GRAVEL PITS.

Manawatu Herald, 29 March 1889, Page 2

GRAVEL PITS.

The Horowhenua County Council are indignant with the Minister for Publio Works, for refusing to allow them to take gravel pits under " The Public Works Act, 1882." Before we go into the question as to its being a necessary provision to be granted, we would like to point out that this Council was very much in error in supposing that it had the power. In the report of the meeting, appearing elsewhere, the County have resolved that because they possess the power to make roads, which are a necessary publio work, they should have been permitted to take gravel pits, by force, to make them with. It appears strange that his misconception should have arisen, especially with this public body, whose chairman is a gentleman who has had a seat in a County Counoil many years, but it only helps to show how marvellously our local acts are framed when local officials miss the clauses in the different acts relating to the conduct of their business. Cause 10 of "The Public Works Act, 1882," relates to the procedure for taking land for publio works, and sets forth that " whenever lands are required to be taken for any publio work, &o," the various acts that have to be performed. On the general reading of these clauses the majority of councillors would naturally jump to the conclusion that if they took the steps laid down, they could take what land they pleased, and if they could take land to make a road of, they could take the gravel to make the road mtk. This is not so, however, and the Minister of Public Works was only following the direction ot the Act, when he informed the Council that he had no power to grant the request made, as clause 20 of the Act states most distinctly that "nothing in tips Act contained shall authorise the entry upon or taking except for the purpose of a railway or other work io be made under the authority of special act, of My V*A occupied by «ny

building, yard, garden, orchard, vneyard, plantation, or ornamental park, or pleasure ground, or the cutting or injuring of any oramental tree or shrub, or the taking of any stone or other material from any quarry, brick field, or like place commonly used for the taking material therefrom, for sale without the consent in writing of the owner first obtained." We are not prepared to say what difficulties have so prominently oropped up in the Horowhenua OouLty to make the amendment of the A.ot so necesstry, but whatever they may be we should imagine they would require setting forth' more particularly than they have yet been. The Counties Act has been in force for fourteen years, and we do not remember hearing of any' county making the request that is now being made, and during the past roads have been made and gravelled, As, however, we believe in lessening the expense to public bodies inproviding public works, we believe an alteration in the act would be advisable, but whether in the direction as pointed out by the. Horowhenua Council, or in some other Way, is a matter for discussion. We have always hell that the old Provincial system worked the best, and that was in providing reserves along various road lines for gravel pits. We believe now that any amendment in the act, would be more to the purpose, if it made it obligatory on the subdivision of land, for the party seLing, to provide sufficient reserves, in convenient positions from whence gravel could be obtained for road formation and maintenance, than to allow every inoh of land to be sold, and compelling the public body to buy back. We offer this suggestion to those who have the administration of our local affairs.