ROADS IN WAITOA.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1555, 22 June 1882, Page 3

ROADS IN WAITOA.

TO THE EDITOK. Sin, —l have a great respect for the gentlemen of the Press, and know that too much confinement in the office is not conducive to health. I would suggest a pleasure trip to Te Aroha, as a variety, when, I have no doubt, an account of your advertures by "flood and field" would be amusing and edifying to the people. Don't take much luggage. A light tweed suit, and dress boots and silk stockings will bo the correct thing, when you will see the advantage of local goverinent beautifully illustrated, and the gieat benefit of road boards to, the community (at least that portion of it who keep hotels). As your adventures may not be without danger, you might, as a prudent man, insure your life before undertaking the journey. Some one last year suggested a canal to join the Thames to Wiiikato. You will sec the road board are acting upon the hint. We only ■» ant one of the Yankee steamers which are said to be able to "sail across a grass paddock on a dewy morning," to make the trip most delightful — Carter is nowhere, and has had to stop his coach. Why docs he not get winter wheels tor the coach ? made like hollow pumpkins, which, when they came to a canal, would float the coach, and as the horses would sink in the road he might try electricity. A man to run a coach on these roads must not stick at trifles—there's nothing like putting difficulties in a man's way to show his metal. No doubt everyone saw months ago that the road would be difficult to navigate when the wet set in; but the road board had not arranged with one of the members to give 5s a chain to drain his land, and there were a few outlets from the ditches requiring to be made ; and before a os job can be done it lmist be decided at a monthly meeting of the board; it must be reported on by the engineer and examined by a member; report brought before the board ; passed ; advertised for tender ; work pointed out to tenderers, and lepoited on when finished —all costing time and money ; so that putting on a 10s culvert is as bad as a suit in Chancery, and the ratepayers get about as much for their money. Or, if a hole is to be filled up on the road, the approved method is to dig a rifle pit at the side, and wheel the stuff. It is not thought advisable to take the bumps off the line of road to fill up the holes, the rifle pits being useful to make people careful in driving along in the dark ; it also gives stockmen something to do in picking out sheep, or, it may bo, cattle. But might not these bumps be the cause of the holes, from the wheels jolting into the low ground and causing the water to stand. There is rather a peculiar formation of the road east of the bush at Larkworthy's place. On a piece of dry level road along the side of one of the ditches, the road is made after the similitude of a long potato-pit, so that all the traffic is directed along the top in a sort of Indian file, and when once on, it is impossible to get off, even if you wanted to let the Governor pass ; so if two independent electors with loaded teams met, it is hard to speculate how they would get out of their difficulties —whether they would draw lots to pull one of the drays backwards, or fight it ©ut, curse the ground and the engineer in particular, and both drive on and land in the ditch. Whatever way, it is hardly the right kind of road, as a little further on beyond Missen's another engineer, a little more developed, had discovered, and was undoing a similar piece of work, by filling up the centre ditch and forming the road throughout, at the same time the aforesaid piece of bungling was going on. We must all creep before we walk, but it costs money, and puts the public to inconvenience and risk, as the ditch which has been filled up in the centre of the road, between Missen's and Te Aroha, is a dangerous bog-hole. These freaks of engineering are incidental to and consequent upon our infinitesimal system of Government, where we have quantity for quality'of, engineers, and which throws the btirden of keeping up a main'road''like the one between Hamilton ancl Te" Aroba,^ upon' the road boards ; 'where" 35 per cent'of' the assessment is wasted, and where ,the' Waitoa Road'Boardis expected.to pay to keep up, a-road foiy the^severs'in the f' Waikato'district to send their produce Jtb compete /wtyh $aenv7 m^he ,Te, lArohamarketj and renders' \me '^ro^sj^abje to 1 be blocked up, a^fthe^Arona/rbad^ at present.—l am, kc,,' / *'" ' "j<*W'h PkclßjOno Pcbwco.'