The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1869.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 369, 20 July 1869, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1869.

— * A stbiking instance of the advantages of full publicity being given to the acts of public bodies is afforded by certain letters which have appeared in th<* columns of the morning papers, having reference to the proceedings of the Riccarton Eoad Board. It; appears that the Board sits with closed doors, and sends its own reports to the papera for publication. In this \V3 believe it is not siniular. Indeed it would be hardly possible for the newspapers to send reporters to such meetings. The consequence is that the public hear only one side oF questions that may be under discussioa, and that, the side of the majority. The story which has led to this correspondence is interesting, so far as it shews how exceedingly arbitrary and high handed, a Board sitting with closed doora, may become in the exercise of a little brief authority. Its appears thnt the water race which supplies the Avon Mill runs along the public road for a certain distance, and it is alleged that some amount o'" damage is done and some obstruction caused to the owners of the adjoining property by the race. This, we believe is all the allegation, and even this is denied by Mr Sbiffe, one of the owners of the property, who says that no pubblic injury is inflicted, and that where the race was originally cut so as to encroach upon the road, another and parallel road has been given by the owners for public use. Here it appears to U3, and we venture to think it will also appear to the ratepayers and the public, was a very simple case to deal with. The Road. Board were perfectly entitled to see that the mill race neither injured public or private property, and if it did bo, they were equally entitled to call upon the owner to repair and make good the damage. This, however, was not the view taken by the three members who composed the majority. After a lengthened diacuasion they decided to give the owner fourteen days notice to fill up the race. In all our experience of petty courts, wo caa recall just now no such instance of an arbitrary stretch of power as this. To stop a mill that has been working for fifteen years, and so destroy a valuable business property at fourteen days notice, because the mill race is thought to trespass on public property, is equal to cutting off a man's head for looking in at a jeweller's window. Surely the Riccarton ratepayers will take this matter up, and see for the future that their affairs are a little more equitably managed than this.