THE STANDARD. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1873.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 38, 26 March 1873, Page 2

THE STANDARD.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 1873.

“ We shall sell to no man justice or right: We shall deny to no man justice or right: We shall defer to no man justice or right.”

It is a pleasant thing at all times to report on the progress of one’s own affairs. We take a special delight in having the satisfaction of laying before our readers this morning a progress report of a very important work, which the Engineer is now busily employed on. We allude to the bridle track under the superintendence of Mr. W inter. This comprises a work which, when finished, even in its then necessarily imperfect state, will be a great boon to travellers, and will serve to rob the journeyings along the coast from Gisborne to Hick’s Bay of some of their perils. The distance is 112 miles; it has been surveyed, and most of it let out in convenient sized contracts, —35 in all. The reconnoissance survey, and estimate of the cost based upon it was £4,093, and it is believed that the total expenditure on the whole line will be under that; but much will depend upon many circumstances. Mr. Winter has succeeded in getting between 100 and 200 natives to understand and accept the contract system of labor, which, at the beginning displeased them much; but so far they seem to get on very well, considering that they had recently been knocked off the conventional 5s a day, ■wet or dry. There are some exceptions, however, to this which can hardly be wondered at; for instance, between Gisborne and Puatai, the natives have stuck out for a high prices the result of which we have not yet heard. Others are waiting to see what those who have accepted will earn according to the Engineer’s notion of what is reasonable. Again, at Whangara, some of them not only will not work, but refuse to allow the road to be made at

all. The difficulties Mr. Winter has had to contend with in this respect are traceable to causes which* happily, have been overcome, but which, never-

theless, were productive of great mischief. We allude to the baleful influence of Karaitiana, Hexabe Ma tua, H. R. Russell and Co., on the one hand, and to the anything but friendly advice given to the Natives by Ropata on the other. Kabaitiana especially, was actively mischievous in instilling into their minds notions of the disloyalty he was moved by him--self; urging them not to let the road go through their ground, with a view to an extortion which, before the recent failure of the hopes of his friends, he thought would be easily accomplished. With Ropata it is different; although a large amount of excuse may be placed to his credit, when we remember the almost uncontrolled power he has been permitted to exercise on behalf of the Government on this Coast. In committing the country to an expenditure of 5s a day for all his people, and they being allowed to work where, when, and how they pleased, the consequences are that about 90 per cent of the work done is utterly useless, —Mr. Winteb not being able to bring it in to a practicable line of road, —and the cost, even if it were available, something like 1000 per cent above his estimate. However it is gratifying to know those influences are now pretty well overcome, although the effect still lingers.

The rains of the past two months have seriously impeded these works; but it is expected much work Will be done before bad weather sets in again. This, and the several bridges built, and ferries plying ; the dray road completed from Awanui to te Horo, a distance of three miles, so as to open up the Waiapu Valley, will alter the whole state of things on that part of the Coast. At Awanui there is a good roadstead, and a landing can be effected in any weather. The steadily-increas-ing occupation of country along the sea board north of this township, in the shape of sheep runs, and the aggregation of settiers, cannot but make this line of road a desirable object; and its completion will tend greatly to remove one of the chief difficulties generally experienced, in treating with the Native owners for lands which, hitherto have been shut out from the market as practically inaccessible.