NORMANBY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 249, 17 May 1882, Page 2

NORMANBY.

(from our own correspondent.)

The chief trouble which goads the people of Normanby into a gloomy state of discontent, is the impassable state of all their roads forming their means of communication with the districts on which the trade of the township depends. The upper portion of the Waimate Plains bordering on the Continuous Reserve, is supplied, or ought to be supplied by Normauby, were the wishes of the Bettlers in the district mentioned and those of the traders in the township, tbe people with, whom rested the decision. Unfortunately brisknesß of business depends upon facility of communication and transit of goods, and as the roads are almost impassable, the settlers are inconvenienced, and the tradespeople of Normanby suffer direct loss. The road to the Plains, that from Waingongoro to Manaia, and from Okaiawa to the bush called (Ahipaiha Road, are in a frightful state of mud, and frequent stickings up, frequent in the well-puddled clay are experienced by teamsters, thus early in the winter. Carters with horse teams havo had had to turn out thoir animals and purchase bullocks; and settlers with spring caits have to discard them temporally and return to the primitiye method of packing their necessary supplies. The Hawera-Normanby Road is in course of repair, the holes being filled up with gravel. The time ia doubtless a bad one for metalling, and water can be seen freely running from the carts engaged in carrying the gravel. It has always appeared to your correspondent that the chief reason of the unsatisfactory state of the road under consideration was from the first, the quality of the gravel put upon it, and not with the quantity, which was apparently ample. The gravel too was good, had it been properly manipulated, that is, it contained good binding qualities if the large stones had been broken up; but large round surfaced stones being mixed with the gravel rendered a thorough binding impossible. The hoofs of horses, and the wheels of vehicles rolling on to these, slid down upon the gravel in which they were imbedded, and unseemly holes were the frequent result. As one gains knowledge by experience, it would be foolish to disregard the knowledge gained by the result of the former gravelling of the road. The metal now being placed on the road contains boulders as large, or larger than those first used, and some of those are being buried. The coat of gravel on top of these will be speedily worn away, and the round surface of tho stones be exposed to turn aside, with a sudden jerk, the wheels of drays, which will thus wear holes in tho road as heretofore happened. Let these stones be broken.

Will anybody take the initiative in the matter of the large native reserves which are contiguons to Hawera, Normanby, Okaiawa, and all the Towns down the coast until Stoney River is reached. These reserves are not locked up, they are to be dealt with under the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act. Let some applications be made for the leasing of some of these to the Commissioners already appointed, and we shall thus discover if any stumbling block stands in the way. There appears to be some little objection on behalf of the natives, but these are not by any means insurmountable. They have principally reference to the choice of tenants, the appointment of the Trustee to collect rents and distribute them bfting generally acceptable to the Maoris. It is manifestly unfair that the persou who hua spent money in negotiations should have no preference, and it is disagreeable to the natives to have an undesirable tenant thrust upon them. Let the Maoris chooso the person they wish to lease their land, and let the person have it, subject to tho supervision of the Commissioners as to the terms of the lease and payment of rent. The ten thousand acres adjoining Aornionby will, when opened, send tho township ahead, but unless some step is taken towards initiating the lease of this it is likely to be unproductive itself, and retard the advance of Normanby for a long time.