Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XVII, Issue 77, 25 September 1858, Page 3

Correspondence.

To thbEditobop the 'Nelson Exahineh.'

Sib — I am not aware what powers are vested in the X>ocal Roads Boards exactly; whether their power extends to the laying out any new line of road, or altering any former road where ft* may be desirable, or not; but I certainly think that the unanimous opinion of a whole distrust as to the necessity of certain lines of roads being absolutely required, ought to receive some attention.

At a meeting of the settlers of the Motupipi and Takaka districts, it was agreed that a memorial

should be presented to G-overnment, praying that the half of £2,000 voted for the making of roads in the district of Massacre Bay be granted to Motupipi and Takaka, and that the following roads were required : one from Motupipi to Spittal's Fall ; the other from Waitapu to the same place, to be continued in one line further up the valley. In a late advertisement in your paper, I see tenders are invited for the construction of a road from Motupipi to SpittaPs Fall, and one from there to the Long Plain ; no mention made of a road from Waifcapu. It looks very much as if a certain party of the powers that be, who owns some property in Motupipi, was acting on the same principle the good citizens of Nelson accused their late Town Improvement Board, that charity ought to begin at home, and has used his influence to get this road made to please a few friends, and benefit his own property. There seems to be a great haste exercised in getting this road commenced ; as tenders are requested, and the road has not been surveyed. Parties resident in the district may tender for it, as they may have some idea of the probable course of the road, as it is 9hown on paper ; but strangers would be completely at fault. As most of the road lie 3 through a dense bush, and part over a mud flat, it will probably take the whole of the £1,000 to cut it through, and then it will only be passable for two or three months in the year, during the heat of summer, and will probably require a further expenditm-e of some hundreds more to metal it throughout, to make it fit for general traffic. The road from Waitapu, as used at present, lies, with the exception of two or three hundred yards, through open ground, and could be made an excellent road for one-tenth the expenditure of the other ; so that, apparently, Motupipi is to be benefited, to the detriment of other parts of this district. There vras^ one objection against the road to Waitapu, that it passed principally through private land, but as they have changed the Motupipi road from where it was originally surveyed, and mean to carry it right through the middle of privato sections, it places both roads on the same footing as far as that goes. There seems to be a desire evinced to direct the,traffic of the whole valley down to Motupipi, by surveying no road to Waitapu. The majority of the settlers in Takaka express a preference for the Waitapu as a port ; but allowing that Motupipi was the be3t, it could scarcely be expected that the settlers living on the western side of the Takaka, and those at the foot of the valley, would find it answer their purpose to slap produce at Motupipi, or get supplies, when they have a port close at hand, one with which they are quite satisfied, and has suited them hitherto.

The least the Government can do, since apparently there is no money to be expended on a road from Waitapu, is to survey one and proclaim it, so that settlers may be satisfied that they have some means of communication to their land, and one not liable to be shut up at the option of private individuals. I trust you will give publicity to this in your columns ; it will at least make the public, aware, and especially parties owning land in the above-mentioned districts, how public money is applied ; and I hope that for the future we may get men in power who are conscientious enough to act with impartiality. I am, &c, Takaka. Waikaeo-Mumtt.