The New Zealand Herald. AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, DEC. 8, 1865.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 647, 8 December 1865, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald.

AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, DEC. 8, 1865.

SPKCTKMUIt AGENDO. Give every man tliinn ear, but few thy voico : Take each mini's censure, but reserve thy judßraont, 1 his above all,—To thine ownself be true ; And it must follow, us the night tho (lav, Thou cau.-st not then be false to any nir.n."

Tin: judgment given yesterday in the Kesident Magistrate's Court in tlie case of tho " Inspector of Nuisances v. Wright," is one of some little interest to the owners of property in Auckland and to tlie public generally ; and the law having been so clearly and positively laid down 011 tho matter in question, the City Board will, we trust, impartially and without fear or affection, compel persons causing such obstructions to the public thoroughfares, not only in Albertstreet but elsewhere within their jurisdiction, to at once remove such nuisances. To take the case of Albert-street alone, a large amount of the city funds have been consumed in the much-required and very beneficial work of cutting and forming and kerbing this street. If any of tho public [ have more than others gained by the execution of this work, it has been the owners of property on either side of this portion of Albert-street—for land which, beforo the cutting was made, could be bought for £12 10s. per foot, cannot now be bought under £75 per foot. It is somewhat extraordinary one would imagine, tofindthafcamajority ofthe owners of property 011 either side this street which has been thus improved, are actually allowing the soil from their allotments to coverup the footpath, in some cases, partially, in others, altogether. The soil in places, even to tho extent of many tons, is spread across the kerbstono into the road itself. Jixtraordinary as such a thing may appear, any one walking down the street may nevertheless note the fact for himself, nay, must be compelled to do so, for lie will find that, although he may individually have been pretty heavily rated for the cost of this among other works carried out by the City Board, he has to take the centre ot the road for it, however muddy, the pathway, even in dry weather, being practicable in many placeo only for go&te.

This leads us naturally to the consideration of the whole system, of street formation. There iB a very general desire to do away with the City Board altogether, and to replace it by a corporation having extended powers. What those extended powers are supposed to mean, few have a very clear idea, unless indeed it be their power of mortgaging the rates of the next generation. Such power, however, unless exercised for the construction of permanent roads, might leavo us no better off thau we are. The career of the City Board lias shown us that clearly enough. Not that wo blame the Board ; they will have left the rates heavily pledged, but they had 110 other alternative. The truth is they had thrust upon them the cost of works which should in reality 'have been mainly borno by the owners of property in the first instance, and which were so out of proportion in their character to the means at tho disposal of the Board, that ten times as much money would only have been uselessly expended in attempting them. The Board did not attempt them, but contented itself, except in a few minor instances, with effecting temporary repairs. Tho rates derivable from city property would be sufficient to keep well-formed streets in thorough repair, but are utterly inadequate to the work of forming tho streets themselves, and keeping up with the daily wear and tear going on at tho same time. At homo where new works are undertaken in towns and cities, special rates are levied on tho house property of the district benefitted, from which the cost is deferred. A sum of money equal to tho amount required is borrowed on the security of this rate which is levied for a term of years and which is sufficient to pay interest and sinking fund. As an instance of this we may refer to tho method Wilder which the sewerage of Loudon is now being undertaken. The Board of Works, a new and central authority, having power over tho several districts and wards, was called into existence, and entrusted with tho work of carrying out the sewerage of London, and with borrowing tho money requisite for the work. It was, or is, composed of delegates sent by the several ves tries and corporate bodies of the metropolis. It lias power to borrow ,-£4,200,000. The Bank of England contracted for the loan at 3.J- per cent, per aunum, tho security being a rate of 3d. in the pound on tho annual rateable value of property in the metropolis, with tho guaranteo of Her Majesty's Government. The Board has already contracted for 5'G miles of sewers at an estimated coat of £1,5-I=l,ooo. One sewer is 1-1-j miles in length. Tho outfall reservoirs iutonded to receive the sewerage of the northern area of the metropolis extends over nearly eleven acres of laud, aud is estimated to cost £170,000. The repayment of tho vast amount of money which the Board is authorised to borrow is provided for by a sinking fund which is gradually to extinguish both principal anil interest in forty years. A large amount lias been already repaid.

Somo plan of this kind will have to bo adopted if the extensive works requisite to make tins streets of thin city, streets in the proper sense of the word, are ever to be undertaken. There could bo no great difficulty in ascertaining the requisite sum required,to form the several streets within the city boundary. The value of the property might also be as easily estimated, and the duration of the loan so fixed at thirty, forty, or fifty years, as might be found advisable, so as to render the rate easy to be borne. This would bo a special tax upon the city, and one for which an adequate benefit would bo received by the property bo taxed, while, as justice demands, posterity would pay its share of the cost of the conveniences and facilities for trade which good streets afford. A similar principle will have to be adopted with respect to roads iu country districts. # Neither the Provincial revenue, as now, nor the Colonial revenue, when this part of New Zealand becomes a separate colony, will bear the tax upon it of having either city or country dip its hands into the chest for the formation of roods in the one, or of streets in the other.

Our country districts will have to accept the working of ail amended Highways Act more generally than they have done the one now in existence, and must submit to tax themselves both for the formation and repairs of the roads clicy may require. The city must do the saino, nor will there bo found, we think,much diiliculty iuitsdoingso. Well formed roads and footpaths throughout the town would bo a boon for which owners of property could submit to pay a pretty heavy tax and still be incalculable gainers, and even at the high rates of interest colonies |

have to pay for money, a moderate annua rate extended over, say 40 years, woukl re alise a large sum.