THE TOWN BELT.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3348, 2 February 1898, Page 3

THE TOWN BELT.

TO THE EDITOR.

SiS,— Kindly allow me space for a few remarks on an attempt that is now being made to block the public footpaths on the Town Belt. In your issue of to-day’s date, referring to the meeting of the City Council, you report that a letter was read from Mr A. G. Taine denying that he had blocked the access, Ac. For more than 20 years past there has been a track on the ridge from Mount Victoria to Constable street, thence across the street and on the ridge at the back of Coromandel street as far as the road out of the Newtown Reserve, thence up the slopes of Mount Albert to the top of the mount. I have often walked it. Older residents of Wellington know that this track has existed since the early days. Nearly the whole of this track is in the Town Belt until the Melrose property is reached. Mr Taine has placed in his Belt fence, where it crosses this track, three barbed wires in addition to the three ordinary fencing wires. Did you ever try to negotiate a stiff barbed wire fence ? If so you will agree with me that it is an obstruction, and that it can only be passed by an acrobat or a ferret j so what becomes of Mr Taine’s statement as to his having placed no obstruction to the access to his section ? Frier to the Taine'syndicate taking'the lease of the Town Beltjseotions, the fence in question consisted of ordinary fencing wire, rather dilapidated it is true, but easily negotiable by even ladies and children, who made use of short outs available by slipping through the fence on their way to work, school, &o. I do not deny that the fence has been put in repair, and had the renewals consisted only of ordinary wire no objection would have been taken by anyone, but to find three stiff barbed wires where no such obstructions had previously been is very trying, especially when one comes across them as I did at night and unexpectedly. It is the barbed wirq. that is the cbsl ruction, and this, I say, should be removed, and on this the citizens of Wellington should insist and compel Councillors to defend, and not surrender, the rights of the public. I am afraid, however, that as long as Councillors are allowed to secure leases of sections of the Belt and to surround their holdings with barbed 'wire, so long will other lessees follow suit, and the rights of the citizens of Wellington will receive very little oensideration. Such an attempt as has been made by Mr Taine to obstruct a public -footpath would not be tolerated oven in England, where, if weare to believe public agitators, there is no such thing as freedom. An attempt to stop a right-of-way across a common, park, or even across private land, would be immediately resented by the people, and the offender ’inig-lffc' think himself lucky if he escaped personal

ill-treatment. He would most assuredly tie burnt in effigy. It is moat incomprehensible to me that in this colony, with its boasted freedom, such an attempt as that which is the subject of this letter should meet with so little opposition from the people, who are being gradually deprived of their lights. If Mr Taine can block the footpath, order people to keep off the grass, and threaten others with the penalties of the law for trespassing, other lessees have just the same power. My advice is that the City Council should take the Belt into its owil hands, and thereby put a stop to the total destruction of all that is beautiful on it; or if it does not consider it is competent to undertake the management of such a large area, ' let it at once insist on the removal of all barbed wire from the various fences in and around the Belt. Thanking you in anticipation,—l am, &e., VINDEitV Wellington, 28th January, 1898.