Original Correspondence. ROADS AND STREETS.

New Zealander, Volume 5, Issue 332, 24 July 1849, Page 3

Original Correspondence. ROADS AND STREETS.

To the Editor of the New Zealamkr. Sir,— -I again return to the subj- ct of our roads ami stress. It is> not alone the misery and inconvt-nience \v, all in con.mon experience, who have eonstant'y to he waging knee-deop in mud and wet,— it is not alone the danger we incur, from bong always wet through, of contracting disease, — but, it i<< not difficult to pnceivc, that our town is under the influence of an evident stoßnition in trade and business ; tne streets are n ccssanlj empty, and so are the shops ; and although pei haps we may refer gome of this commercial inactivity to the excitement which many feel in relation to California, it is, nevertheless, not all referable thereto, — it is to the filthy and disgusting state of the thoroughfares of this otheiwise- prospering settlement that much of this depression may be attributed. Many people cannot, and many will not move from their houses at all ; and until steps, therefor?, tire taken to remedy this serious and important, and (I am informed by the older settlers) really growing evil, I fear, as a community, we are destined to suffer a revulsion of that prosperity which, in spite of the angry opinions of those who think otherwise, we have, nevertheless, hitherto enjoyed. I addressed a letter to you. Sir, last week, in which I ventured to point out the impolicy, at any rate, of heaping invective upon the Government— to blame or not to blame, — believing as I did, and as I do bMI, that our grievances will alone be remedied by the demonstration of a conciliatory spirit on our part, rather than by giving way to the angry tone which the transient and superficial view we a^e apt to take from personal annoyance— seen, and seen to be distorted through the medium of our prejudices— is always calciilited to enkindle. Sir, I repeat, and sure a«a I of wlmt I say, that unless we ourselves do agree to take some tangible and definite steps towards the accomplishment of the object we are discussing, we *hal not, and indeed I believe now, cannot even be ficcd from the annoyance under which we labour, I say again, nover mind whether the Government have or l.avc not done their duty — if they have, well and good -if they h.ive not, are we to verify the fable of the " hands cu 1 ting off the nose to be revenged on the face," and still wulloiv on in the mud ?? — not because we might not ourselve* be enabled to remedy the evil ; but because we would ruther leave it to some cne else to de, who won't, and ourselves pay the penalty of suffering. 1 therefore venture to repeat the concluding words of my last Utter » by earnestly calling upon some half dozen of my fellow-townsmen, and let us see if we cannot accomplish something for ourselves ; and thus much I w ulil add, — from what has indirectly reached me _-tlnt if we ourselves will shew a willingness to act, and will crllect together a certain amount of subscription for the object herein mentioned, the Government, f doubt not on their par', will aid us in proportion to what we do for ourse'ves. An Inhabitant. Auckland, July 17. [The subject on which onr correspondent writes is one in which we all, who live in Auckland, mint feel concerned from selfishness, if from no ether motive. It is scarcely possible to exaggerate in describing the wretched ct.ite of the sheets and roads. We agree with "An Inhabitant" that it is a case in which the residents should do something for themselves. But we think this may be b> tter accomplished by separate effort in the Sovcial localities than by any attempt at a general town movement for the purpose. An iiuiinoe of what we mean is just now taking pi ice in Wyndham-stnct, which has been one of the worst of the bad strcetß. The householders in the im Mediate neighbourhood have subsciibed to make a pah: the Government have given carts to aid them — (as we have no doubt would be done in any similar ca=e on proper application) ; two gentlemen, Cuptnn Parratt and Mr. Toting, kindly oversee the performance of ths work ; and in a few days there will probably be a comparatively fii m and g-iod path. If the inh ibitanls of other neighbourhood! adopt the same com se, much of the evil may be, at least for the present, remedied .—Ed ]