HIGHWAY DISTRICTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1210, 1 October 1867, Page 4

HIGHWAY DISTRICTS.

To the Editor of-tho New Zealand Herald. Sir, —A, Gazette published on the 26th instant has excited in almost everybody's mind either a feeling of pleasure or disgust. To those who know nothing ,of country life, —its difficulties and its requirements, '—and whose-only connection with rural districts is the owning of sections of land as speculators merely, acquired possibly by purchased land orders at the rate of 2s. (id. each, intending toliold on until hard-working men have improved the district, and then sell at £1, £2, or £3 an acre, to the advance of which they have contributed nothing,—to these men, I say, the present action taken by the Government may be unpleasant at first sight, but, depend upon it, they are crying out before they are hurt. In the first place, the operation of the Act is not forced on any district. Practically, circumstances are not changed. The Government has but divided the province into districts, that residents within those districts may avail themselves of the benefits of "The Highways Act" if they wish to accept them, not otherwise. It appears to, me that there is much ignorance Avith regard to the. philosophy of taxation, if you will allow me the term. To my mind, judicious taxation is no evil, but of great good, if applied within'the district in which the .money is raised, thereby enhancing : the value of - landed property. It is only when the resources,--the very life of a country,—is drained by taxation, and spent in a foreign market, or in unprofitable schemes, that taxation becomes an evil. What, for example, would follow the rating of land, in any district, for the purpose of road-making ? 1. Crops of every kind, which your journal has so frequently affirmed can be grown at a profit (which I do not deny) could be got to market, and our importations stopped. At present crops cannot be profitably grown, for; to say nothing of the expense of producing them, it oosts nunc-to bring them to market than they would realize when there. ' This I know from much hard,, practical experience. . 2. Rendering marketable the natural products of the country, thereby employing thousands of idle hands, would bo'another result. Much as has been said about the flax of New Zealand,—its usefulness and its value,--yet the plant must grow and decay uselessly as far as the great_ bulk of the province is concerned, for it would be impossible to remove the material when dressed. The same remarks apply also to our stone, of which there is no scarcity.;.' l . , . These would be some of the more immediate results of our following the example set lis . by the Romans (those famous old road-makers), which would be followed by others still more pleasing, as their action would be immediately on the town. This it would be well to understand, for tho,old and wholesome doctrine, "The countiy makes tho town," seems to have been disregarded, and the' town lias ; for long not only ignored the country, but set up an independency, run counter to the: course of nature, and tried to create itself— : aa gigantic, uncontrollable, and misshapen an abortion as : Frankenstein's monster, —without means of . subsistence, is the.result of the effort. Instead of our vessels being inward laden and many:in ballast outwards, no vessel should leave our ports without a cargo of New Zealand merchandise, while our imports should rapidly decrease. By these means every pound brought to the country either by settlers or otherwise, would remain here, producing profit a hundred fold, instead of again finding its way, after,'a few months, to foreign subject to.ruinous charges. , .1 believe it could, be proved that, for every £10 brought to the province £i 5 are sent out of it; How is it possible for

prosperity to attend such a state of things. -To suppose that a country can prosper with ninetenths of its transactions on the import side of its customs returns, is as absurd .as to suppose that merchants can improve their bank deposit by always buying and never, selling. Tho impossibility of this. I imagine, has been pretty well proved to us during the last twelve months. In conclusion, I am glad to see signs of returning sanity in these matters, on the part of the Government. : With proper legislation,—-judicious economy in administering the funds of the province; and the removal of many burdens which at present press ! undulyon the actual cultivator of the soil, while they screens the non-resident and the sp-;-"ul ntor, J. nave no fear for the future of Auckland. _ Home-grown provis : o"is of every kind would flow into the towii at reduced rates; cost of living would be lowered; and, with that, the power to raise factories, and to. create for ourselves that which, we consume, wear, and use.—Yours, &c., x.o.