THE HOWICK ROAD.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3118, 15 July 1867, Page 4

THE HO WICK ROAD.

To tha Editor of th« Daily Southern Cross. Sir,— ln last Saturday's Southern Cbois complaints were made of the state of the Ho wick Road, reflecting on the trustees of the district of Pakuranga. The ratepayers of the Pakuranga highway district held their usual annual meeting in April last, which was well attended, and a reiolutioD was adopted for a new rate at one shilling per acre ; but the new Highways Act, 1867, having partially become law, by ita provision! the old trustees had to remain in office until October next. From some grave error in the Act, it is very doubtful whether they can legally enforoe a rate, and many of the ratepayers, believing this to be the cast, refute to pay. In every district there appears to be an interregnum from the time of the usual annual meeting of trustees to the following October. This state of things is simply disgraceful to4he Government ; the trustees are powerless, and the roads are going to ruin. I waited on the Superintendent several weeks since, and stated the dilemma we ware in, and the state of the roads and bridges. He desired me- to make my inquiry as to the legality of making a rate in writing, which I subsequently did ; but I have had no reply or acknowledgment of its receipt. This neglect is of the most serious consequence to our district ; the delay will swell shilling expenditure into that of pounds ; and it'is likewise a great hardship to the heavily-taxed district of Pakuranga, which for several years past has been taxed upwards of' 5 per cent, on the rental, an amount nearly double that of the English income tax. The trustees have also received a sharp letter from the proprietor of the Howick omnibus on the dangerous state of the roads and bridge*, and the difficulty in delivering her Majesty's mail at Ho wick. The writer complains that he thinks it hard that he should be subjected to such miserable roads, as he pays a toll at the Tamaki bridge, and another toll at Newmarket. We wish him to know that none of this money comes into the fund for the trustees. We are making roada for him and the public to travel over daily without one penny being refunded to us, and wo pay besides the same tolls that he does at the bridge and Newmarket, although the residents oMfctho Raglan aide of the South Soad have never paia any ' rates whatever, with the exception of Agangere; and

their g*te at Otahuhu I believe free* tbe one at Newmarket. I oannot understand why it is that the residents of Howick and its adjacent districts have to pay interest on the £17,000 of the half-million loan, and all the remainder of cheloan pays no interest whatever. Is it because they promised to do so? 7 his at all events only shows the necessity for the public work required ; but this is no reason a Government should enforce it, or make a catspaw of the settlers in this neighbourhood. What would be thought in a soup kitchen if a very hungry pauper were to say, ' ' I will pay for this !" Let any one interested in this matter walk into Queenstreet and the Haymarket on Saturday, and inquire, Where*doei all the produce come from ? where do all these healthy-looking hard-handed settlers live? He will find a very large proportion come into town by way of Fan mure, from the Great East Road, which is taxed all the way from the Harp of Erin, by the districts of Mount Wellington, Pakuranga, the townships of Howick and Fanmure, Paparoa, Turanga, and Wairoa to the bridge leading to Taupo and Pukorokoro. Let the Government take some of the tolls these people, in addition to their rates, pay to mend the Howick road, which has become impassable from their own blunders, and from no fault of the trustees. — I am, &c, Chaibhajet op Trustees, District of Pakuranga.