THE FORTY MILE BUSH ROAD

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2700, 14 September 1887, Page 2

THE FORTY MILE BUSH ROAD

• Exhausted Finances. . • i At the North Wairarapa... County* Council meeting yesterday, on.a recommendation from the Finance Com-, mitteo being-brought forward to levy a rate of five-sixteenths of. a; penny in tho pound on the Pakiatua riding, On MoOakdle said he must strenuously oppose it. EVconsidorod it a. fat ■ graceful thing after taxing 'the ridgf with a tollgate, to attempt to levy an extra rate"upon it. • He. regretted that the Government had thrown tho maintenance of the road upon the ratopayerrinstead of keoping it in repair tkonis.ol.ves, after cutting it up in the way they had dono through the railway construction in tho district. (Hear hear). If the roads had been handed to the Road Boards they would have been better looked after, and unconsidered the County roads.to be the worse kept ones in Wairarapa North.. .He would like to know what had become of the Crown and' Native Land rates that had been collected in the Pakiatua RidinjA The money had not been spent for the benefit of that district, "'but had been taken elsewhere. Up to the time pi the Government handing over the road to the County the rates had'been religiously collected and expended./m ' other districts, yet there was a deal, of talk about the sum of £75" t.0,,'.b0. kanded.to the riding by tho Oounta: ■ this would only represent an avrctiodflfp' and hotel license which' tho County have collected this year. He said the. road ' between Eketahuna.'. 'and Pahiatua was the bosfc kept one- in the Bush.. Ho considered that before any' extra rato was struck, tho settlers, of the riding : should be consulted,' Ho moved that the portion of- the report relating to the rate be postponed until. the ratepayers had ah opportunity of petitioning the Council on the subject, and that the Pahiatua Town and EOad Boards be communicated with,.on!the subject. ... Or Smith seconded the motion. Cr Hawkins 'thought ~ it was enk, reasonable that 'the ratepayers of tfflT . riding should be consulted on the' subject,. The Government had, dam-. aged the roads, to the extent of'£2ooo, and had only handed the Council the Bum of £IBO to repair it, and provided metal for the road which was- almost useless, owing to it being so :rougk.. Cr Meredith said there appeared no way out of the difficulty but to the rate in that riding. The ridiaP to the south of Pakiatua was taxed to the utmost limit, and money must bo raised, as the' County was. responsible. : 0r Dagg-said; the. whole-Oounoil were adverse to the rato being sttaok, but they were driven' into a corner add must raise it, besides, overdrawn at the bank. ■> Cr McCardle said the road between

perfect quagmire, it was in fact mosl disgraceful aud unfit for use, and lie had been informed by the coachdrivers that 'it was not safe for ordiimrj traffic, while the portion of tho road within tho Pahiatua riding was a? level-as a bowling green and in splendid*, condition. He considered under-". the' -circumstances that they were treating th« riding most unjustly, The Forty Mjle,Bush, had been a good auslj.fio.ff for the.County, but it bad almoS.tijib.dl7;.. •' ; ■ . ' ,-. TlieTSfion',was, carried on. the Voices'...™,--,■:• -... -: : ■; A .'spirited -.discussion ensued 'as to the fbos'i course to pursue" under Jho existing ' circumstances with v>flreg!ird to; tho road repairs, and the only conclusion the Council could amvojit'.was that tho surfaco mon should be discharged, Or McCardlo being of opinion that tho mon should be takonfforn the Pahiatua road and fijjL'ou' botweon Ekotaliiiua and. JHSgaruahoe. The Chairman-moved "That as no; funds were available in' the Pahiatua Biding for road maintenance, the surfaco mm bo-discharged within'one month from date." He said there was course opou to the Coun cil, their funds 'were oxhaustod and they coijld not pay: them. _ Cr Bootham, in seconding tho motion, Eaid there appeared to bo no help for it. • They were all taxed up. to tho ; hilt', 'and.had bad roads too, this was more especially noticeable. in " the I CasUepoint Biding. Cr .McCardle pointed out that only one Account, had been kept on the m£ortyMile Bush road which was an [ to tho Pahiatua end, seeing \ 'that tho klk of tho money was raised I there. I _Cr Boetbam deprecated the kalis- -■ jngof County roads in tho Bush as being injurious' to the district. Cr Maunsell said that the ratepayers in the Bush must face the fact that thoy have to keep their roads, in good repair. It was no more than other districts had to do, and ho instanced .jgojroublos of the Cashpoint ratefljjfs in tho matter of roads.' Cr McCardle moved as an amendment " that tho withdrawal of the surfaco men from tho Pahiatua riding be postponed until after a deputation from tho Council had waited 011 the ' Minister of Public Works and reported to tho Council on the subject," Cr Smith seconded the amendment. The discussion was continued at some length aud on the -amendment p U t Ors McCardle and Smith fflpie voted for it, the motion being Carried, Cr McCardlo entering a 'protost against it. .Cr McCardle said at tho next meeting he-should ask for a return of all Crown and Native Land rates collected in-the Pahiatua Biding sinco itwas constituted.