To the Editor of the Invercargill Times.

Southland Times, Volume 2, Issue 89, 11 September 1863, Page 2

To the Editor of the Invercargill Times.

Sin, — will you:,ajlow;,me a small space in you; li journal to cali public attention, to 'the lamentabtjl state of tbe' roads between' Inyereargill and liii!! Wakatip,and the great desirability of having thei||| repaired as speedily as possible. : There is §||| doubt, the wsh f rooa V ibiprii .will , be a large <mj® this spring,' and as little dpiibt - that to the La^^ diggings the greater. portion of the immigration w||| flow. -The advantages of landing at the Bloff, s^m taking the road via Invercargill ! are so obvio*||| that/noy steam communKjatibn^Wilh'SlelboirnyiM regularly establishedjv.there would b^npinAiotj^ inent for diggers* to go round b^rJDunedin (it tipp road were made even' com parattwfly^fi^ and gWf|| But/ alaa! many havered it la^ly,*i^dMlahj|| themselvfesj^thorfiugnl^ .Although one dayVtravejlmg ]fry sea, mM twjj m|| land ought tobri saved (£ho distance from St Joh|pi| to Dunedffl being 230 miles) the tinie» is more thmi lost f impassable? road which hasi||| be Btroegla|^Krough.u ..Pi-ooi the Bluff to love||» «argiHiti3^a!l ,vTery; jirell^butv after; that it ;is M|| eraUy' " ..jyorser, jyrorseai," till one tiij| compare , , ifcv >^?- Vnothing. :, » but /~ an endy® Slough of r l?eßpopa,^»i»ch • 1 i» : our -childish ima&||| nations-pictured from the ancient iUustrattoru«^i the Pilgrun^TOgrowi J Tira ficaf sevea miles M . il'<^raw^'s:(orlebrne such name), is bid en(Mii to frighten a}i^||^eHe)f;;pf : ordiiiary hardihood, %|i about three miiii farther, it is beyond deseriptioS The only.. atte|Sp^»^spulvi?r|;^w'sdbad thatS -destroys instea&ofr bettering, the road ; cfraya haij|| to unload be&w';tb.^v.'ca;a. get. through at « > andl caii tell^oirH &;hard!wo?k s to be obliged ||| carry heavy gowis^brer'Bach'grojind, and thel|l| drag th;e.horsea*thwugh, ■it>the-\^ifek off life, o»||| may— say when mean's and Appliances for the f»|||| mation of a good road,*,arFcjoie. at hand, wait«|i only for r fchpjse jo^wHom tW ppw^and responaS bility rest, tosee'ibe evil arid ord«c it to be rems|| died. All the Tyay?;t^^nW;Busb, and fnMk Winton Bush to the NeV Riref f:*&eW^fordjM so bad as to render ijt oftenyiinpaasabie for Beveri||| days), is as bad as bad can be.. -Then, horror Mm horrors, Cabbage Tree, Flat ! The Black Forre||| . in '52 and '53 was a pleasant promenade compaw|||| with it yit has but one advantage,— that of making ithoselwho tread through it ut' eriy. callous to anj||| thing that may. lie beyond. •* However, the ifißt|||| the road to St. John's is slightly better, ™'AWm the exception, of crossing J the * rivers, vwlaS the waters is often: a fobt^Seep iin:the bedt>f tir^ dray, and the horses nearly swimming. ||| Now, Mr Editf>r,Mjaiii you tell; me whether tb&jg Provincial Council are acquainted with-the f»Kp as I have stated them; or whether the inactmijj| .arid helplessnes of Invercargill 4 w)ii|Si:ar^ alreaS becoming a bye word- among I,*1 ,* the go a head i)e|| ging population, aeW>e; effect of ignorance &th»^ quarters ? Probably the road coulu not be 'imade^ before the rush sets in, but could it-*otbeniende^ and would it rot be sworth while'jttj jlayfdut s#|| hundreds on what will 5 always be a main roaJ,ra prevent the- thousands: who w,ould then willingra travel on it, from dwindling; down to toi^g or U'lits, deservedly disgusted with our inertnea^S in the task of" caending ! our' ways." 'Hopetells^g flattering tale of the advantage of the Bluff IWl|| way, and the good tiiaewheh^lnvercargill skmjm have outstripped the Sister .City, Duriedin, itt^^S greot race for vreaHh andVpositipn ; bat i seems \&m me tbat^asy /aec^6s to jibe gold fields willbethi|| ; surest way of securing the jgjoirig-and rctutmii^^ miners, and the riclr droppings which their <»«j||| less bands scatter^asjhey pass. Th©p»bliojout^ nals of Dunedin, tlJe^govefiMHentj- and the-yeft?l^» A-ill do their best (or worst), as %||| have always done, to -bold their . owl 8i and depreciate the "opposition pronncej||| in every . way; consequently, it the mOi |i|| behoves Southland to be prompt, wise andgenr^M rous in h^r exertio^ for the banishment of *&&M$ ing evils and the prevention of future 1 ills.-^Otti^ of the greatest evils is the want of roads and bridj^J to connect Inyarca'rgill witK the Wakatip as||| Nokomai districted for it is "a trouble, felt by evH|sa one— a drawback to the prosperity of the towit|^ and agricultural lands, and a crying shame up<it^ one of the richest and most productive localitiefej| in the whole of New Zealand. T shall be thankfi. x| for information as to the movements of Gorer&;># ment, and the feeling of the public on this subjetf>£|g and sure that your ? columns, devoted as &&M always a c, to. the a'dyancement' of the colob;>^|| and its people, ; wilinbtjrefuse. to assist in so g«|,§| a work. '■-. ' "'• j'^ I am, your obedient servant, t . ;, J Travei.i<eb. P,^,