NOXIOUS WEED

Taranaki Daily News, 21 January 1919, Page 6

NOXIOUS WEED

i i % k Is i - li> ' To the Editor Sir,--In view of the apathy of our v Tarunaki Council in the matter of its I roads more or less covered with weeds, j it is satisfactory to note the live interest being taken "by neighbouring County Councils in the very serious matter. Occupiers are being called on to clear their frontages of weeds or pay the cost of removing them. From time to time our County foremen report to the Council the bad state of the road frontages of certain favms, 'but nothing is done. Meantime the roadmen have to spend time keeping watertables clear of weeds at the expense of the general ratepayer, instead of the work being done by those ' responsible. Gorse and blackberry A&Clito» «o«4 ,

width' of the road, while the seed is washed along to other frontages causing endless care and watchfulness to unoffending neighbours. One i. onders if the Tarauaki Council will ever wake lip to its duties in this all important matter. It is a standing disgrace to a body ] having charge of the roads to allow this •kind of thing to go on. While those whoso duty it ought to be to see that | the roads under their care must not be ] the means whereby noxious weeds may ; spread over the country fail in their duty, it is no wonder the careless indi- j vidua! occupier will not trouble his head, j In regard to the. latter class, one wonders how lons' the farce known as the Noxious Weeds Act is going to be a dead I letter. How much good money lias been thrown away 111 the name of this worse than useless fraud! Many thousands of pounds have been paid to injectors, while the weeds have gone aJbcad by leaps and bounds. We read »f returned soldiers being sent to the 'back of beyond' with indifferent roads, while splendid land out in the open with good roads is occupied by wasters who would never dream of cutting a weed, and, in consequence, many good and easily wotkablo farms are almost ruined. One despairs of our ever having a Government with sufficient courage to tackle this question effectively. One thing that has 110 small connection with the awful state of what were once good clean properties, is that fearful and wonderful process known as 'swap.' Presumably th£i'e is a 'swap-or' and a 'swapee,' but, by reason of their moving from place to place so rapidly, you can't tell 'tother from which, and each one loaves the un- ' lucky farm a bit worse than he found it, while the unfortunate neighbors curse their comings and goings alike. Is there a gold mine in all this business for the Government in the shape of stamp A duties, etc., and where does it come from?' Then thereNs the question of Jocal rates. The man who strives to keep Ms place clean by battling everlastingly against a neighbouring brake of weeds has the mqrtification of knowing that his valuation must go up in order to counter-balance his neighbour's depreciation, and is thereby saddled ' with an ..unfair share of the rate payable.

Someone .has suggested that rating on unimproved values is the remedy for this injustice, hut that question is outside my present purpose, which is to try : and shake up the Council in respect to j making occupiers of properties keep ' their road frontages from 'being a dis- ' grace to the district, and a menace to ; their unlucky neighbours, i Apologising for thus trespassing on your valuable space.—! am, etc.,

L 'VICTIM, j . Ci ' '' Mangorei Riding.