DEPUTATIONS TO THE MINISTER OF LANDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 953, 25 April 1889, Page 10

DEPUTATIONS TO THE MINISTER OF LANDS.

THE UNEMPLOYED. • Dr Fitchett, M.H.R., waited 'upon the 1 Honj Mr Richardson on the 18th with reference to the petition of the fcnempldyed. t)r tfitchettj presented a list signed by 160 men, and repre-j seated their case to the Minister. ' j The Hon. Mr Richabdson replied that he had. made provision for 30 able-bodied married men; to be taken on at Catlin's "Bush, where they) would obtain piecework at road Clearing, andj that he had asked the Minister of Public Worisj to make provision for a siitlilar number bf the same class of men on the* Otago Ctihtfal tail way.; He thought that these arrangements' would; meet' All requirements^ as it was ptobable thatj not more than 60 men would take work in; remote parts of the country. No' single men would be taken on, and no work would be offered! in vicinity of the towns. ; No married men would be taken on unless they were really able and willing td do hard work.' The'Catlins work would be out up into sections and" given' out by | piecework; the Otago Central railway workj would be for day labour; and application for the Catlinfi district work would be made to Mr Adams, and for the railway work to the Public Works department. ;

TOMAHAWK AND ST. KILDA EOADS. ! A deputation with reference to Tomahawk and St. Eilda was introduced to the 1 Minister of Lands by Mr Fish, M.H.R.j on the 18th. ■The deputation donsisted of Messrs H. Goarley (mayor of Dunedin, and - ex-mayor of St. Kilda), Stenhouse (mayor of St. Eilda), Sullivan (mayor of South Dunedin), and Robertson, Matheson, Smaill, and Pryor (Tomahawk settlers). • ■ > ' Mr Fish said that the deputation waited upon the Minister with regard to the noncompletion of the Tomahawk road, aad regarding also what was .Alleged to be a breach of an agreement : between the Government afid • the tidfdugh - Council concerning the closing of certain roads. Concerning the first matter.the reply had been that the Government would' hand over to the Peninsula Road Board the sum of £150 if the board would undertake to complete the road and maintain it. The Tomahawk district was within the Peninsula Road Board, and the road would be of great convenience to the settlers in the Tomahawk district j But ihe road board did not recognise the Wants of the 1 Tctitiahawk settlers, and it was feared might decline to take the road over and to complete it, Within a short • time a new boardwould be elected) and the settlers thought ' that their interests would , be . represented in the hew board } jbut if that should not be the case they asked that the Government should make the grant to the settlers* adding to it a gift of the metal prepared for the roadf,- o? an additional sum of £50, and the settlers would ' undertake to complete the road, and believed that they could then secure its maintenance iby the board. As the sum of £1200 had been spent on this road it was manifestly absurd that the whole expenditure should be rendered useless for wttttt of the completion of the road when ,£l5O would ooiSpiete It. The other matter the deputation desired td bring forward was regarding roads at St. Eilda which had been closed, and the turf removed from the same for ,use in connection with the defence works. Permission to close these roads temporarily and to ; remove the turf had been granted on an undertaking being given that the roads should be properly formed by the department; This agreement had nOt been fulfilled, and it was desired that this should be dene". , ( ' Mr Goublbt said there was fio'ihing to add to Mr Fish's statement of the business of the deputation. The bargain made on behalf of the 'Government with the St. Eilda Borough Council had not been kept, for the promise had been that the streets should be left' in proper order. As to the road to Tomahawk that road wouldbe of manifest advantage to settlers, and would lalso render more accessible to the citizens of Dunedin a large public ' resef vty and one of the most' picturesque districts in Ofcago,' ,' Messrs Stenhotjse and • Smaill also spoke in 1 support of the request and claim put forward! by Jthe deputation. i The Hon. Mr Richardson, in reply, said : I 'may say I was the cause of the Tomahawk road being stopped as "the Government came to the conclusion thai' they would not allow work to be found for the unemployed in the neighbourhood 'of towns, and in making the offer to the road board of £150 I thought we were making a very 'fair offer. It would not have been a very great .thing fora road board in a rich district like the Peninsula is, I suppose— seeing that the Government had already spent something like £1200 on the work — to have found the money to complete the' road, seeing the advantage it' would be to the district. The Government offered the ' sum of £150 ; and with regard to the broken metal, any metal there is there that has been broken for the road there would be no objection to granting. There are, however, difficulties in the' way of making arrangements with private' parties where there are recognised authorities, and I do not think any arrangement could be made with the settlers. Any arrangement that is made must be made with the properly constituted authorities. As to the point raised regarding the present road board being adverse to the completion of the road, of course I am not officially informed that they have refused the offer. As you say an election will take place shortly, and I have no objection to promise you that if the new board are willing to consider the matter, the offer shall be considered as open' until they have had an opportunity of doing so ; and the metal not wanted in connection with the forbifications they can have, but I must ascertain if the metal is required for the batteries. Mr FieH asked if the Government" would grantan additional £50 if the metal there could hot be given.' " ' I The Hon. Mr Richahdson : I think the offer of £150 is a very liberal one, for it is virtually a district road. I cannot conceive that even if the present road board is obdurate the incoming board will refuse an offer that . is essentially liberal. - - 1 ; ' Mr Fish : Then with regard to the Government's alleged breach of trust. The Hon. Mr Kichardson : I was going to say that that is a matter which clearly appertains to the Defence department, and all 1 can promise to do in it is that when I get back to Wellington I will bring the matter under the notice of the Defence Minister; and I have no doubt he will see the thing put rigta Mr Fish thanked the Minister f dr his courtesy, and explained that he had introduced the deputation, in the absence of Mr Larnach, the member for the district. " Messrs R. Lee and Hugh Ross, members of the Peninsula Road Board, in a letter to the Daily Times on this Bubjeot> say j— " At the last

meeting of the btiafd held on the flfch inst.* a re* was passed ' That the Minister be informe.dthait »t is not the intention of the board to take over the road.'" . " \: ";i I •