THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Verit sans peur.” WANGANUI, APRIL 24, 1862.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 6, Issue 289, 24 April 1862, Page 2

THE WANGANUI CHRONICLE AND RANGITIKEI MESSENGER. "Verit sans peur.” WANGANUI, APRIL 24, 1862.

His Excellency the Governor is understood to be now on a tour of the provinces. He is supposed to be in- Hawkes’ Bay by this time, and it is believed will visit the Middld Island Pro vinces,' after which he

-will come to Wellington, visiting Wanganui before the Assembly meets. =j: From Otago there is nothing of particular interest. The amount received by escort on the 10th inst. was 5,142 ozs. The Times accounts for the falling off by the bad weather causing diggers to leave the field, and breaking the time of those that remain.

“ At'’ a" 'meeting of' na'ives held at Oliinemutu up the river, in the beginning of the month, considerable l'egret was expressed that another meeting like that at Kohimarama was not to be held at Wanganui, 'as proposed- by . Governor Browne. Probably Sir George Grey might do worse than convene such a meeting before he leaves again for Auckland. The expense of the hist was very considerable; but we have littlef ■ doubt a large attendance could be obtained on much more reasonable terms. ’At vote of * 5001 should go a long way towards defraying the expense. This would be the mast central place for it. ■“ ■■■■■'

It is quite true that the various parts of the Colony and of each Province have a common interest in the prosperity-of each other. What benefits one benefits all.- If one part suffers all the others suffer with it ; it one district prospers all the others derive a more or less direct advantage. At the same it is .equally true that whatever causes a circulation, of money in any district benefits that particular place more than any other, especially if , the, money thus disbursed is expended on productive labour. By a reference to the account in another column of the expenditure in this Province during the last quarter of 1861, it will he seen that this part of the Province has scarcely received its rightful proportion, from the Provincial Treasury. Noris this quarter an exceptional one. For some time hack, the same, remark might have been made, . sometimes, .with even greater reason. There would have been nothing to object to in this, had there been no objects here on which’ money could be profitably expended; but -the reverse has been the case. -Works have been postponed which ought ( to have .been executed long ago, and which if executed would have been a channel by which large contributions ‘ would have'flowed into the Public Treasury. This injustice, as it appears when the sums spent in other parts of the Province are taken into account, has unfortunately been caused not so much by any indifference on the part of the Government, as by the supineness of its subjects here. They have been disunited in their aims and in their efforts, and what demands have been made on the public purse have been so desultory and discordant that the Government has been at a loss what to do. In the matter of a bridge the inhabitants cannot even - join in recommending a site. In the matter of one or two roads the settlers in their neighbourhood cannot agree as to -the proper line to be taken. In such circumstances,, the / Government ought to lead. It must incur some responsibility. If it act incautiously or injudiciously it must be blamed ; but it can scarcely be blamed so much even if its plans prove not the best, as for not acting, at all. We are glad to learn that it- lias' determined to choose for itself the No. 3 Line of road, and whichever of the competing lines may be taken, we are sure that those opposed to that particular lme, will he much more grateful to the Government for making it, than if it remained irresolute and inactive, doing nothing until. all opposing interests had coalesced, and there was no possibility ot ruffling any : one’s feathers. The proposed grant of AIOOO to he put in the estimates for this road, will, if judiciously expended, soon be repaid into the Land Revenue department. There is some likelihood, we would fain hope, of how getting a really good Road Act. A Bill on this subject is we believe to be introduced by the Government, at the , meeting of Council wliich begins to-morrow. We should have liked that the example of the General Government had been followed, and. that this and any other measures proposed to be introduced had bet n submitted to the public for a few weeks previously. But in default of this we must rest contented with the belief that our members are thoroughly alive to the importance of the subject, and are acquainted with the manner in which the difficulties connected with it are to be met. One difficulty is the reconcilement of disputes as to lines of road in a settled district. The recurrence of such disputes in new districts may easily be avoided- by haviug the country surveyed and the roads marked off before the land is exposed to sale. Another and perhaps a greater difficulty is the finding of a method to help settlers in the making of district roads. A road way is laid out and formed by digging a trench on each side, and throwing the clay into the middle, and by making the side cuttings needed. But in winter such a road is nearly impassable, and .several win ers elapse before the money necessary to'complete it can be raised. A case offers itself in the No. 2 line of road between the Wanganui and Wangaeliu. The settlers for. some miles out of the town have fenced their, land, so that all traffic is strictly confined to - the line of road. In the wet season this road is literally,a quagmire.. Last winter it was almost impassable for riders.,> The,settlers; in that.district have., emptied their purses in making ,the road up to the present, point. • ,At' .least three miles must be metalled before it can be of use in white?.' ■By a great exertion they are having one. jmile-. of it : done at present .at an expence of £2 per phain. At 'the sameirate, it wi 11:require five or six years ,to have the road; completed, .especially if the expence of repairs is ■ taken into ac» count. Now can no, way be- devised ; by which money could be obtained toy ina k e

such a road available at once 'without an: immediate heavy drain on'- the settlers’' too heavy for them to be able ’ to‘ stand'it ? Another point for consideration is the adjustment of taxation for all main lines of road, not cross roads, -but those leading from one district to another, as the Nos. 1,2 and '3 lines of road in the., district just referred to. The No.' 1 line was made i entirely -by the Government. The Nos. 2 and 3 lines fall to be made partly by the settlers. Why should the settlers, on the No. 1 line be wholly, exempt from road taxation, because the great North Western Road passes through their land ? And again .why should the

settlers 6f Nos'. 2 and 3 lines pay a towards the'making .of their roads, in" stead of a fourth or fifth or any other proportion ? Their share is ‘fixed arbitrarily ; but would it not be better to have some px-inciple to go upon in taxing for this object, and that principle such as would as nearly as possible make the incidence of the tax equitable 1 If these and other similar difficulties and inequalities in 4he working of the present Hoad Act, be solved at this meeting, of Council, the Country districts may well be grateful for the benefit thus conferred on them, in a moral as well as a physical point of view. , , .