft’ suddenly stopped, our beautiful fjhemes knocked on tbe head, aud tbe 1* d was put. in tbe marker wiilb about a quarter of the loading there should have been on it and tbe result is very apparent now.’ Does anything that Mr Gregg has said amount to a severer censure on tbe Department than this statement of one of his own officers ? Tbe duty of the Government is surely plain, aud the case of nil future settle moot roads should be made and tbeir cost added to tbe price of tbe Lind be fore it is thrown open for settlement, And in such c**es as that under con sideration there are of cotvse hundred of other settlers in equally grievous plight— a first clara.engineer might ba appointed tn inspect tbe district, to report on tbe most urgent requirements, with plans, specifications and estimates of the cost. To carry out bis recom mendations would be the best mode of caring tbe evil which bas been already done, and fur the future the only sys tern which can preveat tbe repetition of such public scandals should admit of no exceptions.”
I think sir that it is worthy of being copitd into your valuable paper so that the settlers may know that atleast one leading paper in tbe Domidion bas tbe courage to champion roads before settlement, and so do away with all those years of unnecessary cruelty and hardships hitherto allotted to unfortu nate settlers.—Yours etc., R. GREGG.
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PHASES OF THE MOON. OCTOBER. New moon, ... 7th, 9.57 p.m. First quarter ... ... 14th, 9.39 ~m. Full Moon ... 21st. 853 p.m. Last Quarter 29th, 7.28 p.m, Apogee, Ist, 0.37 a.m. ; Perigree, 15th, 1.37 a.m. ; Apogee, 29th, 7.29 p.m. NOVEMBER, New Moon 5 6tb, 10.21 a.m. Firot Quarter 13th, 4,51 p.m. Full moon ... ... 20th, 11,41 a.m. Last Quarter "28th, 3.58 p.m, Perigee, 9th, 5.37 p.m, ; Apogee, 25tb, 4.37 p.m.
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Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 337, 8 November 1907, Page 2
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1,183KING COUNTRY ROAD Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 337, 8 November 1907, Page 2
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