Correspondence.

Te Aroha News, Volume XVI, Issue 22212, 13 March 1900, Page 2

Correspondence.

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I see by this morning’s issue that Mr-R. Stark is complaining of the double- rating in the Wuitoa Road District, whilst he advocates doing away with the Road Board, thus leaving the whole business in the hands of the County Council. Fioin my experience this morning I should think it advisable -to seek some other way out of tho difficulty. So far as I can see it is not so much a question of rates as the profitable expenditure of the rates.. Coming into- the township this morning from the west side I had to traverse about ten chains of jiew road made by the Waitoa Road Board across the swamp leading up. to- the County Road near the railway crossing. This so called road consists of loads of clay dumped on ti-tree fascines. As the track is only about sev-n feet wide one is obliged to keep in the middle of the road, which is a series of ruts. Close to the road on one side is a deep black drain, unfenced.. It is simply out of the ruta into the drain.. If an accident were to occur hero the members of the Board would have much to answer for. A little nearer the township one comes to a ploughed field with clods about as large as a horse’s head. This is a portion of the road under the management of the County Council. You cannot avoid this litt’e stretch, and must, perforce, do something to break d.>wn the clods. By the way, I am told there is a hollow place caused by the filling in of a old drain, that is to be left to the- foreman: of works. It does not form a part of tho ploughing contract. After struggling through these specimens of road craft one realizes the truth of Byron’s saying—- “ Man marks the earth with ruin, e c.”—l am, etc., Benj.. Bailey.. “ Warborough,” Te Arolia West. March Bth, 1900.