THE MANDEVILLE AND RANGIORA ROAD BOARD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2567, 29 March 1869, Page 3

THE MANDEVILLE AND RANGIORA ROAD BOARD.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE LYTTELTON TIMES. Sir,—Will youkindly, through your widely distributed journal, allow me to make public my reasons for retiring from the above Board, because of their bearing on the district. Since my reappearance on the Rangiora and Mandeville Road Board, I have set my face determinedly against what I considered, and what I will show, is an injustice done to one very large portion of the district. In the first place, one part of the district had a firm phalanx of three members, including the chairman; the consequence was, they could carry anything, and argument was like talking to a nine inch wall. As I could not bring about a fair distribution of the money, there was no object gained by my stopping on the Board to be subject to the gross insults of the chairman.

The surveyor had reported that certain works were necessary for the forthcoming year, including £6OB for keeping in repair metalled roads; also, other works to the extent of £796 in the Rangiora half of the district, and £233 in the Eyreton half of the district. Those being the acknowledged and approved divisions of the district, I could not understand why large works, which I contend were not of the first necessity, were to be undertaken in one half of the district, when other works in the other half of the district, which were imperative to the occupation of the land, should be unmentioned in that report. Also, that where three separate and distinct roads, each carrying a considerable tr ffie, had been washed away, and no provision made for that traffic, nor steps taken to provide a new road; again, in the same half where a locality (Sneyd'a Town) occupied by a large but poor population, arid being a main thoroughfare, but for want of some Road Board work is allowed to remain a plague-spot, where fever and small-pox are hovering almost about our door.

I asked the question, which I had a right to ask," Had the chairman instructed the surveyor to report on theseparticular works which were reported upon ?" The chairman having power lo give such instructions, I did not intend, nor did I impute anything to Mr Lee; but, Sir, if the chairman liked to put on a cap which, according to his own demeanour, he mußt have thought fitted him to a nicety, lam not to blame; he certainly protested that he had not one penny interest in the pork to which I objected, though himself owning or occupying four (4) miles of frontr age on the same; the contract was let on the motion of the chairman.

I contended that as it was very hard, stony grouud, and on the dry plains; and from my knowledge of the road in question, it stood quite secondary to several other works, even in the Kangiora lialf of the district, and had therefore no right to have such a large sum of money expended upon it. Another ground of objection was, it was still further increasing the over-proportion of metalled roads in one half of the district.

The plan adopted of making it a first charge on the whole district for repairing and reinstalling the made roads obliges the porions of the district which have not the benefit of any made roads to contribute to roads not in their district at all. 1 contend this is exceedingly unfair, when they want their own outlets to the district opened out, and roads made. The whole case stands tlius

Rangiora half—24 miles of made road to 51 square miles of freehold is equal to 1 mile of road to l-(20 acres.

Eyreton half—9 miles of made road to 48 square miles of freehold is equal to 1 mile of road to 3400 aacs. Eyreton, then, has to repair its own roads, and also 6 miles of the Hangiora roads.

As I have not the full accounts to refer to at present, 1 cannot state positively what the amounts are which have been expended in each district, but it appears to me that not near half—about one third the proportion of Government money, has been expended in the Eyreton district as in the other half; of the amounts collected by rates, I do not think the one lmlf has been re-expended up to date. The Chairman, though a member of the Provincial Executive, entirely ignores the wishes expressed by the Provincial Council with regard to the £3OO vote for the Eyreton district.

From the extent of the district, and the jealousy between the two portions, men will continue to le elected by sections and not by th; whole district, therefore those members bo elected will be the conservators of the interests of 'hose sections, and especially so (without imputing any want of unfairness) from their knowledge of the most pressing wants of their own section of the district, and their total ignorance of the wants of the other portion of a district which is so far removed from Iheir own observation.

:Tlie surveyor help tiitriself, but be guided by the.influence of the majority,. : How can'a Board so constituted work, qW less by fair and equitable principles laid 1 down and worked with integrity, which I have shown clearly is not the case at present ? Let there be separation, then we shall have emulation and friendship. Your obedient servant, MARMADUKE DIXON,