CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 5, 4 December 1883, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

>THE POHANGIfe BO^ AND i , WIIO I& T6 BLAM&; [TO THE EDITOR OE TfiE%A^ABD,.] SiR,-^The Pohangina frpin Ashurst to the Wanganui , Harbour Board block is, and has been for the Jasfc three ot four years, impassable and: -very dangerous lo any One who has been compelled to travel it with, the exeeption*bT about i.wo'nionths in the summer, and at that time, 'it is only j ust passable. Now, Sir, all wjxa Jcnow.. tlie district must admit tha f , this is a very unfortunate and important road as it leads to the Wanganui Harbour | Board block which is all sold 6n..ihis line of road. A. considerable amount of bush-felling has been done ana some, of the owners have .settled down on their land, while many more would have been j settled down if they had had a good road to get in and. out to their prchperties. This' roas also leads to the new block known as the 1 Pohangina East, which I believe the Government intends to offer for sale. The land is fairly good but there is no means of getting to it. Now, Mr Editor, who is to blame for this bad road ? Some persons blame Mr Macarthur, chairmauof the Oroua County Council ; others blame Mr Cotter, member for the ward in^ thai Manchester Highway Board; others Cr Mcßeth ; »vhile some persons put the blame on the Government. " " l The Emigrant and Colonists' Aid Corporation formed the road an ] owns most of the land on both sides of it for five miles which they, have withdrawn: from said arid leased fora terniqfyearsto MS&srTWarne and Beard,^millers,' for the use of the timber. '"■ < ; , Therefore Mr Macarthur \m no Interest in getting the wad metalled more than that it leads tb arid opens up the Harbour Board block which helpsto bring that land into competition with their own at one-half, tb<a price, and better terms. Mr Macarthur is not to blame as the servant of a private coinv pany, but as Chairman, of < the* Oroua Coijniy CJpupcil and Manchester Highway Board, '|i' was his bpundenduty to see that tKis'jiye. miles of road was nietaUe^n"d'.m,ade n fit for, publiertraffic. Cr Cotter's 'land' arid interest is in the rfyzheibert block, and .Cr Mcßeth's in Kiwitea. noctpubt .find enough to do to get a road to their own pro : pertiee, and lam sure that no one who knows those good arid liberal men n-ill ever accuse them of troubling, them-? selves about making roads in any other part of their respective district. • . Now, Sir, are the G;pver : nment to blame ? J think they: are, in more ways than oiie^ JTiret, theJ^oads and Bridges ! Construction iA>ct was hung pu{; before ; the electors for,, two., ryears... Then it j b.ecame Jaw*, But, . Jike a < bunch of carrots hjang over a donkey's head^, the moment lie, began to .nibble, at them 1 they wgT^,ipufe put of jbiis reach. > ■<■>.. ! The^Jspards & Councils were t^h^vealL | the roads surveyed and plans made out | and forwaydecl into Government omceg : before a given, time. The rate-payers ! were to rate, themselves. All; this was I done-^TUe .Highway Boards ,and)County ; Councils spent thousands of pounds I quly tp^b^tpld by the,,Gov^rnmeQt •there are no funds available, itp.,<»iify joutthe^Act. I^am sure thejelec^grjL 'will 'not forgef tfiat at the next general election. Secondly; the Government ■were wrong in making the endowment iof this land to the Wanganui Harbour Board without first impounding enough of the purchase money to open up the land by at least £wp well-formed and metalled roads. ; , ., 5 j One cannot hjjlp thinking that if Mr W. Johnston, nVeniber fpr/Manawatu, had been caring for%e interests of his constituents, .he, wo^id not have allowed Sir William, to, have iatolen a march on ' .^ip^- . ..IK^en.'j.he ; gott that twenty tiious^nd acr,es, ; for, the good people of to [ throw .into; the Hver. "Arid well tbey 6 repaid,- him for \iis trotibje by leayjng, him 9U tin .the "at 1 t|e next election. , „.,;'.; \ B'ut to return tOjthe, voad,, . There ar-ii raa^y!road» now;' being xnaAs in the Manchester Highway district ;th^tiwilL *be but of little use. for, long tjmo; and the grass' will soon' qqver all the metal. There 1 ate also t^wo, roads being: made leading into thjs, very bad roadtwith not a settler 'living or an acre : pf bjish.&lled on either of the m ? while' ; this main road is allowed to sta^d.jqyer "■. sp long that all thewajter T .cpurses are filled up, tjlie culverts^bl^cked^; r^ajidl.the scrub allowed to cover ttie rpa^frpm ten to twenty faet highland shii^iOut all the sjun and wind so thafe.^jie! rbud can not be used by those who wiint it. i Will Mr Macarthur bestir himself in tjhis matter and get the road done, and the electors will in like mariner bestir themselves at the next election. Apologising for occupying so much spsice in your "'valuable paper. —l am, <&c, An Unfortunate Ratepayer. Pohangina B,oad. ■. >. • i.. .-• - ..'