ROADS.

New Zealander, Volume I, Issue 3, 21 June 1845, Page 2

ROADS.

To the Editor of tho " New-Zenlandei:-" S'lß, — The original plan of the Town of Auckland, with its ridiculous crescents cind quadrants, \va&, I should conceive, never jhirpassad in Us folly and inconvenience in any other colony or country : — and now, that the town becomes moru populated, and the adjacent countiy more culii ■ vated, that plan which was s>o pretty and oriyinul on paper, proves to be most expensive and almost impracticable to carry into execution, bo as 10 render the town convenient and accessible to its inhabitants. Sbortland-crescent — its form, its alterations, and its expenditure, will be lasting evidence of the talents and professional capacity of the late Saivejor-General. But, Sir, that street, or road, Or cutting, which with all tho alterations is now nothing but a steep inconvenient hill, with some dwellings and shops far beneath it, while others are perched above it on inaccessible banks, — is not the direct road into the town, as oiigiuall) declaied at the first salo of town allotments in April, 18 11 j and it is to this fact that 1 wish to call join paitie.nlar attention, and to show that tlie town might be much more impioved by expending labour in ai. other diiection, and the convenience of tho fanneis and out-settlers much increased. When the Town was first laid out by Mr. Itlathew, Q,(ieen-3lieei %* era Uet-lctied to lie il«<= line and great thorougfare to the conntr),— and to be the great trunk, as it is termed, of the Town. Shoi Hand -crescent was intended only as a communication between Uilicial Bay anil Commctcial Bay. Such was the original intention—and in consequence, very high prices were given for property in Queen-street and Lower Queen-stteet, at the fust sale : allotments realizing to the Government £4, £5, and £6, per peich, and many of which have remained unoccupied ever since, solely because the Government have not fulfilled their implied contract with the pnrchaseis, by making the road complete, so that it should be the direct entrance to the Town. If you inspect, Sir, the map and plan of the Town, yon will find that proceeding up Queen-sucet fiom the water side, the road, after pacing the Court-hoiiM?, worses the gully and then diverges to the left, and proceeds along this lidge, with gentle ascent, until it comes into the high road near the cemetries. The street up to the Com t-hou&e is now nearly complete, and it would not require much tune and labor to cut down the small hill, beyond the Court-house, and fill up the gull) : the road fiom that part to the high road, may be cuiuideied as made, for it would only reqtiiie being marked out— its gentle declivity keeping it in ij«hkl passable condition.

Now, Sir, that this would be of great advantage to the inhabitants in the Town, as well as 'to the fanners in the country, must be quite obvious on inspection of the locality, and with a. knowledge of the circuitous and diilicult loutes which the diays have now to take, either by Mechanics' Bay, or Slioitlaml -descent, and by the Government enclosure. A diay, heavily laden, goiiis? from tne Town to the Tamaki or Epsom district, must now go up Shortland-cres- : cent, then down ilito Mechanics' Bay, and up that long bad road to the summit by the dwelling of the Bishop, and then over thebiidgeat Hobson's creek ; but if the direct and proper loute was made, it v^ould proceed up Queen-st., on an excellent road, and leach the high giound ■without diilieulty, and then down the scoria road under Mount Eden into the high Tamaki and Epsom road just beyond Hobson's creek — the latter being less than half the distance of the fo imer. As you permitted "Suburban" to represent the inconvenience under which the inhabitants of Parnell and its vicinity are at present labouring on account of the access to it for foot passengers, by the hill to Mechanics' Bay, I trust you will allow insertion in your columns to these few remarks, on a subject greatly affecting the convenience of tradeis in Auckland, and of the fanners adjacent. I am Sir, &c , Y. 17th June, 1845.

To tke Editor of the New-Zealander. j Sir, — I beg to call your attention to the j present filthy and almost impassable slate of several of our streets and thoroughfares. G» eat improvements aie no doubt being made in different parts of the town, particularly about Princestreet—a. wide, open, airy, not over populous place— while the narrow, dirty, densely populated Chancery -street and Field's Lane are left to repose in all the beauties of mud and filthiness. Nearly suriounded by slaughter-houses, the poor inhabitants of that locality " livo, move, and breathe," in an atmosphere filled with the oderiferous perfume exhaling from the steaming streams of pig's blood, garbage, &c. This is washing the outside of the cup and' plattei m ith a vengeance— but, verb, sap.— l hope our worthy Supeiintendent of Public Works (so noon us he' has finished these high, dry, and airy streets; will have the kindness to look down witq an ejeof pity on that miserable muddy hollow 5 that he will endeavour if possible to alleviate, if lie cannot elecate the condition of the apparently forgotten inhabitants of these miry regions : by so doing he would render very essential service to his townsmen, besides adding greatly te the comfort of his Most obedient servant,

" Help-me-thro'-thb-Mud.'' June IG, 1845 i (We insert the above letter, although \ro think that as the lanes and narrow thoroughfare of the town are, for the most part, the formation of private speculators, thus, consequentl), ought not to be impioved at public expense ; )et theie is one exception, which belongs to Government' and which is the worst of all, and that is Chan-ocMy-strect. That is Government property, and ought to be made passable and -accessible. The great thing required, during this wet season, is a good drain on bojh sides of Chancery-street, and to be carried thence, across the low giound at the back of Shortland-street, down into the main drain in Queen-street. The water from the high surrounding ground now accumulated, with quantities of filth, in the lowest part of the town, c<ui find no vent, rendering every footpath impubsdble. In the absence of all municipal regulations, it would be as well that the Local Government so far consulted the health and convenience o f the inhabitants of Auckland as to improve the diamage of its lowest localities.~ED.)