Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1899. Roads.

Manawatu Herald, 6 May 1899, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1899. Roads.

— «. . On Monday evening the Borough Council meets to discuss the proposed estimates for the year, which means that as the revenue cannot be made less and most fortunately cannot be increased, the discussion will be principally on what roads the surplus remaining over the fixed expenditure shalj'be spent. Every ratepayer is interested in this question, and we trust that the decision arrived at will be based upon the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number. From previous experience of the ruling spirit of members of local bodies we must expect an attempt to secure personal advantage to be made by some, but we earnestly hope the general dispositon of the councillors will be against the encouragement of any such attempts. We have been drawn into bringing this meeting into prominence gwing tg the warmth that

was displayed last Monday night about the proposal to metal Duncan -street. With all respect to the Mayor we have to say that we were astonished to find him moving such a resolntion, and had he not had a good metal road from his private residence to his business place, we should have been forced to have thought he was guided by personal motives in bringing such a proposal before the Council. However, v we can thus fairly sweep away personal motives, we cannot possibly find any public reason for this outlay. Duncanstreet is the road that runs past the school teacher's residence parallel with Park-street, and it offers simply the choice for a pedestrian leaving the Main street to reach the Lady's Mile by Mr Alf. Fraser'9 house, oi going round the west side of the school ground instead of by the East side. From the Main-street to Mr Fraser's house by Park-street and Robinsonstreet there is a good metal road ; from the Main-street to Mr Fraser's house by Ravensworth place and Duncanstreet there is a goood grass road. The distance to Mr Fraser's house from the centre of Main-street by the Courthouse cannot be more than a chain or two half different in length whichever way is taken, and the longest way has the metalled road, Under these circumstances it is difficult to conceive why it should be proposed to metal a road parallel to a road already metalled, leading in exactly the same direction, and saving practically no distance. There is also another important point of view for this proposal, that of the very few and very small ratepayers who are interested in this street. The school ground which forms the whole east boundary of the road contributes not a penny to the rates, not even the occupant of the teacher's residence, and on the other side there are only two ratepayers. It can be easily ascertained by councillors what rates are obtainable from land fronting Duncan-street, but we feel pretty sure they do not amount to forty shillings a year. Yet it has been proposed to spend £80 in metalling on this street when there are miles of roads in the outskirts that badly need attention. The excuse that may be made for such a proposal will probably be that a certain expenditure in that portion of the town is due to it from rates received. Our view of the matter has been, both from favour and also by force, that the main lines of roads must be contributed to by all ratepayers, and that as the roads nearest the centre of the population have been made they should be willing for the rates being spent on those roads further away. This is only what is fair as it would not be difficult to point out many properties which are now without a metal road though the owners have been paying rates for years, and these rates have helped to metal the roads closer to the town. We have not arrived at the stage where all necessary roads being metalled, we can commence filling up the less needed streets with metal, and we trust that in the discussion on Monday night the just view will be upheld, and country roads done something to, a start being made on any line over which it can be shown the traffic is heaviest.