CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3068, 30 November 1888, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

SJSINGLE ROOFS*

(To The Editor).

Sir.—l have a building in the No,: (1) one district so described in the building regulations of tlieMasterton Borough By-laws, section (2| two, clause 46.. This building has a Bhingle roof and is sadly in : need of repairs. I am rather in doubt as to whether I may repair the said'roof with my reading of the by-law tells me that I must use some incombustible material, On the other hand there is a large house in the central part of Queen-street which •Has had'about a third of the old shingles replaced with liew ones and that but very recently.. What to to prevent'the owners of .'that property in tbe.near future from removing the remainder of the.old shingles and replacing:them with new ones, and thus practically having a newly shingled roof ? Has there beon neglect on the part of the Borough Surveyor, in allowing a roof,iu number (1) one, district to he repaired with shingles or is it lawful to do so?. I should like to have this information supplied by tho Mayor or those hi authority, under him.— I am, &c, BUBGESS,; [For the information of " Burgess" we oan.iuform him. that in June next all buildings with shingle roofs, and within fifty feet of any other building in No. 1 district)' 1 must havo'tho shingles replaced: (or covered)''.with incombustible . material, and we think tho Borough ought to publicly notify the fact, so that property-owners may have plenty of time to prepare, m the alterations'.—Ed, W.D.] Title to'-the Unti 1 Road. [io'-TUB EDITOR,]

Sih,—ln my letter of 24th inst., refuting the charges made by Mr Beetham against the Messrs Meredith ; -awaiting a reply from that gentloman,. I said that in a future Jetteiy.l would deal with tho question of title ■to the-Uriti road. If,as I presume to be the case, Mr Beetham has realized that there is no possibility of reply, by which he oan clear himself, and as he has not adopted the' course usually taken by gentlemen, and men of honor, who desire to reinstate themselves .in the good opinion of Hie world,when shewn to have taken up a; false-position, I proceed to fulfil my promise: The" Uriti" road is a branch line .from tho Whareama District road,' to, conneot that road with tlie shipping place—it is; about 2$ miles in length—and,was opened in the iaterost of Messrs George Moore and D. Donald.':'' The last named party, having sold a portion of his property to Mr W,"Bennett, that geutleman also.delivers his wool, and receives his supplies' over this road. The point of departure of the" Uriti". road from the Distriot road, is upon Mr George Moore's property, and the road runs ■' through Mr George Moore's land—that of the estate of the late George,Moqre-R. K. Mere-dith-the "Waioroiigo'' Trust Estate, and uryown—in the rotation in whioh I have set them down. My late' son Edwin assented-,to the-road being taken through hiß property subject to being protected by fencing, he neither demanded or received paymont for the land required, and m a neighbourly spirit he also allowod the -use of bis private-road n.ade at bis own cost, through the Waiorbngo Trust Estate. At his death, the Trustees of the Waiorongo Trust.Estafce were proffered payment for the land required for a road, this was- accepted, subject to the' road being fenced. Believing that it • was the desire aiid ; intention of • tho Chairman qI t J;S-.:.Master{ou, Boad Board to geUlic roal iegaiizouill!'? ll^: . out, to save the ratepayers ■ the heavy" expense pf tailing .under .the' Public':Works Act that : portion (aboul one third of.itV'vihole ■ length) thai goes through my laud, 1 gave the Board a written undertaking .which secures the right-of-iyay to the. public, wbifp if from an abuse of-pora ■■■ at,;the, hands (if : the. local body elairhing ' Vjtke'oontrqiftf tb.e ; i:6adr Oi-M. sfrength^f;the undertaking;!abowefenel, ;to--Be.e; ipp^^s^a'ooaVsyinuewas'prepwad

the j;6f ri b l . Me*"6i.v.tli€f - proteetive^-iooudi^-' tion ;mi»tt : ;pirty; to' tlie?afcdlate';;cohyeyan'ce Jmdiiio proprietary -rights VlmUlfe^liiSi'to'.'say. the ■ least ;.6f; it,very'pecdliarprocedure,-taken in connection; .with th'ej ; circuinstjnce that the conveyance : ,was "presented to ine, for execution, by: Mr,: George •Mdore,aroused I my suspicions. and; those of my sonßichard that all jfas; not fair jind above, board, and when 1 add that no stops were taken to ;get, a'conveyance" ffoiii the "GS'eoutbra* df. the-, late George:-Moore's or: frouY tho" one Mr .George: Moore—l think the public will?, acquit the Merediths: of ■'having..' acted other, than- ,pn the jdofensive. From- the' foregoing explanations,, .coupled to; those,of my letter of tlte>2ith. insUt wilf vbej ■obvious to all—lst,' Tliat' [. have from the. very first given.practical recognition of the moral-right of the public! to have access to the. landing and shipping placer 2nd, : f hat I and iay sonß individually have afforded all reasonable' 1 facilities J for 'necessary traffic. 3rd, Thatlraffio Ms been and coiitinups.umnteri'aplie'd/.^^Thdt'm 1 offering ttpassivefresistance. to "what; looks like an attempt to bver-reachus' hi the matter of title : " by- con-. j'veyance deed, affecting..■our' individual properties, :wlnle ! 'no s'ilch deeds were required from Mr Moore arid others, that jye have only exercised ,a proper, and' legitimate preciutipii, and have thereby protected the interests of the public from liability to be out off from the district road, by the yery;partj who has been-making use of the Chairaiaivof the Ai asterton Boad Board; to hold the Meredith's up to, opprbbrium.' I apologise "for obtruding so much, of whaf, must: be devoid of interest "to the average of yo!U'rfladp,hut:when from-my knowledge of the facts, I could place.no other coustruotionon Mr Beetham'B- official V utterances than; that he was allowing himself to be; made a cat's-paw of, to serve the questionable ends of an individual, .whose reoentxonduot and correspondence has earned- him a notoriety, that few men would care to be. .associated with, it behoves me'to .be plamapokan.';,.'.'. ■-.'. ;,.

Yours, to.,' "'■':';'■' . _ :■ Edwin Mebedith.c [appendix.] ; Jfemorandum of agroemeht,' ' , '.- 26tli September, 1885. : I hereliy. undertake to give the Mastertoiifioad Hoard, a conveyance of the land necessary :for a right of road 1 from the boundary of the " Waiorongo" property to " Uriti," subject to the right of maintaining a, gato at said boundary till the road is fenced on both sides to "Uriti.".': ; i ," Edwin MEHEDim ...