KAIKOURA MODESTY.

Marlborough Express, Volume IV, Issue 202, 6 November 1869, Page 6

KAIKOURA MODESTY.

The Herald had a very good article a fortnight ago on the subject of compulsory rating for Roads, and other kindred subjects, which, it would seem, has proved rather too strong for someone behind the scenes, for in his last issue appears the following remarks, from which we learn that the editor has now discovered that, while Road-legislation is very good for this end of the Province, it is not required down in the Run country. He modestly says they will be content with £IOOO of public money this year! while the remainder of the Province is determining the question of Taxation for Road-making purposes. May he not be disappointed : “ In our last issue, we stated that, in all probability, a compulsory Roads Act will meet with much careful consideration by the New Provincial Council. Such an act has become absolutely necessary, and ought to have been in existence long since in the northern parts of the Province, where the roads have been both formed and metalled ; and where the country is nearly all occupied, and the population numerous enough to keep them in a sufficiently good state of repair, by each settler paying a small annual rate to be fixed by assessment. But at Kaikoura, where next to nothing has been done in the way of road making, and as this district stands alone in this respect, all the other parts of the province having had large suras expended in opening them up: we must contend that the provisions of such an act could not with fairness be made to apply. If our memory is correct upon the point, about £50,000 have been expended upon roads, bridges, and other j üblic works since the foundation of the province. In the whole district of Clarence, contributing abort one third of the entire land revenue, the only Government expenditure has been that involved in the erection of a Court House, a Schoolhonse, a small wharf, some three miles of formed road, and a few miles of bush track ; in our opinion, two or at the most three thousand pounds will only have been expended, leaving the district entitled to at thp very least, a few miles of road forming. However as the sinews of war and of road making are rather-tight strung just now, we shall be content during year, if .£IOOO are expended in thfs district, and under all the circumstance, who will dare to say this demand is not a very moderate one ? If we dont get it perhaps there will be something more than a tempest in a teapot for our local representatives to contend with, so, whoever they may be, they had better put themselves in smart training, as soon as possible after the forthcoming election shall have been decided, to do stiff battle in our behalf, or there will be a good prospect of pistols and coffee being ordered for more than two long before another takes place. We shall have much more to say upon this subject, unless something is done In the right direction.”