CORRESPONDENCE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 26, 25 December 1883, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

(Wo do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents). UNFAIR TKKATMBNT. TO THE EDITOR* Sir, —Tho commercial community, no less than tho County Council of Gisborne, might surely be wiser in their action, or inaction, towards the settlers of the Northern part of the County than they are. Settlement is being pushed there under great diffi ultv and m s. itc < f every couceivab'e obstacle. What these latter are in ronnei.m with Native title I need not«lilirte upon to K><st Coast readers. They have been al way* a hindrance t> settlement here ami a misfortune to the district. But they are in some degree worse

now, becnuse renin end -prices are quite three' nines what they'rod to ho, and the r&tffl Hid taxes are absurdly inflated. As regards ( their titles, bowfWr, the impediment? ex- ; perieuccd by settle* are believed to be more ir lose aggravated by difficulties thrown in the way from Gisborne. That town which fnould be our shipping port and bwe of supbly. as things arc, We cannot ootnmunieaU Lt h by land, and d<»cs not maintain even a Ain launch to bi« ilita’e communion ton Kh us by sea. When Wairoa was first Etied the province of Hawkes Ray, being tenable to create a suit* ble »oad, subsidised a Barner to keep up the communication. Here Hi are dependent on HPO Auckland-trading ■ormers, and the chariQ' of the U.B.S. Co., B allowing us an peep in the ■outhern Cross steamer. efc > struggling at Ke may be, we aw worth attending to. The |County,fromourliccnseßttndrateß, raises aeonbiderable revenue—a tribute imposed upon ue in return for no sort ot advantage to ourselves. This revenue, is in itself a curiosity, undwr an amending Act the County is empowered to rate upon the capital value according tn the Property Tax valuation. In my own ewe the same property at |d in the £1 pays £1 Ils fid to the Property Tax. To the County it is also asked to contribute <d in KI, £25 odd. Mr Henderson, of Hick's pay, is charged LI 5s by one and Ll 5 by Kte other. The valuations are wholly ULulous in both cases, as, even if the land EZro under a proper tide and worth what it is ■iteed at in freehold, it is clear thut the interest is only worth one-third— being a moderate computation difference between the value of one Mie and the other, as anyone who is Hrions on the subject will find out when paid all the cost of conversion. But Btehis case, and contrary to law, owners informed of the valuation, nor of to make objections before the ■newers, and had no opportunity of showing how wholly absurd it was. These gentlemen did, however, of themselves reduce the taxable amount for the Property Tax, and how the County ignores that reduction is what none that I have met yet seem to understand. But, whether the tax be much or little, it matters little in one lrespect. Whatever it is it is never spent jkgre. If we want district roads our course ■tiffs—First we must pay down in cash BKe-third of the amount; then, after a the general Government is supposed to pay a third, and then in two instances a road has been made of a kind —a poor one indeed, but passable for bullock-drays in fine weather sometimes, Tne County is in theory supposed to supplement the total by a contribution of the remaining third. But, if I am rightly informed, as yet, it is only ft contribution in theory to supplement a sum subscribed n year and a-half ago. Such roads are, however, only short perpendiculars to the s«a. One main road doej pot and apparently never will exist, ih y •ay there is a good line, but if so it is not that of the so-oalled bridle track, which is the very worst of its kind in New Zealand. Nature has indeed not been liberal to us either by sea or laud, for we have no harbors, i eytn if we could get to them. But we have Lt# aches and surf-boats, and a steamer, even Kke ihe Rusina if it had proper engines, Would soon take all our trade to Gisborne. Wellington, Napier, and Auckland will sooner o r later take this business from Gisborne if the merchants of that town do not •xert themselves. Any considerable port can afford facilities if it chooses, which Gisborne Therefore it would be wiser not to olive the Coast trade into their hand.,

but to afford it, by sea, that eommuuication with itself which nature aud the County Council deny it by laud. Thia ve.ui i wui.'rr than 300 bales of wool will leave the Coa«t from Tukomaru to Widepii. Next year probably 300 will be shipped, and if titles are better settled probably iu five years that number may be 6000. It is a pure question of improvement and outlay of capital It is not a fertile plain line Gia borne, but a succession of ranges covered with scrub, fern, and tauwhino, which it costs a good deal to reclaim. The want of roads makes material from the spot expensive, and want of proper aud regular communication impedes the lauding of material from other Wacea. We are in all matters neglected. have a weekly poet, it is true, but we rpay for it. We have no telegraph. Our R.M, Court aits hut once in six months, and our oliief town, Gisborne, wholly ignores us. Commercial men, as a rule, know their own interest so wed that I begin to fear they have calculated the cost and profit, and con demoed us as not being good enough for the outlay aud trouble; o herwise they would before this have given us a steamer. It is possible also they may think we ndght find it more profitable to deal elsewhere, though the greater distance would, I think, deter us. On the other hand, County Councils sometimes do not act upon, if they understand, their best ini erests any more than the provinces before them. Judging by what 1 hear, I think there is a feeling abroad on the Coast, that it is unjustly treated, and I should not be surprised if the settlers soon resort to means of redressing what they deem a wrong unless a change is mule. Parliament would certainly befriend them if they brought a dear case before it.—l am. & ■., G. S. Whitmore,