Road Difficuties in North Wairarapa.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3067, 29 November 1888, Page 2

Road Difficuties in North Wairarapa.

[to the editor.] Sir,—Mr Boetliaw's remarks, as faras they apply to me evidently mean that ownors of land have a duty—that' they should part with portions ot their "land gratuitously, for the pubhVgood, This is certainly nob a' rule that is expected ' to.bo acted on with other forms of pro-, perty, certainly not; as a ; duty, but - simply as an act of benevolence. If 1 - am upheld in my action in stopping the ' road id question it is evident the land ' , forming the road: it my' property, and ' according to all custom and law; I am justified in exacting some oiiiii pro quo before parting with it. If for argument's sake, I admit tho .duty, as Mr, Beetham suggests, then surely tko ; public to whom I am to be generous also' has a duty. T|ie public in this case is represented by the Mastorton Highway Board, The Board's duty evidently hjiU to'seo that I haye my wants as to access roasonablyjattended to, and also that I'" am not excessively , rated." This , they havo not done; Pot 10 years 1 1 had >■ road atalljbuthad'tb. pay? rates aU*ii time,- clear 'toy : own here at tjreat expense to mvself...l n'ow - have a road passable 'for ; wheeled traffic. ' four or,five monthsiin'the year, bWeyen'ib for ihat i am especially/, rated, (besides being specially rated by the Oouijty for! otherportiona'of.theroad betweenbore ■>! and Master ton,- This road/such-as' it'is,' 1 is simply; going ro. lliiti of attaii- ; ! money to heap'miw.oii metal'on th 6 " Upper Plain Road, but barely enough to clear out a water-table on the". Wangaehu Boad. ; I am now" further asked to quietly submit to have a considerable. portion of iny property iiioat excessively rated for tjie extension of this rtiid, an extension that partes' thrbugH'- and beyond my land, to be.of .no benefit to me, but to benefit a considorable area of ■ settled and unsettled country, which ! will only partly contribute to it. Jn fact,'' had this new levy not been' hurried'on jo um-eifconably, a lot of this unsettled land, 1 which is now coining into private hands, could have borne its share «f the burden.' To what extontte is .a laudowndr to be liable to spe'(|j| rating 1 Thero must be some limit or was meant for 4 blessing ■ becomes a curse. I should think that limit should • not go beyond expenditure between one's laud and oiie'a market town. - Now in this cise I am to be rotod for roads outaidu and beyond my: land altogether.' ' lam &«., S,Mawlry. . Ditton, Wangaehu, , November 28th, 1888. ' .- ' ■