Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1907.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43081, 13 April 1907, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1907.

Ihis above all—to thine own self be true , And tt must follow as the night the day Ihou canst not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

General opinion at Morrinsville seems, if anything, to be even more strongly in favour of cutting the painter from the County and establishing a town board. Although the dual rule under which the township laboured during the days of the Waitoa Road Board has now been done away with, even County administration at its best, is scarcely calculated to continue to satisfy for more than a short period, a rapidlyexpanding and progressive centre as Morrinsville now is. There • are two important factors in which much of the prosperity of Morrinsville’s future are wrapped up. The first is the cutting up of what is known as « Taylor’s Block,” a piece of Maori land about 14,000 acres in extent, situated on the south side of Morrinsville, commencing at the Piako River The lease under which Mr Taylor holds this land will expire in about two years. Then on the north side there is the Piako Swamp, which, when drained, will form an enormous tract of exceedingly rich land for agricultural purposes. And it appears likely that the Waikato and Thames Valley Reclamation Association recently formed, will make strenous efforts to bring about the expenditure on useful drainage works, of the £3,000 which was recently placed on this year’s Estimates for that purpose in connection with the Piako Swamp. With such a future before it, no town need lag behind in the march of progress, and with the number of suitable available men which Morrinsville contains, the formation of a town board should be an easy matter if only a leading spirit would come forward and give the project its initial impetus. There seems to be a general inclination in favour of metal roads within the township, in place of the present sanded roadways, which, however well they may be suited for the country roads, do not give great satisfaction within an urban district. These sanded roads do not appear to be really economical either, for sand is put on rather frequently at considerable cost, whereas with good metal can be obtained from Te Kuiti, good roads' could be formed that would in the end prove more economical and suitable. The people of Morrinsville, too, are beginning to feel that their township has arrived at a period when a scheme Tor forming footpaths should be carried out, as if a start is not soon made with these .and similar works, in a few years’ , time it would be discovered that the place was conspicuously behind-hand in such matters. It is not suggested that the County is neglecting Morrinsville in any way, and although some footpath formation has been done, such work is not essentially the duty of the County Council, and the establishment or a town board would remove the responsibility from the- County Council’s shoulders and allow the residents of Morrinsville to execute their own works in whichever way they pleased or thought best.