CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 March 1917, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

To tho Editor. Sir, —The borough staff lias been for some timo repairing the tram route and tarring and sanding the road along the tram route. Let me draw the engineer's attention to the track from MeLeod and Siade's to the Melbourne corner, and see how many patches are dangerous 1,0 bicycle trafiie. Now, Sir, the trams have put the ratepayers to an enormous expense, in the lir:-t plaee, a new road •Wii.s put down till) whole length of the rcute, and in so short a space of time has put the ratepayers, according to the engineer's report in tlio press, to something like £B7O to bring the road and tram route safe and (it for traflic. Expresses, motor-ears, gigs, etc., have been weil tried at various points, more especially on the tram route, and the Council seems to have been blinded to its duty till several accidents have happened, and, as the Council are well aware, have been met with serious consequences. At Te Henui, where a serious motor-cycle accident occurred early in November last, one notices in the engineer's report to tho Council at the last meeting that tarring and sanding tho small patch at To Henui was left pending the action against the Council being settled. The present engineer reported to the Council before tills accident that certain lengths of the tram route were dangerous to cycle traffic, and yet tlio work of repairing was not put in hand for some time, not before more than 0110 accident had occurred. What strikes the average person using this highway is why this tarring and sanding of tho above-mentioned length is neglected, after the shocking state of that length, and, in fact, various lengths, | had been put in order after doing damage to various kinds of traffic and laying out more than one, causing injuries to some of which may not be shaken Off through life. I and many others would like the present councillors to give the ratepayers some information as to why the said road fell into such disrepair in so short a time, after being laid from a new foundation and with all, new material.—! am, etc., RATEPAYER,

To the Editor. —As one of the original members of the Employers' Association, and one of the present executive committee, I beg to enter my emphatic protest, at the manner in which "the proposal to proclaim a whole holiday on Tuesday next _ was carried. This .was done at a meeting on Thursday morning last, convened at not more than an hour's notice, by telephone, and consequently attended by a, very few. Had reasonable notice been {riven, I am sure the original decision of half a day would have been adhered to. This hasty and ill-considered action, being against the interests of tiaders generally, will. I am sure, do the association muc-h harm.—l am. etc.,

, C.E.B. New Plymouth, IMarch 17.