CORRESPONDENCE.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 100, 19 December 1872, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

[We do not necessarily eudorse the opinion's expressed' by our correspondents.] To the Editor of the Waikato. Times. Sir -I have read your leading article of Saturday last respecting the road between Ngaruawahia and Alexandra, and as your information is not quite correct on some points, I trouble you with the following remarks : On 2 ; >nd May, 1869, the Newcastle District Board »polied"to- the Superintendent for assistance in opening tuis road, and were informed on the 2nd June 1869, that the application would be considered. On the 6th August following, a letter was received from Mr Every Maclean, Deputy-Superintendent, notifying that the Provincial Government would grant £100 for this purpose The letter further said: "I am aware that the construction of this will be a very costly undertaking ; and I shall feelit my duty to recommend the Government to take the earliest opportunity of inviting a special appropriation for the purpose " In August, 1869, Major Jackson forwarded to the Superintendent a memorial from certain land-owners and settlers having reference to the main line of communication between Ngaruawahia and Alexandra and that between Alexandra aW Raglan. Mr Maclean oa 14th August, 1869, answered: " I regret that the Provincial Government has not a sufficiency of funds at its disposal for the construction of the necessary bridges on the mam road between Ngaruawahia and Alexandra, but I shall take the earliest opportunity of recommending that a special appropriation bemadeby the Provincial Council for this object. Unfortunately this recommendation was never made, or the Government were unable or unwilling to comply with

On 21st April, 1870, the munificent sum of £10 10s was "allotted to the Newcastle District out of the vote set apart by the Provincial Council for grants in aid to highway districts during the year." On ISth January, 1871, the Newcastle District Board applied to the Defence Minister to make the road between Ngaruawahia and Alexandra. On 22nd August, 1871, a similar application was made to the Minister for 1 übnc Works To neither of these was any answer returned. On 20th February, 1871, £70 7s 3d was the proportion of the grant to road boards under ''The Payment to Provinces Act, 1870," for the year ending 30th June. 1871, allotted to. this district. On Bth January 1872, notification was. received that £244 4s had been allotted from the road board grant for the year ending 30th June, 187.2: and on 21st February, 1872, the Provincial Government contributed £25 towards the Ohote Bridge. This makes a total of £450 Is 3d received from the Government, General and Provincial, for road work since the Newcastle District Board w.ts first elected on 28th November, 1868. Of this sum, £125 was specially given for the Alexandra road, the remaining £325 la 3d being for the roads in the whole dis-

triei. - . On Bth July, 1871, the What* Whata District was divided and added to the Mangapiko and Newcastle districts, about 15,000 acres and 7 miles of the main road being given to. the Newcastle District, 6,000 acres and 4 miles of the main road to the Mangapiko District. On 20th November 1871, the Newcastle Board applied to the Superintendent to take this large addition to the district into consideration in the allocation of the. Government grant for the year, and were informed by Mr Lusk, the Provincial Secretary, that the terms on which the grant was to be apportioned, viz: the amount of rates collected the preceding year could not be departed from. «.,..,. On 12th December, 1871, it was represented to the Superintendent that, as the Highways Act had not been brought into force in the Whata Whata District until it was annexed to the Mangapiko and Newcastle districts, a part of the money reserved for new districts might be allotted to them. On 16th December, 1871, Mr Lusk says, " The Government can hardly see how the districts referred to can share in the grant under two distiuct characters, via: old and new districts." Thus one of the most important roads in the province was deprived of a large portion of the money which should have been expended on it. In fact no Government money has yet been granted for that part of the road which lies in the old Whata Whata District with the exception of £25 granted by the Provincial Government for the bridge over the Ohote Creek. , ~ x .. , , With regard to the Constabulary, the part of the road On which they were employed was certainly not fit for vehicles until they had made it so, and, if something had not been done, it would have been quite impassable after another winter. They were not sent to the Ohote Creek earlier in the season because, until the notification of the Government grant, the Board were unable even to call for tenders, for a bridge there. As soon as the contractor was ready for them, they were there. When they were called iu for the winter, the approaches to the bridge were not finished—not because there had not been plenty of time to do so, but because, under the absurd system of paying the men a shilling a day extra instead of by piece-work, they cannot be induced to work properly. It is absurd to say the bridge might as well never have been built. It has been passable for horsemen or cattle all the winter, and for nearly two months for drays. The Constabulary were sent out in the spring to complete it, and if they had not been taken away to make the approaches to the punt at JNgaruawahia, it would have been finished long ago. Why this Board had to suffer for the benefit of some contractor, or to save the Government a few pounds, I don t know, but such is the system. Having now given you the facts, as far as the portion of the. road in this district is concerned, I leave you to draw your own conclusions as to where the blame lies. Your obedient servant, Thomas Wilson, Chairman Newcastle District Board. Te Koao, December 16,1872.