CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2469, 6 December 1886, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

♦ .' THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CRISIS IN THE GASTLEPOINT RIDING. • TO IHE EDITOR. Sib,—When Mr MoHutchon put me on my trial before the Cashpoint rate-', payers at Tenui in Octobor last, I would gladly have seized the opportunity for I discussing with the ratepayers the broader views before them, had not the lateness of the hour and that incomprehensible sense of weaknoss, accompanying the development of severe physical derangement prevented me, Mr MoHutchon has for years reined tho legitimate king of the Castlepoint Board, and has enjoyedan amplo "civil list" at tho hands of his subjects, It is natural that he should view with dismay tho disintigration of his kingdom, and with dislike the man who cut the first small bHco from his dominions, But Mr Moßutchon is'u substantial settlor and 1 am sure he will on consideration, dismiß3 all fueling of rancour, and accept frankly the altered state of affairs and its consequences. I prefer the open warfare of Mr MoHutchon to the hidden and more insidious ufluenee whioh ought, without disposing itself, to embroil mo with my constituents. I appeal then to Mr MoHutchon and his friends to loyally assist in the inauguration of a small republic on the ruins of his greater _ kingdom. The Castlepoint Road District is now reduced to a comparatively narrow area, and the work of the Board to very Bmall dimensions, The district roads whioh will be repairable by it do no probably exceed in all some fifteen miles including tracks along river beds and the flat easily repaired road towards Uriti. Should the main road be ultimately taken over tho Black Hill, the present road from Mungapakeha bvfdpe to tho junction with Tinui-Whakatakl suction—will probably be couvorted iuto a district road, adding between five and six miles more to the liabilities of the Board, ft is therefore not only tho very greatly contracted area of tho-Board-, but its contracted liabilities with which wo haveto deal. It is. clear that large salarios to tho officers of the Board must ceaso. A greatly diminished ratable' area and diminished liabilities mean inevitably diminished revenues. Taking the best data at my disposal, it seems to me that about £'fflo should amply meet the demands of the year's expenditure, and that that will be obtained by |d rate; but this also is osaontial if tho Board is to go on, viz., that the staff and offioo expenseß should not in any caee exceed £lO per cent of that income. In our Upper Taueru Road Board we have no stiff expenses, and the money- raised 1 goes entirely to works. If no substantial rate-' payer at Tonui can bo found to volunteer to do the offico work of tho Board, I cannot doubt that somo competent pewon can be found who will be «lad to devote { some of his spare timo to such work, and add by thatsource£lstohis yearlyincome, I have heard with regret a desiro expressod to abolish the Board. Though not a resident at Tenui, as a ratepayer and settler deeply interested in tho general welfare of the district, I would earnestly entreat my fellow ratepayers to retain their Highway Board as an effective social Government machine To elect members pledged to regular attendance, mi to insist on the Board being more— not lees—effective and useful than in the past, Unfortunately, in the last year it has assumed an attitude of antagonism to tho Council. It should do all in its power to asaist the Council, It should be a body locally and intimately representing the ratepayers of Tinui and the surrounding district; watchful over their interests and able and willing to give every assistance to the Council; and to inform and advise, the Councillors of theßiding, astothe opinionsof ratepayers. Highway Board, too, in a remote district has a value. Beyond the mere road work it does, it offers opportunities, at repular intervals, of discussing matters of general and local Interest,' invaluable where settlers are so widely scattered. As to the future road policy of the Board 1 venture to offer the followlne suggestions :—lt is u'rifair, as long as the main road between Masterton and Tinui is incomplete, to levy a heavy rate on properties which have no direct interest m any than the main road, and to spend that rate on district roads. When the main road is complete such properties should contribute on a reasonable rate basis to assist the districts above. We are all interested,in the general progress. Next, taking district roadß, or even the County road, evory effort should be made by the Board to extend the radius of metalling from Tinui outwardß. It Ig a really cruel thing that ratepayers, suoh as Mr Stillborn, for instance, should, at the very threshold of tho township, be cut off from it by an almost impassable bo?, for the road is nothing else. I ahould certainly not have complained if myrateß had gone to improve this part of the County road. I do complain greatly when the Board leviesa half-penny rate and puts the money in the p&nk. The onlv remedy is to withhold payment till the last. A wise, liberal, and thrifty administration of even the contracted lunda of the Board will yearly allow of some little substantial improvement'of the roads and tracks to the homesteads of more distant settlers." The complete making and metalling of such roads, h'owevor, if required by any settlers Inrerestod, can only, in. fairness to the general ratepayers, be effected out of loan, and Bhould not be a tax on the whole district. lam, etc, - Robert 8. Hawkir

MIL U.M, PARE IN REPLY, TOTHBEWfOR. ' -i . Siß,-Your leader of to-day is full of propositions and allegations with -whioh I cannot a?ree, but 1 find it difficult in a single letter to do it justice. I gather,' however, that you MB.p»paj«l to admit:

that -Mr ; Balance's .Lar/ Settlement SohsleMavebeen the nieane'of foedinoi Miisitlds during- a)'.time .of. serious but .because oue or two ot the Wje'settlersget on;the spree and have • n|tjaid the-iftireke'eper, you contend thaf Mr Ballinle's, land schemoa haw- • :shpwn unmisMeable, signs of failure; ■'"- That.'lAtnfe'.ktlie gist'of your rnent,ana lam. content-to.leave-yimr"« reader judjte whether; the ; ofle or Jwo black sheep should -warrant the'''.■•>' wndetntiatipn of the whole';Jßockr The-- '■■' teproprntion aspect which you introduce-' .roto.tbe discussion, and your very unique I' defimtion;.somewhat complicates mattj<fsV • •" I will not discuss that subject to-dayWM > --■ ■I-may be porinitted- to/li'^h.^afr 1 - Hawking' memory by rflmihlmkiim that' it. was KINO Ahab who expropriated - • poor Naboth's vineyard.-; it was the rich •man who forced the poor one to give up . his inheritance; it was the owner of mucn. : : land thaUxpropriated the small plot- > the poor man's all. There aro King ■:■- Ahaba abroad at present, as in the day of '■' of the Jozreelite, characteristically ; ready . • to. expropriate as many unfortunate Naboths as they caii got: into .'their, clutohes, What you say is only too true; the' selections of the small land holder :' are very often absorbed by more wealthy.':-.-. neighbors, hence the necessity forvlani :• nationalization, which could give M Parliament of the Colony the right id.regulate the, cjuautity of land whioh .one! man should hold. Youspeak settlements spending Qmrnnumt mmv and receiving -'-'advances from Governnient." Thij'is an error ; v tho Govern.--* rarint does not make advances to villlageBottlers, butthe'state, being in the position ofulaudlnrd, pays a certain percentage . on permanent improvements mado on the property by the lessee, and if thesft lessee settlers left fchoir holdings to-morrow they. would leave a great deal more than fair -. value bohind thorn for any monoy received from the Government. If they get on.the spree they do not Bpend Government money, but money whioh they havo earned by hard work; Government loses • nothing, As you Bay, however, the coil- . fiding storekeeper suffers, until experience teaches. In your leader you mention Mr Balfour, and assert that it is owing to money spent by that'gentleman that Mmtuahaß succeeded as it has done, This I admit, but would it not have been far hotter for Pahiatua and for tht colony if tho Government had done in the way of improvement!) what Mr Bal- x four has dono ? Say that instead of this' ' absentoe owning the block whioh com- : pvißesaomesoooacres, the Government had retained possosaion and employed the sottlors to dear and grass it, what ' would have been tho result? It would now,be supporting some M human nolngs instead of four or five. If Gov*, ernmenthad improved tho proporty to '• thu same extont that it is now, would there havo been any. loss to the State ? • Pon t you think Government as a landlord would bo pwierable at tho present tap to Mr Balfour? Is it not to bo regretted that's block of 6000aore» in the . ForWMile Bush only Bupporfrone small • faiuily in this colony; instead of fifty as jtshould do ? Mr Ballarice aims at sub. • ptituting the. Government in'placo of absentee landlords like Mr Balfour, and his Bucccßß up to the prosont time has In • my opinion been remarkable. -. I ain, &c., G.M.PABK.