TAPANUI.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 16

TAPANUI.

May 14.— We have' enjoyed a few fine days, during the, past; -week, bub the rainy 'days have predominated land a great deal of rain has fallen. One would think that all the crops would have been secured by ' this time, bub there are, still a few > patches out in the fields, and the present weather will not improve .them; ' " • „' ' Eoads.— The recent wet weather, combined with the heavy traffic, has had the effect of .making the, district roads very heavy, and eyen the, gravelled roads are, suffering. This is an out-of-the-way corner of the country, and of course ,we cannot expect to . have the same amount of care' bestowed upon 'out* roads ,that the ratepayers nearer the County town hav4.' The bush road now in course of being cleared is, I am informed, in, a dreadful state.. In come* quence of being left so late, in the season, it i$ all mud .and water, and will be worse before it 1c finished. As the bush is very wet in winter, 1 if no side ditches are cut it may be passable for flat boat*, but certainly not for cart traffic. Another piece of road at the foot of M'Duff 's Hill is to be gravelled, I hear. ,' It is only about 80 chains, long and is only half a mile from Tapanui, yet; strange to say, it fa ' the only piece of ungra veiled road between here and the 'Koi, 10 miles away. The new road on the ' Kelso hill is a great improvement; and it is to be hoped that the Tapanui side of the, hill will be attended to also, for at present, it is both difficult) and'dangerous. " ' ' Bush Land.— Have the settlers in the bush * grievance or not? is a question that is exercising some minds at present. Some time ago these people took up land at £3 per acre., They then, came to the conclusion that,, they had promised too much, and sent a petition to the 1 Land Board asking for a reduction to £1 per acre. - But the Land Board don't see it. The ranger was sent up to' report and he .considers the price none too high. Consequently, , there will be no reduction ; and as in. some manner the Impression, got abroad that the ranger was in. favour of reducing the price disappointment take* the place of hope. Although 1 every man is bound'in honour to keep his agreement, yet there is 'an excuse for these settlers objecting to pay, for their laud a price that is far- too , high when the nature of the land, is taken into consideration. There have been so many cases of men paying big price* for their land and then " kicking up "ana gfetiing it for about one-fourth that people are in reality being educated to this kind of thing; and when Tom sees Oick putting his hand deep into the Government's pocket he thinks it nothing but right that he should have some of the plunder also. Whsfc iswapted is a 'fixed and fair price,' from which no deviation will be allowed, so that all can compete without having to call' in the aid of the* money lender. Although ifcie not fair .to those who would have competed, to reduce the price, yet everyone here knows that it is' at leasfc one-half too high, and the settler that has only 19 acres has as much right to expect ' a reduction as the one whose acres extend to hundreds.