GATES ON PUBLIC ROADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10832, 16 August 1898, Page 3

GATES ON PUBLIC ROADS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—We often hear earnest appeals for roads in the neglected North, and the equally neglected East Coast districts. Such appeals appear at first to be well founded, as every traveller in these regions knows to his cost. Yet there is another side to the story, which fully accounts for the apathy of the powers that be, for it often happens that as soon as a new road is opened the settlers at once blockade it by gates of almost marvellous clumsiness. I lately had occasion to travel from Gisborne to Nnhaka Hot Springs, and in about 25 miles there were somewhere about 17 gates across the road.' I did not begin to count till I had passed four or five, so I may bo a little out. I, however, feel within the mark when I say that there were six of these barricades in four miles, not one of which had a latch, but curious fixings of crooked wire, or some such uncouth and unhandy piece of barbarism, a rather inhospitable tax on an invalid going to the springs. The water-tables were also blocked for miles, and parts of the track were impassable from landslips. The reason for this state of things, I was informed, is because the maintenance is let by contract, -i reason which the settlers scorn to think is quite satisfactory, and yet this is a mail route and the main approach to the hot springs. I noticed a gang of Government co-operatives transforming the narrow bridle track into a carriage way, but 1 think the Government should insist that the settles shall not blockade the way by rude structures every two miles. As every gate across a ■ public road confers the privilege of grazing 10 or 20 acies, the county councils might reasonably exact a small rent for every suck gate. This would eithei yield a lot of revenue or lead to the erection of many miles of fencing, which would provide work for the nr. employed, while the expense would justly fall on " the other fellow."— am, etc., Wayfarer.

Nuhaka Hot Springs. P.S.— liavo since learned that one of these gates led to a fatal accident Borne time ago. W.