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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 744, 18 April 1881, Page 2

Joiinoil- us !' the local bodies ;"-possibij be County pppoilljs' ribji- a local booty int Idqnqt thjiik itjWill be resbgnised ai nything higherat presents -The Ckmnt] lonncil made _a groat biuster, and took; .U i most offensive aud irritating pbsitioi Phe threat to build a bridge at agre; xpense, and charge half to the Boroug nd half.to the Highway Boanftwasne alculated to allay' the feeling of irritatioi nd was besides only a piece of bounc bat could not be carried into effeot. C McGregor with : hisknowledgo of-"th'ei egal position," notwithstanding. The County Chairman appears to liav ieen the only one who at all realised tl lositionof the County, and that not fulh Lt.all events he displayed much moi deration than any other speakers. W nay perhaps excuse Or Hawkins to sbm ixtent, as he is a new Councillor, and no ixpected to know the full bearings of thi :aee, but he will [earn in time. : '' From Or McGregor the 'people of Maserton must have expected better things md the disappointment will be propori lonately great. In the action he takes ii 'imply to show his contempt for the govirniug body of the Borough, of which hi vas formerly, a member, then it is a pity hat the thought of compelling innocent 'atepayers to pay for his feelings' of an loyance should not act as a deteraen lponhim. . It is a great pity that the Highway 3oard has not taken up the mate ihoroughly, and compelled the Counts council to perform its duty, and if the ioard does not awaken to its own res' )onsibillty then the ratepayers willhavi ;o take the initiative. The County Ooira !il must remember that if it neglects it luty the matter can be reported to thi Minister for Public Works,; who is env lowered to cany out the required work md recover the cost from the defaultini County. The County Council seems to have £ jreat desire to compel the already over burdened ratepayers to subscribe largely :o the work—obtaining the money fron 'local bodies" amounts to'the same—am i has already admitted that a blunderwa nade in the projected method of carrying rat the workby abandoning the propose! protective works, after going to a grea ixpense' wasting money that would havi seen better spent. There is no guarantee that greater blunders would not bo com nitted, and this is the only poor consola iion that the sufferers have if nothing ii lone. Now it is somewhat singula] [but nevertheless true) thatsome time ag< ;he Waipoua broke tkough near thi ikuraand flowed-at least part ofitnto Masterton; and on that occasioi lertam members of the Borough Counci ivaited on the Works Committee of thi bounty, representing the matter to them ind asked the County to repair the bread md charge the cost to the borough, unde: ihebeliof that the Waipoua was a " publii Irain," as defined in the Public Work 4.ct, and consequently vested in thi Sounty Council. So far, this is merely i !oincideuce. But what did the thi 3ounty do, say-Oh yes, with pleasure' Not much. The reply was, "It does nol iffectanyof onr roads, and we cannol issisfc you. Good morning." It wouli bo a crime, of course, to draw comparisoi md would he extremely wrong in the Borough Council to retaliate now and say '' This outbreak of the Waipoua cannot bi ielped by us, as it does not affect any o jut roads." The Borough Council has not the slightest power, to expend any money out side its district, unless specially given bj A.ct of the General Assembly.'andno sucl .lower is given by the Acts. The over low of the Waipoua affects only thi Highway Board districts, and if thi Borough Council presumed to spend ani )f its scanty income in that district ratepayer would be justified in suing t< .•ecover such amount. The County Council has no authoritj >ver. the Waipoua Bridge, that structure iemg placed under the control of the Borough; and the County cannot build £ lew bridge there, however much it maj ivish to put the Borough ratepayers to ex. iense._ It would be uunecessary for thi council to subsidise the legal fraternity i ts members would but study the Acti inder whtch they are constituted. I One other remark and I have done. II s considered by many to be the wises l wm to allow the Waipoua to make a neJ mannel at the foot of the cutting, and' t jrect a bridge there, If the County will lo the work why not raise a loan for thai rarpose ? It is simply a question of tolli Moans. If the latter, this is a gooc" season for borrowing, and many of those uterested could take up debentures, fo vhich a fair rate of interest would b! mid, and a small special rate could bi nade (which would be distributed oversi ai'ge an area that it need scarcely bi elt), to provide sinking fund and intere6 -and there the matter would end. I lie former, atoll-gate could be "oreotec" md tolls levied by the Highway Board md the Taueru toll-gate done away with 3ufc this plan has many objectionabl eatures in it, which, however, might bi ;ot over for the present. sum of the matter is this; tfo county Council is powerless to act, thi nam road from the Waipoua Eiver, no leing a County road, is in the hands o he Highway Board; and it is eviden ran what wo can see of the County tha t does not dare to declare the Opaki.Forfcy th!a Bush road a County road and do th porkreqmredon it. Therefore theonb lolntion of toe-difficulty is for the High mty Board to erect a bridge andestablisl a toll-gate.

I have, &c„ r . • , Observer. [A good understanding between.the Borough and the Highway Board would remove many of the difficulties which surround the question. If the . Borough Council would take the right stepß to secure this there would be a fair chance of an amicable solution.— Ed W.D.I

Hbmihiscksoeb oj waiiuwaioH.-intho year 1845 a worthy citizen pioaded his way with some difficulty through fern and ti-trea to Te Aro Flat boing iu search of the surveyr a opeg which had been driven in at the comer of what is now Cuba and Dixon streets. Upon this spot was oreoted a small house, in which a very successful drapery business waa carried on by two ladies of remarkable talent and energy, who have long since retired from the scene to the 1 nd of their birth— .

Land o* the mountain and the flood, Land of brown heath and shaggy wood. In the year 1866 it passed into the hands of Mr James Smith, the present proprietor, who gave to the premises the appropriate name of T.e Aro House, and under whose management business has steadily progressed with the rising, fortunes of the city until at length it was found that a consideraole enlargement was necessary, and the result was, To Aro House, as at present one of the most complete and Extensive Drapery Establishments in the colony of New Zealand, The Jenoral Drapery occupies a large space, being 49 feet by 25 feet amply sufficient for all Manchester goods' Fancy Dresses, Silks, Gloves, Hosiery, fiibbons, Laces/to. The Men's, Boy's, and Youths Clothing Department measures 24

feet by 14 feet, and has attached a comtafc. able fitting-room. Carpets and Household furnishings have a similar space allotted to them, The Show-room for the silo of MilImery, Mantles, Jackets,' Costumes, &c.. is a very spacious apartment,' elegantly fitted' up, and. beautifully lighted • from the roof and measures 39 feet by 22 feet. - The stock of goods s at all ]6imes: large and well' selected, and patterns are forwarded post few on application. A' special feature at le Aro House is the Order Depigment' and very careful attention is paid to the wants I of Country Residents.