ELTHAM ROAD.

Opunake Times, Volume II, Issue 59, 25 January 1895, Page 2

ELTHAM ROAD.

(Our Own Correspondent.)

Next to the subjects of bush burniDg and road making, the local elections, and especially the Harbor Board election, are exciting tbe greatest amount of interest in the bush at present. Formerly this election passed off almost unnoticed, and I think it is safe to say that not one settler in fifty recorded his vote. This is all changed now, and the change is mainly due to the energetic action of the Opunake Committee and your paper in drawing the ratepayers' attention to the manner in which they have been fleeced for the benefit of the town and people of New Plymouth. I see a polling booth will be open at Awatuna, so that settlers will have no excuse on the score of want of facilities for voting, and it is to be hoped every ratepayer for three miles around will record his vote on election day. It is hard work to rouse any interest or enthusiasm in local matters at this season of the year. The relaxing effects of the hot weather may have something to do with this, but it should be remembered that if good roads are wanted in winter now is the time to stir up the local bodies. This sornnanbulent tendency seems to affect the members of the local bodies as well as the ratepayers, if a yarn I hear of a local member of the Road Board is true. This was to the effect that this gentleman indulged in a sound sleep during the greater part of a late meeting of the Board, and woke up only when the meetiug was over. Now that the elections are coming off the ratepayers should endeavor to get representatives who will at least endeavor to keep awake during the progress of meetings. The quantity of grass seed harvested this season around here is very small, although to every patch where a bushel or two could be found has been raked up in anticipation of boom prices.

The contracts for the Eltham and Auroa Roads are just about fairly started now, and given flue weather for a few months the worst part of those roads will be passable before winter sets in. A few chains of draining in the boggy parts of the Eltham Eoad is a necessity if tbe road is to stand the beavy timber traffic it will be subjected to during winter, and if the settlers interested wish the metalling to last more than a couple of years they should apply to have the worst parts ditched. The expense would be stnall, as on a great many places there are old drains which only require cleaning out and deepening, and even if the money has to be saved from metalling I am sure it would be advisable to have this done. Tbe road may look all right now to an eugiueor coming along, but he should see it in winter time to judge of the amount of water which is banked up and finding its way across and along the road.

I hear tbere are a couple of weddings coming off up this way shortly. This is an agreeable change for the better, as things have been very slack in that line lately, and we were beginning to think that the remaining bachelors belonged to the class known as " incorrigibles.'