Correspondence.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3069, 1 December 1888, Page 2

Correspondence.

RoadMcuties in North ;,.■. Wairarapa'

[TO THE ECUOR.],.' ~ . Sib.—ln reading your report of my remarks re the ;Uriti Road -"difß--culty, I to surprised ; at their, accuracy—had the. proof beenijii- .' niitted to me for correction, I. sbvßd not have added or changed a single word. If I have made, any mis- .' statement, I must take the conso-. * quohces. .Firstly, I.'disclaim;any'"* present or ulterior motive, other than- , a'wish to point out the' difficulty wo settlers suffer under, from tho faofc that sufficient roads were not laid off while the right to do so existed, soV thai similar mistakes may be avoided • '■ ■ in the future, Whether this motive" is unworthy, or whether my'remarks "-;■■ amount to foul slander, I leave to be ;' settled by the tribunal indicated by: Mr Meredith, viz,", all right-minded ; , men.!::Mr "Meredith sums up,his , letter thus':' "I owned- Uriti before '\ "it was:required;or.known is a " shipping-place."' .I..have some information re the purchases in that neighborhood,, sufficient, perhaps,, to justify my remarks, but c/g|| exaofc. date of purohase~can.be ofimed, I • propose to.wait .untillean do bo, rb alsotlieexaotdato.wheii Uriti ; wrs.,; first • used as a shipping-place. I - will take the second i" No road wm; 1 ' " laid off to it prior to that by W " King, referredto." The following letter will,. 1 1 -think,- bo a sufficient : answer:—" Dear Sir.—l beg to state ' "thatl surveyed a line, of road for " tlie Provinoiai Government : W : ■• " Wellington from 'tlie Maunga. : ., •' pakeha Valley.'.-'to,the;. .coast. '.'aV\ " Uriti about oighteen, or' twenty; * "years ago. Tliis Voad went tbrougb ' • " Mr Meredith's property, and! was ■ ■: " pegged off at'every ohain.'.This was / " done before the Crown' Grants had " matured. Yours .faithfully, J. D. ■"Baird, ■ late.PrPv-rioial, lEngijieor. " WelUnglOT,''Noydmber2o , ; /v 1888."'v 'I can prove that the road was laid off more than twenty years ago., I have .; ;■' no doubt that Mr Meredilh" could • give the exact date. He was there ; at the time, and-had a< ! considerable '■■'■■ say in the location of it—slnftuig' it '■;': here and there to suit. his; own con-, i iVeuience,';; The;expresa object in ing connect'tlie at; '§. Jefpro; JlfeT| ; grahtsinatulf^ to'a;^ssfeUm|nt'fl^&adei.!at^.ihf»'^ hwetin^p|®r^vl;sal3i^|sf| *iecMd|s;i^ was^gged"off;6y ; ;prieirK :and;asUt;:has3sej iisiiisiliiiiii

"been afforded to tho public tmd "those having occasion to use it." I I have been a member of the lload ; Board many years, 1 have heard of looked gates and obstruction, of •disputes aiid discord, and last bnt not least, of a heavy sum .haying been, paid for a right-of-way .that might with a little foroI thought and management liavo been ' secured to the settlers free of cost. It is not for ino to dictate or suggest that compensation should not have been demanded—the right'to do so existed—and it was done. I would add that had the right boon exercised in all cases where it existed Wuirarapa would be a less pleasant place to live in thau it is. lamin- " formed that the road is used far more • by tho owners of tho property than the neighboring settlers, yet none of tho prol|rty is rated. Lastly " That " the ™ole of Mr Bcotham's slate- . "ments reforring to Uriti are foul "slanders upon myself and sons, on fiction and prompted <?' "by unworthy motives." There is no fiction about Mr Baird's letter, ;:>thfl date of purchase of. land and 'lir?t using of shipping place I have •promised; to look up. " Unworthy motives' and foul slander" I have already referred to. 1 am, 4c, ~■ y . William H. Beetium. ' P.B.—Somomisunderstanding perhaps exists as to tho meaning of what I said in my romarks at the Eoad Board meeting relative to the road . being laid off to Uriti,' which it is well to correct. Tliis statement wnß in the report coupled unfortunately with the assortion that Uriti was used as ashipping place before Mr Meredith ■■ purohased tho land, and an impres- . sion has I believe been created that I intended it to be' understood that i the road was laid off also before that * purchase . If I had wished to convey such an assurance, I should havo said " Uriti was used as a shipping place, and a road laid off to it before Mr Meredith owned the land.'- As a matter of fact I was well aware that the road which Mr Baird pegged off was not surveyed till ten or twelve years afterwards. .■"_.'