THE MOUNTAIN ROAD T0 RAGLAN.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1606, 19 October 1882, Page 3

THE MOUNTAIN ROAD T0 RAG LAN.

TO THK EDITOK. Sir, — Complaints) have been made through youi 1 columns of fclie state of what is commonly, but erroneously called, the Hakaramata road. (The real name of the road is Tokcliouhon, Hakaramata being the name of the range itself.) The burden of those complaints is that persons having a free lease of land should be allowed to cut up the road with heavy sledges laden with limestone. Concerning that, I mean to say nothing, as the road is common property. What I wish to [.oint out to the public, and especially to the Whaingaroa Road Board, is that the persons engaged in the lime trade are in the habit of taking their stone from the roadside, and not from the land leased by them from the Waste Lands Board. I think that it could be proved also that tlieir limekiln is on the road. My reasons for laying this matter before the public are, (1) that the stone now being taken off the road will soon be required for metalling the road itself. The stone lies on the ridge at the top of the Whatawhata side of the mountain, and is the only available metal on that side ; (2) that it is an injustice to the public that the road should be cut up by persons who are taking away the material necessary to repair it I contend that those who have a free lease of land should not make that land a cover for tresspassing upon the public road. I havp no desire to complain of land being leased gratuitously for lime burning or any other industry, but I do think the board having charge of the highway from the Waikato to Raglan should take steps to prevent that highway from receiving unjust damage. Let the Whaingaroa Board look into this matter and do its duty to those whom it is supposed to represent. — I am, sir, Fairplay.

Anew balloon is now under trial in Germany. It is so made that the buoyancy of the gas is amongst exactly balanced by the weight of the car. Therefore it can only raise by the action of the propelling machinery, and will resemble a bird instead of a soap bubble. Mechanicians will be curious to learn how the inventor gets four-horse power oat of an apparatus weighing only 801bs. but if he can do this the aerostatical problem is Bolved.