LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 280, 19 August 1908, Page 9

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

WOODWARD STREET—A SUGGESTION. Sir, —Tho important object'of securing the best possible access to the Terrace by way of Woodward Street appears to be lost sight of in a somewhat lioated controversy. The Terrace is a, main city thoroughfare,. , important of itself, but, still. more so as leading to extensive residential suburbs, and surely it can never be tho intention to leavo it .permanently so narrowed at the bottom, of two steep inclines as'to have only bare room for two vehicles to ; pass.' • As left, a point of extreme danger has been' crcated,and "one where fii'these.'days of .motors • collisions are certain to occur. A ...visit, to the position will satisfy, any, townsman that there was 110 need to'so cut into the width of the Terrace roadway.-• 'The Woodward Street deflection should! liavo'. .beenstarted some fifteen feet;;lo.wer, down, that street, and .running across. the end of 488 and the 1 Government section, emerge on tho Terrace at its present level. Tho lower and main • portion of the Terrace ' roadway would not thus: have requirdd ' to J be'.'.'ptit into, and by raising the height of the jrc-" taining ■wall about , equal to that of the Club wall opposite the road level' ■' by" arrangement. with tho. Club,' could no "doubt liavo been proportionately raised. And really, sir, this should now be done, if eveii these warehouse foundations have to ho buried, for tho cost of, now doing so will be a trifle compared to tho expense after a building has- been erected. ''' The Mityor is pported to,'have said that, through difficulties over Section',^Bßi'ho.'liad-, been unsuccessful- in negotiating for :; over two years. Tho it appears, belonged to •a* Native lady from whom' Mr. Macdonald had recently ' acquired • a lease, and, if correctly reported, ho seems to -have only completed the purchase during j these negotiations. What serious [difficulty j had stood so long in the Mayor's [way has! not been explained. Surely, if: the section ' was purchasable by Mr. Macdonald', "the Council's officers could have , equally', afci quired it, and at. a similarly low figure: Then tho Government section}' when ! asked for, was lat the -,Council's disposal to assist thorn in this work. ■ Although 4SB was last valued at £1640, probably both sections did not cost tho purchaser much over £2000, and with tlio altogethhr exceptional bcLlermeht arising to this property from the grading and extension of Woodward Street, which is now and must speedily become/' a still more busy thoroughfare, tho remains of the two sections would have readily sold, leaving tlio Council a very handsome profit indood. But that is not my "present concern. I wish to draw the attention of those immediately interested to the necessity of now effecting a most urgent improvement on tlieso most important central streets, which can now bo still carried out at a relatively low cost, but which if left must be a public inconvenience and danger for generations.—l am, etc., August 18. PRO BONO PUBLICO.

MAORI HOSTEL IN WELLINGTON. Sir,—Your correspondent, "Maori' Well-' wisher," is greatly mistaken if'he 'really' thinks that consideration for the interests' of tho Maoris will affcct the Government; in coming to a decision on the petition referred to. The welfare of ■ the Maoris or the welfare of anyone else for that matter are among the last things to be taken into account. It is purely a matter of rotes.' If it can be made to appear that tho electors of Wellington North"'object' 'in suffi-" oicnt numbers to the os tabl ishmerit "i of>*a' Maori Pah in their midst, then'you will find the Government candidate"will be' on "the side of the objectors, likewise-'the Minister.If, on the other hand, tho olectors of -Wellington North show no particular sign of resentment, and it appears that a- concession to the Maoris in tho direction indicated would have a useful effcct" from a Government point of view, thbn the-result; is equally obvious. This is no doubt ■ Regret-' table, but it is assuredly true."i'.Those-who' have any recollection of similar, although smaller, settlements of the -' kind in Thorn- : don w:i|l ~ probably- have decided views on the subject. Of course, if'the Maoris tako the matter into their own hands, and make the purchase themselves, nobody and' nothing can prevent them. Prom the fact, howovcr, of their appealing- to' the Goverrimont, it is tolerably clear-that tho. Maoris require more_ capital. Itn-rests -with the electors of Wellington Nortluto express their opinion oil the rather cobjr:proposal that tho Government should devote funds contributed by the taxpayers 'at'-large to assist in permanently establishing, in a thicklypopulated .quarter, an institution which many, if not most, white people regard as an unmitigated nuisance, to say ! 'hb'tliing 'of' a posiljve public danger. Perhaps-i .Mr, Hcrdniaii, wlfo is about to address'the electors, may have something-'to- say' on'tlio' subject.—l am, etc., ~ August. 18. x STRAIGHT TALK: "'