THE ROADS ORDINANCE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 3, 18 November 1862, Page 2

THE ROADS ORDINANCE.

I To the Editor of the Invercargill Time «Sir,— l attended with some • interest feeting held lately at the school-house, to ito consideration the provisions for raj hder the Roarlp' Ordinance just passei je Provincial Council, and was'much pie >d instructed. jAt home there is an ab, jea in vogue, j-.hat fair . play should lowed to every one at a r i>, eeting ; I was jleased to see that sucfi ea is antagonistic with the true interli free and enlightened communitfV seting cheered^ and encouraged aIJ ikeon the side •yhich pleased them, 4' cage rate; and, with an energy and 1 ; jfga6ieheSs"^6t iiy of the cause, lii ibbed, and intcrupted any one whoi the opposite sile — True, Air. Pearsoi against 200, 1 lat was the very reas lit to besnu'bed; true, he wanti jne the matter in the face pi con rruptions — seirehim right for attem true, he wasl requested by a biM y man to " (pvne outside and hH ' a remark wUch ought to have fl terves, thoughlt did not, for he stifl rgue on — likelhis impudence! JB : hand, Mr, \Vilson. -with the oH hy so eminem a political' e&HH ly repudiated md pooh, poohei/nw gument, statir^, it was too absifl nee which deservedly met with M n. He contented himaelf with «■ i not allow : t*u^ he i called lih.quß iig attended public meetings- atJhiM x Messrs. Cobden, ; Bright, Lofl on, Lord John Russell, ajncl o£^fl| men, (supposed to be ppssess^H ivy amount of intellect, an,( soi^H ience,) were compelled to argii^H sould convince, I was forcibl^H istructed by the contrast ; pa^H s evident that where the pe«^H one side, they must go awa^H t understanding, of all the on, to say nothing of the-s^H

lave since heard that Mr., H ed the separation of the FrovM esied the ruin of Soutu'laiß land is not ruined, I ' suppflß m may be considered wrong io| I. During the siding' of"" tho^i filson impeached the integritjl Department,, and boldly declal save the Government ii.aOO.-H tion, it was found that Mr.. 11 eied a mate's v nest of-consM nd was found 7 to be so utterljfj c had to second, a resolution I as the mildest -way of getting o| id'nt save the - G overnmeni^,, M Nlr. Wilson has been tw |s|^B iertions-T-what of that ?.- tbf B^H ust be " right. ' Atiy brie It vfl nately at tlie matter^ . £o^A\v conclusion.; is also much pleased to siM-Mi genceof my fellow; <&^%^~J-\ ting called at the shorte^lMJ bne "side of the ?mSm tu-ageous^*JJs|^ng do,wn 4Wst ith an obstmacy. 'illust^aHH t order of intellect, .shutt|^^| irguments^ they unanimb|^H sion orf the spot, deprecii^^H >a of. waiting to think c^^pß r. ' _Sirji^h|r^^j>ataU^^S

■spiel

li&fcry? 'Rome *asWd % the cackling v •iSSw --2-think y«'u Ron.c would have been Wed if the geese had stopped to colder Soie they cackled? I trow not-hcie wai a TOOTince to be saved by energetic and imr- mediate cackling, and 1 «<n proud to sny> my • fellow citizens cackled like men-cr geese., What, doubt Mr. Wilson's assertions, unsup-' , ported by argument, even though he has k twice been proved wrong? Never! Viva & Monseur Veil-son ! he is the man who has $ the feelings for my moneyl % f 1 Mr Stirling, too, claimed my admiration!; i he veryipropeily: objected to being dictated * Sb«Peaison. An ordinary observe; ■ inicht have thought Mi-. Wilson was dictatif < :S-Mr! P, pleading, Mr, Stirling, kn^--1 better. Itwas suggested to me that he w ( f> ; usually, hazy at that .hour of the evemnV ] " whicliflpicsume, meant that, suffering fr/:n : - .wS eyes, he blinked rather at fie ■ candle-light. His remarks might have ben chaxaetemed by a fastidious hearer, as u>t, ! ' perhaps! over! refined *W™% a f £ g . rate/condensed. .We cannot fcelp the frek* ! L»" of nature— the mountain brought forth its knouse— and,.on resuming his seat,his 100 lat *^Kii. Pearson evidently expressed i

" T give thee all, I can no more." He was deservedly cheered. . Is not he a shining light in the 7>wn Board? and are not his sayings and dangs recorded in. the minute hook of that emnent m i" It is good for a country wb.ee the people are determined to hear only one^cle— that one pleasing to themselves— fo it is vrey evident that cnly thoroughly lon est and disinterested men will take the ppular side and swim with the current; vile, by consequence, needy adventurers sekmg power for the sole purpose of agrailizmg •themselves at the expense of the v üblic, ■will take the unpopular side and swinvgamst the current. Q. E. D. " The d«y after the meeting I met a settler frbm the country, looking rather disconsolate On entering into conversation with him he disburdened his mind. He Jw 2000 acres of land a good distance from «wn, on the improvement of wMch he has upended one thousand pounds ; wanting to Jt it, he can only get L 250 a year ient. At tie xateof one shilling an acie for roads, wording to acreage rate.he would have topay LOO.ayear which he thinks is hard, more partiulorly as an absentee non-improver.having auction ol 70 acres within a mile and a hal of town, -was offered LI an acre rent; the road-rate he would have to pay at Is. per a<re being L 3 10s., we went into figures thus—

ACEEAGE BATfi. Resident Improver. Land ... - 2'OOacres Improvements ... Kent ... - JSjJ Kate at Is per ncre ... i>l>U • Absentee Non-Improver land 70?«« B Kent %'/ Bate at Is per acre ... ±» iws Balance in favor of non-impover. Annual Value-to-Let late. Be.-.idau Improver. land ••• 2000 acres Improvement* ... 00 Kate at Is in the £1 on rent iIS 10a Absentee Non-Imjprovt'. Land '°" ci ' e3 Kent f'O Kute as above ... *"* lOs Balance in favor of resident mprover. This he considers conclusive Do I? # Do I believe in figure?, hoiesty, justice, -common sense? No ! Why? Because I believe in Mr. Wilson ! Again vhy ? Because Mr. Wilson is popular ! Q. E. ). Viva Monsieur Veil-son ! Yours &c, An Out-and-out Wilson ite.

p g I forgot to mention hat my disconsolate friend suggested that a tax ought to be proportioned to the power of paying it ; that the rich ought to pay tlr most, the poor least: and that those who, b; their position, ■were enabled to get a high rental for their •4ands, whether absentees or inprovers, snou.d pay more than those settlers who from tneir distance from town, couid jot lease as well, let them put what impro ements on they ..chose. He further stated I: at by clause 28 of the Boads' Oidinance, tie rate was to be levied on the annual value -j let of all lands the word tenement, is not introduced. Surely, he said, this is far to all parties. The "horrid thought crossd me— can Mr. Wilson be wrong ? I don t know— l don t care— all I know is, that I h*ve given myself up body and soul to Jlr. Wilson— that 1 believe in him and will ccntinue to do so as long as he is popular.