A STEP CHILD'S PORTION.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 669, 26 September 1876, Page 2

A STEP CHILD'S PORTION.

Slß,— ln jour issue of 7tS September la?t yous&y"Tlfe inhabitants" "of other Provinces, w Inch ha?? httlo or no lan.l fund tnnsfc l)pg and pray, and often in yam, for a bridge or a road." The road from Ngaruawnhia lo Alexandra is a case in point. As far oa the part of the ro»d lying ill this district is concerned, repeated applications hive been made to the Governments, Colonial and Provinfial without suectMn. The firM was made on 22nd Miy, 1869, to the Supn-iutenn. ent. by the Newcastle District Horn d, the la»r by Mr C->x during the pre^Mit besni«n. P.-ti f ions, m moiiila am' le t>'rs m tivent numbers luve b.en sent between these daie*. Tj the most of then n.» imswer was ever sent or any notict taken . f then, but a tele*rnm dureil 3 i h Jin •u-y, 1875 fio-ti the Minster of Public Works sHid that the Government propiaed t? " look nfter the b l'lgrs on the io d b< Ueen Newcastle and Alex n liv " l'his they have not done nt any r te in this district in «h'c i are sevew of the •.n<l biMges. The fallowing corretponjem;e will iliow how tho promise has beeii kept My Dear Sir — In nnswer to your commuuic4tion dated Mirdi lOlh, I be* to enclose extracts from a letter refering thertto from Dr Pol en, re-eivod in my absenco in tlic South. "The initial difficulty U w.tnt of money, 'lhe pronii-e tf» look after the bridge* on i he roud from Njjarnawah'a to Alexandra has been SJiupnlously, even liberally fulflllml ; lirge p*r>ie«of Armed mi abulnry ti ive beeii employed ou i line during the la«t thro ■or lour year*. The semes of the Hi tuct Engineer wee placed at th dispioal of tli'-> Koid B<uH 'at, th ir iequ «i.' mi I ' lor I li-ir md/ but nut ue nle I■ing I lie G.jv<rn~ie'if in i»ny w»y to under tike worm upon the line. Tlnrj h at tins moment a, bjlv of arm^d Cjnatabulary on the line Iroio AlrXudm to Ngiinawahu "" — I remain youis fuilhiuily, (*%m;d), Alfred Cox." Hmni ton, Jane 9 b, 1876. My Dear Sir,— When D.- Pj'len says th»t " the proini-e to look after the bridges on tha toid from Nga'uawahia to Alexandra has b>en scrupulously even liberally perorme I," ha liboura under a grievous mismk.-. Ir is true thut larf.'e parties of Armed Ccmtt.ihul icy have hfe.il employed on the line, between July 1871 and the tni.-die of 1573, and tlint ei^lit men have be-n employed thii je»r in tint district, b'lt it isequilly tru« th.it fiey were not employed on he bridges us the following ext-act Iron the ins rujtio <s gi*ent» the olficer om nan li'ig (* co,it of wliit-h he >ent to toi-) urill nlie.v. "It iipueirs fchar. <. u t. of tlio £12 400 given br tin Qvner*? d ivern neni to i ie P<orinc-i >if Au'klauda sun o! £1,3JJ # his been up ortioned by the Pro/iuci il Council to t lie different Iload Boards in VVmk ito. I huve in coni3quence torequ«fc thnt irh«n men of your freef >rce ire to bo imp'oyed on road <.\o k*, you will nut your•et into 3omm,»t>tci»u n with lhn Uom\ Hoard of the Dm! nut, wi h a view of obtaining its co-O|ii'rution. Tin* will -c h.'Stobt lined by the Board making the rrquisite bri Ig s tihl eulverl s while yu.rmen cirry on th) road work' —.Signed, Donald Mo Uan. "— Maruh 4 18711 his arrangement was strictly adhere I to. You will also pprcive from ihe cop r o( the neti ion io the Mnustet- for Public Works, d^itel 21 -t August, 1875 which 1 sent to yi-u on iOth March, 187», that the proposition of the Government to "look of er the bridges on the road between Neweist!« and Alexandra" u contained in a telegram to Major ,f«ck ton, M,H,R, dated 30ih Janun-y 1875, at which time thero were no c >ns abul ,rv einploveil oa tlio roid, nor hal thero been for eighteen month', s> tlut 1 am u.terl. unable to understini how Dr Pohen'a leti er can ap ly to it. "The service* of the Dis'riet Engineer were not pl.tesi at. the dispojil of th« Hoard. Ap.liciion whs ma Ie tlnoujh the Superintendeat nnd two lutt.-rs wore reco ved f r<;m him, dated resr.-c'i>o v 18m Juniiirv and Ht,h Murci,, 1874 Hti ing Ilia l he had r qii"S ed th- Mpn-ter fo P.ihl c Works to in truct \1 Clsn-ko t,, "»<nt ilr< Newci-itlo Hotrd w.th h s proiixsiinal «ervcs. ' Notliin<> furLn.T wa« heard of ihe mutter, and Mr Hitrke'aosistuncrt was not obtmned I hive s>en Mr Clarke, wh> stat s th tt ho never' r.-c.'ived *ny mslru -tions to iib-s- th« Newt-sit eHo r , but that ho w n f | reeled to *\ip ily the M.ingipiko Bair.l wi h • \,o plan of ono bn^^e, v»hch h<» Hi I. Thi-. was the extent of Ins as s anct». I enclose the m ra mo re ahsen'ee^, &-. I you have no obj^tion, 1 pio,T><e to gend a copy of your let'er and thi^ reply to the WuKAr > TniKfl, but will not do so until I hear from you. — Your->, ye y truly, Th'xnus Wilson, Climnna i N w cistle I> itriu' Boird" To Koaj, tVgaru i walna, 13th July 1876. A. Cot. E^q, M.JJ.R. When Dr l J o'len nnde thi stilt menta hn did in his letter to \fr V »x, he unit hue known tint tho G<,vcrum.'u' h d Hot done ar yilnnif to thebitf(»s inque^iim nnd th it ihe etnplovm jnt of the Armed I'ntntabuUry on iho ro id In' ween Juu •, 1871, md t>>e mi Idle of 187-?, uith it -t> netious n>t to inuke tho budge, coul 1 lime n )tluii,' to do wit li a p on no to look afierth^m mule in Jnuu.i'y, 1575. It is now about 12 y ar* sino<f seltle-m»-nt (•ommenced in th s d.stnct, >md the in lint oid fr»m Ngirutiwnhu t > Alex-ind a h still vii niide The Itiad Boirds canno-, and the G ivernment will no, find Ihe inonoy to do it. Although it u ail onfiieitte'J 1 (U<l, a<xl thu Gn-eral G- rern meut «till hold between 500 J and 60U0 aces in the N«-»<'as»le Diai iot alone, they have always steadily r^lu-md or ne^looie I to advance tho mter-^t-* of lhe set tier* in any way. The railway hn boen d<>l ( iye I md misoa-vn iged, and the ronds canno' be mide, a th-Migh in other provinces the Uoiui ißjunU havo morn mon> y ttiiin the\ know what to do wirh — Your ohtdinnt servant, Th inn WiNon, Ohuinuan Newca<tl > District Board. Te Koao, 9th September, 1870. i