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SORELL CAUSE WAY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE MERCURY. I
Sir-Now having read in this part of the world
of anything of the second reading of the Cause-
way Bill having taken place in the House of Assembly,
I will, by your permission, avail myself of
the columns of The Mercury to ask our legislators
to amend the bill in committee of the House,
should they approve of the suggestions hero tendered.
It is said the Causeway will enhance the value of
property materially in the Sorell District. This
being admitted, the owners of property should
contribute towards its construction. Some people
aver that no provision is made in the proposed
Causeway Act for this purpose, the 11th clause does
not seem to be clear. By the 24 Vic. No. 27 sec.
07 Road Act, and 21 Vic. No. 35 sec. 11, provision
is made in them for occupiers of property, charging
landlords with half the rates. To prevent litigation,
why not insert in the clause such provision
I and the words any agreement made prior to or
after the passing of this Act between any landlord
and tenant to the contrary notwithstanding."
The necessity of this alteration will be more obvious
when it is considered that the absentee landlord
of the Orielton Estate, owning some thousands of
acres of the prime land in the district may not
otherwise contribute a shilling towards the construction
of the Causeway, the occupiers of his land
having to pay the whole rates to enhance the value of
his property, through its being contiguous to the
Causeway, and the easy and rapid facility of com- ,
munication afforded with Hobart Town when the
Causeway is finished. Is it right that these tenants should
pay the whole of the annual rate that will
be levied to serve the property of a landlord, who,
when their leases expire, may ask a higher rent
from them ? There are in the district of Sorell 300
occupiers of property, and but 116 landlords farm-
ing and occupying property, for which they would
only pay, if the act is not made more explicit.
However novel the subject may be in the colony
of a ratable assessment being made for such works
as the Causeway in districts in a proportionate
measure to distance, Sea it is known to work in
other places. I have no doubt of its being practicable.
In the case of the district of Sorell,
however, remoteness from the Causeway
would here x not be fair. The residents
of Forcett, for instance, about two miles from Sorell,
have water carriage, which they will always for
produce, take the benefit of the residents of Wattle
Hill, we, residing more remote, will be obliged to
use the Cnuseway.honce the desirability of lessening
in some degree the rate to be paid by landlords and
occupiers of property in Forcett, Carlton, East Bay
Neck, and Bream Creek, to that of persons liable
in any other portion of the district.
The appointment of coramÍ3-,ionor3,as proposed
by the Act, should not receive the sanction of
parliament. The central government ought not to
have the sole election and appointment of commissioners
for a local work, two-thirds of the cost being
paid by the district. Why this anxiety of the
government in this matter? If they are allowed
in this instance, who can say but the Executive may
desire to do the business of the road trustees of
districts from having to contribute a quota towards
the local rates raised for their repair and construction.
That the government should appoint the
majority of the commissioners, I grant, from the
fact of their borrowing the money, and being, in
some degree, guarantees for its repayment ; it is
something to thank them for in those days; the ratepayers
should elect commissioners as well, Bay in
the proportion of two to three by the government.
Possibly it may be urged. that the government have
been asked by about seventy people to take action
in the construction of the Causeway themselves,
how these signatures were obtained, why should I
say? What of about three hundred who did not
sign ? It would be out of place for me here to
dilate upon the subject of the petition of the seventy.
I could readily do so ; time, and space, will not
admit of it at present, irrespective of any good
likely to result from it, when unity of action
is now necessary by the ratepayers, and
which I am glad to perceive is now the case, more
especially with reference to the contemplated
alteration of the boundaries between Sorell and
Spring Bay. Municipalities'; this is of vital importance
to the construction and maintenance of the
Causeway.
In the schedule tothoMunicipalities'Bill.pngeSi),
and therehavingreadthoboundariesofClarenceand
Richmond, one becomes acquainted with the con
templated alteration of the boundary of the Sorell
Municipality, a glance at the chart issued some
twelve months. back from the Survey Office
will show that about 40,000 acres of land, principally
Crown land lying between the Sorell and
Spring Bay Municipality is the whole extent, generally
northerly from Sorell, sometimes over hills,
occasionally along gullies, then by boundaries of
allotments it would require half a dozen surveyors
to find. I have load of home unworthy motives
having been assigned to Messrs. Hodgson and
Meredith through these boundary lines just passing
to exclude their allotments from the Sorell district,
I do not ascribe such motives to the use gentlemen,
they have a right to believe these lands should be
included in Spring Bay. I bel eve differently, and
will give good and substantial reasons:
1. The present municipal district boundary of
Sorell was the former police district boundary.
2. Spring Bay district became a municipality
before Sorell, the petitioners for municipal action
then had the option to ask for this area of land
under discussion, and the occupiers and owners
of this land could have joined in the
petition to be included in the then proposed
Spring Bay Municipality ; if they did not do so
then, why should they have it now ?
3. The government, land will be opened up between
Sorell and Spring Bay, on the completion of
the Causeway, if the municipal boundaries are not
altered. -
4. The construction of the Causeway will be of
little or no use to persons beyond twelve miles
northerly from Sorell. should the proposed alteration
be allowed, thereby shutting out the residents of
Buckland, Spring Bay, and the East Coast, whom
it was contemplated should be benefited by the
Causeway, as well as 'benefit it. Those people
would by the Causeway be enabled to curtail the
distance in travelling to Hobart Town about 12
miles in 40, besides avoiding the accidents incidental
to travelling by the old road, known by the
euphonious name of " break-me-neck," and the
Ferry at Risdon, owned by two jolly watermen.
The Municipal Councillors of Sorell being Road
Trustees, and the Road District being the present
municipal district, these functionaries can soon
make a passable road to Buckland, the boundary
in the south of the present municipality. It will
be the interest of the Road Trust to make the road
good, and that quickly; the more custom they bring
to the Causeway. the loss rates they will themselves
have to pay towards it. Will it not be their interest
to make the communication to the Causeway easy,
short, and rapid on the other hand, if these lands
are transferred to Spring Bay, their boundary from
north to south will be 27 miles, about 8 miles through
Crown lands northerly, which could not he opened
up by that district-the valuation of that district is
low very low if they cannot, or will not for the
accommodation of the people of Buckland, in their
own district, make a good road to the Port of
Orford, who in their own district is but right to
assume they would not if they could make a road
through Crown land to accommodate the people of
Sorell. No, if they will not pass Paradise to go to
Orford, for which I recollect session after session
Mr. Meredith asking a contribution to make a road
to, although I never heard of any one who had lived
there it may be they are not given to travel, or
live secluded.
I have heard it said the lands proposed to be
taken from the district of Sorell were useless, and
only comprised 20,003 acres. I intended to have
furnished a list from the map of the names and
number of acres of land each person had, this can
be seen readily from the map of the dIstrict, 32,000
is owned or occupied; if the land is useless Crown
land why is occupied? The land is not first-rate,
it is not bad-about 8,000 acres is not wanted.
Whilst writing many subjects occur to me to
adduce in support of the measure I advocate.
Your space and my business reminds me to go in
for a last word, it may turn out like a lady's postscript.
I intended to show how, why, and where
for, Ac, the district of Kangaroo Point should
contribute to the Causeway. I might be called to
order by the honorable the member for Cambridge,
and adopting a parliamentary phrase a la Rosa I
su house I had better cheese it and come to the last
word quick-fire goes .. open up the Crown lands.
So that the two pounders from New Zealand may
settle upon it P and if they cannot be got, why
not try if the native youths would I have no recollection
of the experiment having been tried,
although of passing events I have been an
OBSERVER.
Sorell Causeway,
2nd August, 1854.
TusATBri Royal We perceive that Messrs.
Cook and Hornsby, for whose benefit a performance
was given at the Theatre Royal on Monday
evening last, intend repeating their entertainment
to night. The programme comprises the sensational
drama The White Farm and the farce entitled
Ringing the Changes. There will also be an interlude
of dancing by the Chambers family. From
the effective way in which the drama was produced
on the last occasion, we can safely recommend
Messrs. Cook and Hornsby to the liberal patronage
of the public.
Letters posted on Saturday insufficiently
stamped c-Mr. F. Pettard, care of Mrs Brown
IIiiriingtoii-house.Harrington-strcet ¡ Sen. Antonio
Dagrioa, Cape De Verde Islands a Sen, Oqnstantio,
Cape De Verde Islands,
No Peace for the Wicked Aunt Betsy was
dividing a mince pie among the boys, and when
Jim, who had wickedly pulled the cat's tail, asked !
for his share, the dance replied, "No, Jim, you are
a wicked boy, and the Bible says there is no j
peace for the wicked." 1
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