MEETING.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 5, 1 August 1861, Page 3

MEETING.

At a public meeting held the Bth day of July, 18(31, at YVaipuna, George Worgan, Esq., in the chair, it was moved by 0. L. W. Bousfield, Esq., seconded by M. Hutchinson, Esq., and unanimously resolved-—“ That a petition be signed and presented to His Honor the Superintendent of Hawke’s Bay, touching the formation of the road between Puketapu and the Puketitiri hush.” Copy of a petition presented to His Honor the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay.

Sir, —We, the undersigned, beg to call the attention of your Honor to the matter of the proposed road between Puketapu and the Puketitiri Hush.

At the present time, a road between these places does not exist in reality, and can scarcely he considered defined ; the consequence is, that in that portion of tlxe line lying between Puketapu and the Mangaoue, in one spot we are driven against a fence, and in another place we are threatened with more fences and other obstructions; this state of things, bad as it is, would be in some measure endurable, hut that we are unfortunately confined on this tract within very narrow limits, bounded on the one side by an impassable swamp, and on the other by the bank of an equally impassable river ; and to make matters worse still, the river continues to wash away its banks on the side we are obliged to travel, and consequently reduces, day by day, to an alarming extent, even that very narrow limit which we have hitherto possessed to turn either to the right hand or to the left. For the remaining portion of the road, all that is requisite would be such improvement as would render the present dray-track practicable at all seasons. Individual representations to your Honor upon,the subject have met with no satisfactory results, and questions put to the Provincial Engineer, in reference to tin* undefined state of the road, have been met by a calm assurance that the defining of lines" of road was useless, and this, too, in the face of the great pains and unflinching perseverance with which the road between the junction of the Mangaoue and Tutaikuri rivers lias been chipped out foot by foot over hill and dale for twentv miles.

Not requiring a very large sum of money to he expended on this, to us, vitally important line of traffic, it is but reasonable that such expenditure and such attention should be bestowed on our requirements as to render this line of road practicable, so as to enable us to convey goods or produce to or from the Port, without interfering with our neighbours boundary fences, or otherwise incurring the risk of destroying property from narrow cuttings, abrupt descents, or almost impassable swamps.

We beg to submit to your Honor that the expenditure of a few hundred pounds, judiciously laid out in the worst places along this line of route, would in a great measure alleviate the grievous hardships under which we have so long suffered. The number of signatures attached to this petition will satisfy your Honor that the subject of this petition is such as should command instant attention.

Signed by 27 inhabitants of the district.