CORRESPONDENCE.

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

CORRESPONDENCE.

SEVENTY-MIILE BUSH ROAD. • (To the Editor.) Sir.—By order in Oouneil dated Soptembor 30th, the above road is declared a county road, This so far is the outcome of the action of the Wairarapa East County Council, intimating that unless tho Government is prepared to provido tho sum of £1734 for maintenance for tho period ending 30th Soptombor, 1887, tho Council will refuse to undertake' any longor tho ropairs to the road, or any responsibility in connection with it. Tho Under-Secretary, under dato of September 30th, writes;-"In view of the probability of some speckl damage having boon dono'to tho rOad, however by roason of heavy traffic, duo. to tho construction of Government railway. Tho Hon. Mr Richardson has requested thoEngiiioor-in Chief to furnish him with a report, showing what the cost of repairing such damage would probably be, and on receipt of this report it will be fully considered, and your Council will bo informed as to what amount of allowance, if any, tho Government can sco its way to makq.on that account, but it must be [clearly understood'that such allowance will bo on account of damage done by cartage for railway construction only, and not in the naturo of a subsidy towards road maintenance gonorally, as the Government, in view of the extension of tho railway, system, and tho consequent largo diminution in cost of the maintei.ance of the main road through your County cannot see its way any longer to goon contributing towards the cost of the maintenance of this road which* has ceased to be of the character of a Colonial road through uninhabited country and has now become of the character of a local road through country which is more or less settled upon." It is quite apparont

from the tone of this communication that before long the whole burden ofjuaintaming this wad will be place'ajfcon the shoulders of ratepayers in it I am at a loss to follow/the' argument that" through the extension of the rail-' way Bystem this road has ceased to be of the character of a colonial toad," for until the ; radway. is completed: ;to; Wo*dville the portion of road, be it long;or short, between the finished sections of railway hiuat still be of colonial importance,. as a link in the main line, and consequently liable to damage by increase of traffic to the railway..' My ofa,'.however, in writing on this subjepir is to. direct the attention of settlers in the Forty Mile Bush to the very serious amount of taxation they may become liable for in a short time for'maintenance ottho road which if the Government now put in a proper Btalo of repair would cost some £2700, and would entail an annual cliargo on tho Eketahuna, Alfrcdton, and Pahiatua ratopayors of not loss'than £I2OO, a sum that would mean a crushing rate on settlors already heavily handicapped with taxation and tho expense of clearing bush land. If tho Government is sincere in tho desire to foster settlement in the Forty-Mile Bush, ib should pause beforqjAhrowing tho muintonanco of this rojßon the settlors, for thero can bo no greater bar to.the progress and 'wolfare of thoso at presention the land, or a greator detriment to future' settlement than, placing this heavy chiuyo on that district. 1 will even go further than this, and say it is the duty of Government to form and thoroughly metal all- the main linos through this bush country, for tho settlers will lmvo quito enough to do to form and metal the. very largo' numbor.of district roads required in a country settled in small areas, Buforo deciding to borrow under tho Loans to Local Bodied, tho ratepayers of Ekotalmua. Alfrodton and' Pahiatua would do well to take into account this question of maintenance of the Forty-Mile Bush road, or they may take upon their shoulders mora than they can bear. I am, etc., , Thomas Maokay,