CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 2687, 29 March 1894, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

COUNTY MATTERS.

To the Editor of the Star.

Sib, — Some of the actions and utter* I , ances of the county council of late are not I ' to be commended. You very properly ' have taken them to task anent charging cobg of re-ereotion of a bridge to loan account. It is difficult to understand how honorable men should be guilty of such a transaction. In the discussion on tbe vehicle licensing question there are aIBO Borne queer reasons put forward. Mr Forsyth is nob in favor of this tax because it would press heavily on some who merely, " to oblige their neighbors" (preeumablv not for pay), drive round an express, and cart to the factory the milk of a " number of suppliers. The number of cows must be in inverse ratio to number of suppliers, or no express in oreation would bold the milk. But suppose that an express is carrying two tons of milk on narrow tires (which tbey all have) would it do less damage than four traps carrying half a ton each ? Mr Forsyth says yes : I say no ; and further, I think that that gentleman is quite "Clover enough to be aware ot his own speoial pleading. Then, Mr Hemingway despises a paltry £200 a year. But £200 would pay interest on overdraft and have a substantial balance^ which would probably cover cost of the collection of ihe tax. On tbe whole, I tbiok that there is some hidden reason for this opposition. Justice calls for this measure of licensing vehicles, and not on^y for those who ply for hire, but for all. Take some caseß io point. I manipulate my own milk on my own farm and cart only butter; my neighbour carts his milk. For every 41b I cart be carts 1001b. He travels seven times a week, I once. Who uses, and consequently does most damage to the roads, be or I ? And is it Dot an etbioal axiom that those who use a thing, most should pay the most for what tbey use ? True, our individualistic social syßtem, offering as it does a premium on lying, fraud, acd selfishness, teaches us always to endeavour to get our neighbours to pay our debts and taxes, till one is irresistibly reminded oi the man who was bo generous that he was always prepared to spend tbe last cent of bis brother's money or shed tbe last drop pf bis brother's blood, bat not his own. Take another case. An express, so heavily laden that it requires four horses to draw it, and bas to have a piece of scantling placed nnder the springs to keep them from breaking, with tires of not more than 2^in, runs three times a v?eek, to and fro, between Kaponga and Eltham. Not one sixpenoe does tbe stuff so carried pay towards the repair of the road it travels •ver, as the consumers are outside the rating area. It may be said that if tbey use our roads we can use theirs, but not so, for traffic is always towards tbe outlet, either railway or seaport, so that while

their traffic comes our way, ours does not go (buirs. Then i take the bullock teams, These carry usually from 15C0 to 2000 feet ot green timber. Take the average at 1700. I weighed a piece of partly dry rimu and at its rate 1700 teet would weigh more than three tone. This class of vebiole is peculiarly bad, for as a rule the drivers are cruel, the bullocks consequently in constant fear of the lash, so that when the whip is lifted they rush hither and thither, taking tbe load off tbe orown of the road and grinding down tbe edges of the metal. Then many. of the waggons have no breaks, and going down bill tbe practice is to drive into tbe watertable and scrape the nave of the wheel against tbe banks. I have known a surfaoe»man to say that sometimes tbe whole of bis day's work was destroyed in less than half an hour by a bullock team. Mr MoLean is to be commended for proposing this tax now that so many of our roads are getting metalled by speoial loans, and I trust that the council will pass the measure, but failing that I bape that tbe ratepayers will take tbe matter up and make it; a test qaestion at the next election. — I am, &o.« J. W. Kenah, Eltham, Maroh 27.