THE CITY BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 181, 11 June 1864, Page 4

THE CITY BOARD.

I'iik ("it'" "board whs never a ])Oj>ii];it iu--1 stitution. TiiciT witc many reasons why ii '. should luii lie :<(i. Its first introduction was I ;i failure, mill its acls wort. , regarded, with • ridicule. Moii of stanuitm; did nol care 1o I take part "In tin. , ftrtitnpt at administering an 1 uii\vr>r!.-pH;! Act. and it* lirsV < 'ommissiouers v.orc appointed at a public meeting at which ■ not more than lliirl , . <it" ilii , citizens were j present. It was, t«n">, in connection with the I Hoard that the least popular of all incii. fhe 1 tax collector, first made his appearance in the ; strccls of Auckland, but even i.'iis k'lterf:'ct i would have occasioned litMe alice had i tin: citzens possessed soruriiy or cniilidence that they would ohlam money's worth fi:r i iheirinnr.ex. Who would object I o being even ■ heavib taxed for ljoou roads and clean st reel s. I but when, in addition to being heavily taxed, i the citizens know that, the Ciiy J'ales jirc deeply morticed for years 1.. conn: for liioiu-v. miicli of which is nut only thrown away, hut is done so in such a manner as to render the streets more impassable than thev ever were, public indignation, cries out against tin- fully and wasp- now being perpel rated. From Vv'ymlh.iiu to Victoria-street, once a good hard-metalled road. whi"h with a coinpai'iitivels- slight eNpense mii;ht have been kept in ljooil repair throughout tic winter bv the spreading of gravel and the lilliug in of lhe ruts, has been "operated upon" by the Board just at t lie commencement- of the! wet season — we know of no more '.hting term in which to spe.-ik <:f 'he works now hemic carried on! o". this portion of Ouocnst !•(■'•! The good hard metal ha- been broken up, and at a cosl the street has been raised with loose yellow c!av to a height of four feet, the metal relaid, and tin; whole left to lie worked up into a conglomerate mass bv the action of the hundreds of cans which pass ;i!mi» this portion of the street dailv. So dangerous i.< this part nf t he street. I that within the last ten davs i ". n persons have been run over, fora man if ho fails 1 cI lore :i e:in —and kc-pimj; his f,--.-t is a matter I of the ur.ate-t dith'.-uhy—has no chance '■■ of moving himself from before the wheels. . as he <lo upon a hard road. ' Had ihi- work been commenced i:i i he siim- : wouh! ha'.e In-come compressed end coiij soiidated into a firm Milder stratum lit to 1 bear 1 he hive".' of metal at'i er wards laid upon : matter; as it is the metal is 10.-t in the ; slouch, and the form of the road even canI not he preserved. Had fascines e\ en been j laid on 1 In- lop of '.lie clay the work no_;hi i have been less open to object ion. A similar " opera: mn" is being p'iTortned ! in other parts of the cit v. Victoria-street was uiuv j dean and ltoc-.I road. Now ihe awav. and the Yellow elav thrown towards I he cen 1 r< • of i i ie s! r. ■(■'.. a i id ii is on I v ow mil; in i in- fad ilial Vidoria-st rcet is on a pretlv : >harp incliii'.- liiat it is nol as dcsperal e a i|iia','mire as reel itself. We run!.!, if space would allow us. advert works now I'cin:; carried out in \anoiis parts of the ciiv. while in miiifi ers of places the iiihabiiani.s are unable to bring a I'-ad of lirewooii iuioiiie .-•, ri'ei vuii in which the , ' live; hut ail ti,esc facts are so v.eii known !o. ami fully appreciated liv. our readers. ; that il were a work of supei ion to do so. The condition of the streets is worse. ! far worse, than il lias ever been !'or\ears. j ami the people of A ucklaud are but ton well I engui/.aiil of tin- I'act. Hut why should this I lie tiie case. Ii cannot be said that fi' late i 1 lit- Hoard lias l>,-en crippled for want of j funds. A second hail'-veari v ta\.al the rale of 111 per cent, per annum on liie \earl\ ; value id' the city pmperiv is now due. and 'the Hoard has drawn upon ihe future rales I liy a loan of C 1 :'>.('.l>.). and iJT.ntM f.w a proj posed market house. L'IiO.OOO in all. il is Hot ]or want of iiiotiev. but hecatise tiiey have laid out what moncv lhev had fooii..!dv. i and without taking the end into <-i .i:si.i"i-a- ---| lion, tiia! they have fallen inio tiieir pres--nt I miserable plight, anddesl n> \ ed our ihom.igh- \ fares, wil !;oul giving us m-w anil pr.u-iic.i le inni-Si. 'i'iiey have. i;i f.ict. mistaken their 1 vocation. Street repairing am! mendiu- , ; ha;- , been 100 ordinary and iman an undertaking, j and works ; e.pii rim.; ihe pre.--.-u.-.- of ! skiii lia\e found more favour with the Hoard ihan plain. |>raciical works ol every-day necessity. Thev ii.ive elilered ion an iiii'.ii-rlakin ; i.iiirely lu-voiu! 1 iu-ii-j means, and have imi had tin- sa-acilv lo see ! that they wvvc doin L ; so until pracli.-a! proof has been alfordeil thai the cilv rales have been spent and pled:;i d mdv In pn; the cii\in a worse condition than il was n; hr i!,i> management of liie Provincial Coiiiicil. previously lo the formal ion of tin- Hi.aid. Thetriilh is. the funds which i i.h! siiiiice i'or keeping; the s! reels passah-o. and in oreinarily niiod repair, are found altogether tn fail when drawn upon for the performance of extended am! expensive works, and if the i'oard had eoniined iis operations a Ihlle more to procui-ie.'4 a hn'j;e ipiaut i , , v of metal, and keeping the streets we had in tolerable repair, it would have arri\ed at I e s; :■, ■ conclusion as il musi now have doi;e. in;;; the funds at its disjosal are suiii.-hu! to repair the sheets of the city, bih no! lo form them loo; Imil wilii this diiicnucc. (hat. in workup; 1 he problem out. the ;-;one< would not have heen useless!v o\p< tided. aV too much of it lias now lieeu ■tone. The Inslli is that \'.a- si reels of i he cil v reipiired that al least a hundred t housaiiil pounds should have heen laid out. upon tliim in cuttings, culverts, formation. iv.c. before ever they were, handed over to tin; Board, tin; income of which would be found t.o be fullv einploved in keepimj; I hem then in a proper stale of repair. 1.1 should, we think',

hiivp rofiiiirediio coniTnoii amount of sagacity to li'ave peon this, and to havo avoided j iho available funds in a nninbc - i oflialf-enrriei] out works, as is now tlie fuse. ! Ts ihe lipiiefit Io bp derived Iroin Ilic woi-k at '■ the loot of Albert-street at nil proiiorlionnte j willi Imp pvppnsp ineurrcd wiieo ii'l nie Inno j our r>vmcip;i] street" n: , * , scareoly imssible. J mill many a sireol within tlie eity. as wo j sail! "helore, is not passible for days at all. ! AVliy wr'i'c nil Ineso ctiltiii'.rs :uid forming-'' i undertaken jus' ns vonilior is f-rlilmlc j in. and wlii'il fie Cily Hoard I>:>s not ;i liar- > liele of slo-ic io place upon tliom r Heitcr , by far. weibink. revert \-n \)n- uld svslc-n , pursued prior io i ho iormai ion of Ihe l'onrd I iiniil ilic ciiv is ripe for a regular corpora- 1 , lion, than i:'o on tlirowitiLC Lrood inonev ai'ler j bad ,-!.s we are now iloiiiLT. Tin- 'Hoard judi- i ciouslv ciiinniciiced lite forinal ion oi" tliej lower part of ShmMland (Vesceiit at tlie j pi'oper season of the war. ail'! ill. inioii ; results ar<- patent 1o a 1:." Why was 1101 tl:c : sani\- cr<:v ;• pursued in other parts of ibe j city, op , the works left over lill the Spring ': j