The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1886. RATED TO DEATH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2429, 19 October 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1886. RATED TO DEATH.

Mil Mackay, the Chairman of the Wairanipa East County in another column of our present issae draws attention to the question of the maintenance of the Seventy Mile Bush Road which threatens to fall on the shoulders of the settlers in the Ekotahuna, Alfredlon, and Pahiatua districts,' The special rate of possibly a penny in the pound which may have to be imposed to keep this road open, will, we think be,about the ksfc'proof needed to show settlers the suicidal results of the selfish road policy pursued in this district for the past few years, Under the old County administration the doctrine ''bear ye one another's burdens" was recognised, bub many of the leading public men of the district thought they could do better on another motto by creating separato interests and each one of them practically went in for a Road Board of his own, a sort of grindstone on which he could grind his own axe to his own liking, The result has been that Road Boards have increased and multiplied and now it has been discovered that the poor ratepayers, instead of being better off under the separato or selfish system are likely to be more heavily taxed than over. The separate or selfish rating system is beginning to bear a big drop, • For example in some portions of Wairarapa North there is. a general County rate of a

farthing, a separate Count)' rate of a half-penny, a special rate und'-'r the Roads and Bridges Construction Act' of a half-penny, a Road Board rate of a half-penny, and last but not least come the promise of ut loans' to local bodies rate, and a separate rate for the Seventy-Mile Bush road, When these rates are added up, it will be found that some settlers will have to pay a fourth or a fifth '.of the annual value of their propeities in rates, How will the new settlers which Mr Balance is now placing in the Bubli flourish under such conditions? •■ The outlook is not at all eucouraging, and unless thero is a fresh departure taken, both in Parliament and in the country, in dealing with the construction and maintenance of roads, a large per centage of the settlers now being placed on land will bo starved off it, they will literally be rated to death. We blame the legislature for giving country settlers so largo a degree of local option in the administration of local bodies, The result of this has been to divide and subdivide districts till the power of economically reading them has been lost, In Wairarapa Uorth full advantage has been taken of the local option clauses of our various Acts. A thoroughly selfish policy has been deliberately adopted .by some who are recognised as out' best public men, and now fresh burdens are falling on the shoulders of settlers who were led, to expect that the fruits of'such a policy would have been small taxes and large improvements. We always maintained that the best and most economical road administration for this district would have been a large united Wairarapa County. There was a time when Wairarapa "South might have been willing to join Wairarapa North in a great enterprise like this, but we have now got our road making at this end into such a terrible mess that all hopo of a union of such a character must he abandoned, Still, we venture to beliovo that the mad policy of persistent subdivision will receive some chock, for we feel certain that the Eketahuna, Alfredton and Pabiatua districts cannot stand the strain of a heavy rate for the maintenance of the bush road. The small Road Roards are on their trial, and if they prove failures the work of re-construc-tion must necessarily follow. There was a time when tho Wairarapa North County was sufficiently strong to obtain from the Government liberal assistance towards olio construction and maintenance of up country roads, but it is now, owing to the mistaken policy which has characterised the administration of our local affairs, in a sadly degenerate condition, and the Government don't care very much for either it or any of the numerous Road Boards within its urea. What we want at the present juncture is united action from all parts, of the district to place road construction and maintopanco on ,i better footing, but thero is little hope of it so long as tho best public men of the district adhero to tho selfish separation schemes which they havo fostered so diligently during the past few years, Our chance of improvement will come when the leading public men of the district recognise the advautago of possessing one strong local body in the district and unite to establish it,