Public Meeting at Waitoa.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3967, 15 September 1881, Page 2

Public Meeting at Waitoa.

A well attended public'meeting waff held lately in the Waitoa Public Halt for, the purpose of considering the^almost impassable state of the roads in the district, and to ask assistancejfrom. Government to* wards making and repairing the' main roads. ' -

Mr "Reuben "Parr 'warf^dttJ* loathe"? chair, and first read a letter from Messrs Chepmell and Hugh Campbell, regretting their inability to attend, and expressing their sympathy with the object of the meeting, also a letter from; Mr J. ( B. •, Wbyte, explaining- the efforts he had made and would further make, to induce the Government to grant, aid to .make-and maintain Thames-Waikato ro'ad.l*"^"'*■

The Chairman' then, as. representing the District.Hoad Board, said that daring the past year nearly one half of the rates collected had been expended on the main road: that for the next year there would be only about £500 arailable'Tp^^iryotfd works in the district; that it would fee almost impossible for the Board, with their limited funds, to keep the main road in passable repair, without taking into;/ account other road workj thjtt wiH ?beT required. ' • * • Several speakers then expressed, jtbeir regret that the Government had notfliven, some assistance for this main: road, eapeei- " ally as it had liberally assisted other..districts to make roads and bridges; notably the Thames County, who have asked and got their thousands and .tens of thousand pounds forjworks that were notrof more of importance than this: that, in fact,'the Thames County had not, w f ith all the money given them, made, or had to make a road that carried so much traffic as rthfe r main trunk road from the Waihou river to, Waikato. Much dissatisfaction was ex* pressed that while the Government fstTl j liberally assisted other districts, this really fide district has been so long neglected, especially as there are many thousands of' acres in the. Te Aroha block, still in etjie hands* of Government, who will not (or do not) sell it, so. that it may be rated, while the early settlers .hare for years been paying road rates, and in many instances liberally given contributions for making roads, thus making the Government land : * more valuable year by ydar t the'QoVern{. ment at the same time miserably refusing ''- assistance in making roads to its own:' property, the settlers justly feel they have ' good cause for complaint against' the,. 1 present Government., . ' ! ','," .: The Piako County Council,was, as a local governing body, spoken,of as ajmosj; useless, for whilst some County Godaoila ? had done some little good,* the Pfako r; Council had done little or nothing, exoept - collaring a few dog, and that as it liad been hanging up so:long, It might as VfelL go hang altogether for what good,tlier had dons or were likely to do for this , district. The following resolution .Tras: fth#n moved by Mr Strange, seconded by Mr Seddon, and carried unanimously:-« ~ ' " That the thank* of this /meeting be. giren our membeV (titftf B".; Wbyce] tot. -the efforts made by him in endeavouring to obtain the assistance of Government lo' make and keep in repair' the main Thames-Waikato road, and urging him :- to represent to the Government the „ pressing necessity of granting assistauqeto ' the district board to carry out works that^' will be absolutely required during,the „ year, including new bridges on the main road to* Hamilton, costing about £500; making and repairiug Thames-Waikata., ; s .road, £800; and making qew roads to-.,~ open land on Te Aroha block purchased \ \ by settlers, and not haying-outlet to main roads, £1000; making a total of £2300 for pressing needful works, and the Board having only about £500 at its disposal to carry' out' these works ;■ aUo to obtain funds (£1200) for building bridge over the Waihou Eiver at Te Aroha."

Moved by Mr Collins and seconded by Mr Taylor—" That the above resolution be forwarded by the Chairman- to Mir ~* Whyte pressing him to give it his imme- 1 j diate attention, and obtain 'funds to carry

on the proposed works during the coming summer months."—Carried.

Mr T. Taylor and others' then eom-i .' plained about- the manner the Chrorntnent drains had been carried out on the

Te Aroha land, not being sufficiently wide r or deep to carry away the water, conse- / quently in places overflowing; land not' before flooded, and that the roads made in -) connection with the drains were of no

service for communication

Mr F. Strange further explained .'Jhat in consequence of. the drains not being, made according to the naturalotitfaH/he - considered the money spent had been an w injury instead of a benefit to the district. - - A he»rty rote of thanks was then given to the chairman, Mr E. Parr,—Wailcato .. Times. ' ■ •

Sir F. D. Bell says regarding his Trork : at Homo:—I knovr whit work is, and I .- may say, with the exception of the West Coast Committee, I hare not for eighteen ' years done so much continuous work as since I came to England. Considering (says the Dunedin Star) that Sir Julius Yogel was heard of through the Press by, bis articles, as well as by his speeches at public dinners and meetings, and did all , the work Sir F. D. Ball ik. doing as well,; . the exchange our present Government hat . .. made, in the Agent Generals is certainly „ not ati economical sor ao advantageous one.