METALLED ROADS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1892, 19 January 1885, Page 2

METALLED ROADS.

,; ' kuSlig-meeting) [ iA. Mitei'lScJ convened 'under 'the' auspices 'of the North Wairarapa feetfelers' Assaocia-tioiui-waa.-lield-i«~the-Tlreatro^Eqyal"on ; "Saturday, evening, At the appointed time J. onlysomehaUdozjij-persons, >^|^ i ' o n, l 9f.ithe Austj^lian'-Bipqdin i apparently being fatal to the gathering,. .. .After waiting for nearly three quarters of an hour an assembly of .nearly thirty ■' settlers was obtained, ■ ' Mr Lowes was voted to. the chair on the • motion of IJr R, S v Hawlfins; ; i The'.' Chairn)£tn " explained that '■ the , business of the meeting w'a'? to consider the advisability of urging upon the Government'tO'ffiake the of ' metalled 'roads a leadins' Its | public Itorks/ '.le put that- tkipromotera -of the -present' meet 1 j- ;irig '"fere - conspicuous %"tneii: aßsence".' ; .It;'liad-.b'eehi' tb'o'ba'd'tb-put ' i;mfeetirig!-"iifihe I Theatre..Royal which, in their absejipe, must evidently be a'fiasco. ..However, the there ;and-'wbuld,-nff doiibt, 'beableikj thoroiiglily ... satisfy the njeejiihg or. " times its a'izo qf- the advisability of oanyring out hi» policy. The gentlemen" j' present were .nqt. responsible for those . who were absent. • He-would call uponMr R.- S. Hawkins tb-'address them.' ' V Mr Hawkins, said that the • Chairman- ; 'W- -stated so fully and fairly the origin and cause qf this irieefc(rjg it was un- ; necessary for him to dwoll qn this point." J' He regarded the present meeting as a sort ■ of challenge whether the. opinions ex- ' .pressed by the Association were the opin* (.! -ions of Mastertpn. In the.absence of those who had Qpposed them he could only , MBurae that they had opme round to their. ' opinion I; ■ for the ' Ifejjent events , rendered .the'.present meetujg less nocea-. • cary than It might otherwise have'been,. " The opinions 'expressed'by Mr Ballancewhen the County Counoil deputation ' 'waited upon hini were so much in.aooord- | ance with the views of. the settlers that. ' they could not do better, than.leave the j- queafcion in his hands. Aa t however, tho i meetjng had been called it was necessary TJjey -must "ltjok.'-to'"various purees -of- : "revenue for the different roads that tl)ey [ required,- - The' colqnjal credit .might-bo" | fairly pledged- to oonneo't waste lands with oentros of population but for roads passing ' through settled land they must rely on local credit,.. He. .could.riot .think that they coi'ld ever make roads out of rates. ! The Roads and Bridges; Const-ration Act hat} fajled in* one. particular., Under it the needs qf gettlerj appreciated a ; Hundred.''.thbusani}'.' ■ allqcalted where..a million was demitnded,'- . .The.nifle per .cent rate pi interest- charged : -fpr offered a prenjium for repu*34 tl}e term fjepj) to" extend tq forty years, ana the interest 4J per cent, settlers no doijbt would have 1 . been prepared- to undertake the maintenance pf all their roads. No doubt a large proportion of tho post pf rpad making must fall on local gredit, and w)l fl !) a proper system of local self-government was.' obtained, they might be' in a position to borrow for such purposes. On the presentbasis no satisfactory arrangement could be made for obtaining lqans fqr rqad con-, struotion, because in borrowing, the elements of perminapoy ancl certainty were indispensable, Another point which was , very necessary, in arranging local loans .was to r'efraiii from individualising to too great, an extent the expenditure of rates. . The wiser policy was to extend the benefits to .- all#her|tbn'limit : theburdensto afew. As fit aS they coyld jsqp tlie .Colonial. 1 credit was not ' equally 'distributed. £700,000 was allocated to Counties'last l anything like its share. While no.money coultj be' obtained in the Wairarapa, the district circling Mount t Egmpnt was a perfect net work pt roads. . Ij'q ptljer spot , in the .Nofth Island cqiild vie with it In this respect, He left it to the meeting to say Tirhoso special interest r'oaded Mount Egmonfc and left the Wairarapa out in the. - cold. . The words of tlfe reaqlqtipn he was about'to move really ombraeeji everything that was needed. There could not be. settlement without roads • "and they ceuld not get small settlers 'on their land? without roads, The Association had been'agitating for roads, and -they must'still agitato, While they sat quiet they-.TOe passed over in the dis-tribution-of-loaveaand' fishesi- ■ He'con'' ,'sidered the-.'action of the.' Association caused the Government to take up the ' question of lands and roads in the Wairarapa. This district had some'of. .the' . richest and best lands in the colony,' and its'aevelopement meant the development of the resource?, of ji part of the colony. He would move that— That the settlements of the North Wairarapa County and its waste lands the development of'its groat resources and the assurance of remunerative traffic to its railway, depends on the completion of its Road, System, and that the Gpvernment be urged to mako tho construction of metalled roads a leading feature of its Public Works Policy, Mr R. R, Meredith seconded the resolution, thought they would be in a betted position 'if their' present rates were devoted' jn paying interest in- money ■borrowed for the construction of roads. 'There was npt a better investment fpr a man folding property tlian good roadß. Seven years ago a ba]e qf wqql frqm the Whareama cost 30s to reach Woll(ngtcin now it oould be sent for 15s, Formerly a bale from Tenui cost 20s which was now despatched for lis. They oould well afford to pay larger contributions to roads if their charges for carrying were reduced and they wore relieved of tho necessity of storing mproductivegoods at their stations' in anticipation of theseason when communication would be impossible. The resolution was then put and carried ana the meeting adjourned.