THE SEVENTY-MILE BUSH ROAD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 386, 5 July 1879, Page 24

THE SEVENTY-MILE BUSH ROAD.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL. Sir, — Your leading article of this morning puts in a most clear and forcible light the position of this question, the object of the deputation having been, as you state, not to obtain immediate assistance, which they well knew it was useless to expect, but to let the Government and the public understand that as mattei's now stand, a road which was constructed at an enormous expense will shortly become utterly useless. Your history of the construction of the road omits to mention that it was entirely paid for out of loan, and that in the recklessness which has characterised the expenditure of a large portion of the money so easily obtained, it not only cost very much more than was necessary, but through mistakes in engineering a line was taken which rendered necessary the enormous number of bridges, the renewal of which, in consequence of the poor material used, has become necessary within five years, and for which the large estimated expenditure is now necessary. Had this work been undertaken out of money obtained under circumstances which rendered economy essential, the cost would have been very far less in the first instance, and care would have been taken to select the best line, and to see that the works were of a durable character. To seek to burthen the counties now with the consequences of the errors made in the past is grossly unfair, and in this case, as shown by the figures, quoted by the deputation, absolutely impracticable. The position of the whole question simply is, that the colony has expended a large sum of money in the construction of a road which the Government now avows its inability to maintain, aud as this is only one of a number constructed under similar circumstances, the question becomes a very large one. It is obvious that the work cannot be done by the local bodies, and if the colony does not consider their maintenance of sufficient importance to justify further expenditure, they will have to remain as monuments of the folly of constructing out of loans works so far in advance of the settlement of the country as to be found in so short a time not worth keeping in repair. That the colony will accept this position in regard to this particular road is not probable, and, therefore, as its maintenance by the local bodies is impossible, some special provision will have to be made for it when the whole question is brought before Parliament, as it most undoubtedly muse be shortly. The arguments used by Provincialists, to the effect that this state of “ muddle” is the result of Abolition, is too shallow to deceive any but those who are ignorant how utterly the Provincial game was “ played out” in this province. As a member of the Provincial Council I always found myself in opposition to Mr. Bunny on this very point, my view being that forcing the sales of Crown lands at a low price in order to raise money for expenditure on works such as were being carried out would inevitably leave us in the end in the same position in which we now find ourselves ; and it would be easy to show that had the Provincial system been carried on longer the result would have been even worse than it now proves to be.—l am, &c., C. Pharaztst. Wellington, June 27.