THE TAPANUI AND GLENKENICH ROADS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1340, 4 August 1877, Page 17

THE TAPANUI AND GLENKENICH ROADS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir— The roads in this district are in a frightful state, principally owing to the traffic caused by the new settlere. Tapanui is all but inaccessible. Settlers have had to come to me for rations, being unable to get to Tapanui. A petition for a new County has been signed by all and forwarded, in favour of which I beg your support. Situated as W9 are, we cannot hope to progress unless our petition be granted. There is no "Road Board--' in this district, and were il constituted a County none would bo needed. Except a small bit of road between Tapanui and the bridge on the way to Waipahi, nothing in the way of road-making has been done in those parts. The district has been cut up and divided into three ; part is in Southland, part in Tuapeka, and part in Clutha County. All of these Counties are so situated that but little sympathy can be expected from them. Our position is most unfortunate, for all, or nearly all our land has been sold, and nothing done for us ; and now we are, against our wish, connected with Counties with which we have no interests in common, and from which we cannot expect to receive any consideration. All we ask ia to be placed in a position to manage our own affairs without outside interference. The proposed County, though small, contains about 300,000 acres of good land, and will, in a Bhort time, be cultivated if rightly administered. The number of small settlers is great, and daily increasing. There are a considerable

number of large proprietors, all of whom are cultivating, and it is felt that, had we but power to manage the work within ourselves, the necessary funds, in addition to the Government subsidies, would be forthcoming for roadmaking.

At present the traffic with Dunedin is all but suspended ; it is even impossible to take a load from the Waipabi Kailway Station to Tapanui. Had this district been at first constituted a County, I believe this most necessary road would have 'ere this been made, and communication with Dunedin remained intact. Unless something be done to enable us to obtain made roads, thi3 settlement must languish, and our trade with Dunedin cease. Although most settlers have money when they begin, they all soon depend upon their produce. The time for taking produce to market is just the time when natural roads fail and made, roads are most urgently required ; besides, which, the general fencing of the road lines consequent upon settlement renders road-mak-ing imperative. This year some thousands of' acrc3 of wheat will be planted, as it has been found to succeed admirably. This, in addition to other crops, with no roads and no accommodation for storing, must cause loss and ruin to the growers^ and inflict a blow to the district from which it will take long to recover. It is ; to be hoped, therefore, that our members of Parliament will, in this instance at least, consider the facts of the case, and not allow themselves to be influenced by untried theories of amalgamating counties, &a, which, however ' applicable to older districts that have had' most' of their roads made at xrablic cost, and have^ long had the benefit of the liberal -provincial? suusidies to Road Boards for district roads, are' totally opposed to the interests of this district,' which has hitherto been used as a milch cow to supply its land revenue to more favoured locabties with main roads and subsidies.— Yours truly, r.i i • l x , «« ,F- W ' Mackenzie. Glenkemch, July 23rd. >