The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1871. "Measures, not Men."

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 168, 27 April 1871, Page 5

The Tuapeka Times. THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 1871. "Measures, not Men."

A new Provincial Executive has been created, and with it fresh hopes inspire the public mind. So much disappointment, as regards the prosperity and the general conduct of our Provincial State, has existed in the past as to warrant us in refusing to be over sanguine as to the future ; but seeing that an entirely new batch of gentlemen have taken office, we, in all fairness, desire to give them, and to see them

given, a candid trial. We wish to d-aw their attention to the laches oY their' predecessors, and we shall,

from time to time, endeavour to do

so, with the hope that the present "w^jscutive will earnestly endeavor to retrieve the mischief caused by past maladministration. So far as this district is concerned, one glaring iniquity has to be laid to the charge of the Executive which has just resigned office —an iniquity to which we will presently more particularly refer. We wish to remark here that we were astounded that during the late Superin tendency election, this iniquity was not made the subject of a severe cross-exami-nation of both candidates; for clearly both are to blame for the neglect which we refer to, and which we will now set before our readers. More than six years ago a line of road between the Woolshed and Waitahuna was surveyed, and a portion of it was completed ; the other, and the most important part (i.e., the few miles which, if made, would avoid the Round Hill and all its winter horrors), was partly formed — timber deposited with which to build the bridges ; metal carted and laid on the side; and then — oh ! common sense protect us ! — the work was abandoned, and has since remained in static quo — for what reason we are at a loss to imagine. We have just passed through a very long fine summer, during which this road, could, might, and ought to have been made. The plea of want of funds will not hold water, seeing the reckless and worse than absurd manner in which the Government have been pouring money into the har-. bour, by means of an in&ane attempt to deepen it, through the instrumentality of an expensive and useless toy, Sailed a steam dredge — a toy which might deepen a lagoon, but which has utterly failed to produce any effect upon the harbour, which is exposed to the influences of the all-powerful ocean. More than five times an amount of money has been spent upon this business than would have completed the road we have spoken of, and it is a sin that it was not expended upon that highly necessary and reproductive work. Culpable — we had almost said intentional — negligence is at the xooi of the evil. His Honour the Superintendent cannot ignorance of the matter ; he ha& -travelled the old road often enough to know its dangers and

the hardships attendant upon a jsjtapfc.over it. Mr. Donald .Reid, we Believe, never actually saw it

until recently ; but he cannot plead * ignoran^'of its state, and the neces-

sity for the completion of the newroad, having had the matter brought under his notice numbers of times. It is a lasting disgrace to the Government that a road so much needed should be two-thirds completed and then left for two years. But further, we are also of opinion that it is a disgrace to the people for putting up with it. The people have the remedy in their own hands in all such matters, if they had but the pluck, the nerve, and the unity of action to use it. We have now two representatives — Messrs H. Bastings and J. C Brown — who shortly will have an opportunity of showing whether they are made of the right stuff or not. We trust that they will endeavour, directly the Council meets, to bring this matter forward in such a manner as to secure the completion of the road at an early date. The whole thing could be done so as to open it for traffic in a couple of months at the outside ; and notwithstanding the fact that winter is upon us, the work is of such importance as to warrant its being earned on, be the season never so inclement. Messrs. Brown and Bastings will deserve the thanks of their constituents if they succeed only in carrying out promptly this important work.