KARIOI.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2909, 7 March 1891, Page 4

KARIOI.

» 'I'm; Waikato Almanac say.i that the disIrirt \vi> hiu'ii tho pli.'iiHuro to livo in, i>L'f>i"riilly called the " Sleepy Hollow." If that is tliii worst nickname to bo sriveri 1-1 the birthplace of our children, w must nc thankful to the author of that vilu:it>le litt.lo book, " Awake Then Kaplan." Shall wo betrin with a prowl ■it, tho (lafunct Ministry '? No, it is not lair to liit. even ono man when h" is down, ami to blamo tho la«t Ministry only would hi! wrnnir, as others before them forgot that then; wi-ro wants in Kaplan and < ■ovcrnmuTit propiu-ty to bo looked after. Taking for granted that wo received our full share of borro'vrd mone}', dircetiv or iiiilir'" tly, what wo should like to briny to tho notice ol' every ratopavor in that rhe It: wiw, unionist. other noccssary works, m iiioy oiiiMit. on a Court boimi iu Raglan (hofuro the borrowing 1 era) and on ti oriiu road to connect Uatrlati with Iviwhia in ISSI-So. Why tins Courtlioii"o is nol. kept in bettor repair, must bo to keep it iu a. harmonius accord witli Iho jr'-numl appearance of the t.ov. nship. This house was water and bullet proof once, it, may be tho latter yet, the former it is undoubtedly not., and it. would certainly look better with a new coat of paint and the replacement of sundry rotten board", ete., the lockup in in tho name building 1 , what state the latter is in, we can't describe, as wo never entered there, and always found tho door securely fastened. About tho road from Raglan t.oKawhi/i: I'art, of this road from Te Mata to the confiscation boundary lies in tho Raglan County. The Karioi Road Hoard, while in existence now the C'onnty Council, since tho former merged into the eounLy, have taken over this road, <>r rather the maintenance of it, from the Government. Since this road was formed, it was only with tho greatest difficulty, that enough money could be obtained to keep it open for horse traffic, for weeks and months often it was left in a state almost as bad as the worst places on the old Maori track over the mud flats of Aotea. Through Sections 92 and 94, Block X, it only wauts showery weather to mistake the road for a river bed, and every subsequent rainfall is certain to liken it more to such. Thousands of pounds were spent on this work, nobody looks after the state of it, and where a year ago a few pounds would have been ample for the necessary repairs, it will now take tens and twenties of pounds to re-form the road. "A stiteh in time saves nine," but the Government machine wants to stitch in " sleepy hollow." We don't ask for money to he spent to create a little flutter among our storekeepers, but to save a greater expenditure in the future. The same carelessness about Government property may exist in other parts of the colony as well, and if attention is not drawn to it, every ratepayer suffers indirectly. What is the uso to borrow money, Bpend it lavishly, and then let the works po to wreck and ruin ? If a farmer acted similarly, ho would be looked upon as a bad husbandsman, why should tho .State show such a bad example't The 'Times, since the strike, forgets the supplement, thereforo we will conclude our message for to-day, as our friend, the editor, may have to hold this first number of Correspondence from Karioi over, from want of space. Where are all tho groat business men in tho Waikato, Raglan is called the"Sleopyhollow," they must bo asleep too, else they would advertiso more aud bring back tho supplement to all of us.-—1 am, youra etc..

Tj: Kokoudtanua Knd of Fobruary, IS9I.