BACKBLOCKS NEEDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9642, 6 November 1909, Page 4

BACKBLOCKS NEEDS.

The Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. McKenzie) was waited upon at Wellington on Thursday last by a deputation from the Pahiatua County Council with a request for a grant of £75 to defray the cost of metalling the Mangamaire Road. They pointed out that the local body was unable to spend money uoon the road, for the simple reason that it lan through Maori land, which paid no rates The road, further, was unformed, and was of considerable importance to the settlers who had to traverse it to reach a creamery. This could be managed in fine weather, but in the winter the road became impassable. The Government's assistance was being asked only because the local body could not raise the required money. It was stated that everyone who wanted to get to the express had to use this road. They had made no application to th_e Government for assistance since the special settlement was formed 14 years ago. The Minister said that it was not a matter that appealed to him much. The Government had to attend to the case of thousands of settlers throughout t'he Dominion who were in the same

position as these were when the settlement was first formed. The Pahiatua County was closely settled and fairly wealthy. The more people used the road the more necessary it was for the county to put it in a proper state. Every £5 the Government was asked to spend on this road would help settlers in a much worse plight. The amount asked for was so small that it was not worth going to i the Government for. He would, however, look intu the matter.