THE PROPOSAL TO BORROW £500. TE AROHA RIDING.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 233, 17 December 1887, Page 2

THE PROPOSAL TO BORROW £500. TE AROHA RIDING.

(TO THE RDITOB.) gxn, — In common with many other electors I view wilh grave apprehension the noiie« given by Cr Murphy of his proposal to move ac the next meeting of the Council to borrow £500 to complete the road from Wtiiorongotnai to Wiiirero Ful's. Cr Murphy made use of rather strong language at tho Council meeting, re hi* intention*, if his proposal was not came 1. I should like to usk whether the wonhy Councillor is in any way personally interested m tho success of tho Gordon Setilemerit; if so, I consider his conduct open to flio gravest censure, und I hope that the other Councillors may consider this whon the question is before ! them. I should like to place clearly bo fore the ; public mind the real state of the o ise. Although • fliieh un outcry i«> made by the G-ordon settlers I for their road, I vrould remind them thf.t while ; the rates to be colleoted from them for some •years are likely to amount to a very trifling Bum in the jevenue of the County, they insist i hat they must have a coach road to the Gordon Bcltlement at onco ; whilo tho laige and small land owners about Shaftesbury and other parti of the district, have had no bucli c nsidetution shown to them, and after paving [ a large contribution to the revenue of the I Hiding for Borne year* have had to get along | as hest they could with roads practically im1 passable in winter. Last year £1650 was I spent on the road from Te Aroha to the Gordon i Settlement, chiefly between To Aroha and Shaitcsbuty, with what results wo ali know, fne bridge aver Waivakau has been built, but from the want of approaches is perfectly useJess. £100 was spent on a short cut from .\J nr phy's Jerry to WaiorQngomai, which was n»ele<3 in winter, and in summer might take a horseman three minutes less to travel than the old road ; and severul sections of the road for long distances were practically imp lssable for wheel traffic, so mucii so that travellers were compelled to go by the old track., instead of the new made (?) road. Yet wo are asked to believe that while £1650 was quite made quate to make the road for eight miles, a large portion of. which had already had a cousiderttblo amount of money spent on it; jet that £500 will make tho road for a distance of 14 or 16 miles—a great pjrtion of which is not even formed. To make such a demand on our credulity ie an insult to our common sonse. No! Sir j let us not blind ourselves to the ! truth. The Gordon settlers require not alone I a road, but the expenditure of £500 upon the road, which sura may go into their own i pookets in road making. They have got their land exceedingly cheap ; yet tho whole riding is to subscribe to provide them with funds to ! improve that land, and to enhance its value. Wa should all like to see good roads- iu every paj-fe of the County, but there is a limit placed, and very properly so, hy the Counties' Aot upon the amount whioh may be borrowed by any Biding) and we aye approaohing that limit with reckless prodigality^ This Biding wo are Aqid, ia. already some. ,4?7OAQ|m debt, and it js imperative upon us to husband our rosouroos. Jhero it ft stir ii\ the g^Mftelda^neß 'farther j down *he rang© are being sold toTfJoglish companies ; thfi Tai district i» likely spon. to joome tk> 4ba*lctKitt and i* it. intolerable tp think lhat at tho vory we may waftfcj money to^asli our own mines, and that At distant period, vre may find that woha^> borrowed all the money wo can, and that we are saddled with a heavy debt and helplose. I contend that tho working me i,the landowners, and the business men of the district, have all

nl,ke raoro to look to from a rise m tho mines t»j an from a road to the Gordon Settlement. Ani I trust that the Councillors for other Ri3mg=» wil remember that they represent the interests not only of their own constituents, but of the whole county, and will refuse their sanction to. a proposal to benefit the few at the expense of the many. And we may as weii realize novr, that this £500 will by no means gatisfy the Gordon Settlers ; this is only the first instalment, when this is spenc they will be equally persistent in their attempts to get £500 more, and so on indefinitely. And I I say, sir, that it is unfair and unjust, us well as unbusinesslike to rußh prematurely into debt for a road which should rather bo m.ide gradually out of the general r,«tes, as the sett' ement gives proof that it te likely to be permanent and a worthy object far such expenditure, th.m that all the ratepayers Q? the Riding should be burdened with debt t > make a road for the Gordon Settlers ; when they have a navigable river on which, atea nera already ply ; and by which it would ai ill be cheaper for them to send their produce, and grt u>> their stores, even if they had a good metalled roaJ right up to their doors. It »s unjust tint we ?houU all be overweighted with debt, to put money into the pockets of a binM section ot the community, who have ulready received exceptional benefits at the expense o! the whole country ; that we should enhance the value of their land and enable them tv get a higher prL-e for it, und clear out to spend it elsewhere and leivo us to groan under the burden of our debfc ; and Worse than all, to find when the opportunity comes to puih our gold mines ahead tint we are hampered with debt and difficulties from which we may bo unable to extricate ourselves till too late an.l to see capital ft'id enterprise devotod to other more fortunately situated mines while we are out in the cold. Sir, we look to the Councillor's to show th- inqelvea worthy of the position of honour and trust in which they arc placed, an-lwelook to the electors to show their good sense in giving tho Councillors their support in carrying out a wise and far scomg policy, — Yours, etc. A Ratepayer.