^ 7 >W m IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 2.2 ■ 2.0 1.8 1.25 U 11.6 Photographic Sciences CoiDoration 4? 4^ ^^ -^ A^ ^\ -•V •.T3 WEST MA!N STRItT WEBSTIR.N.Y 14580 (7'6) •'2-4503 '^V^ ^ 6^ Canadian in -, v,^- CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. in Institute for Histcrical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductlons historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques at bibltographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy avdilable for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mithode normaie de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. □ Coloured covens/ Couverture de couleur □ Covers damaged/ Couverture enclcmmagie □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurAe eVou pellicula □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque □ Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou iHustrations an couleur D D D Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autras documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion la long de la margo int^rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'uno restau ration apparaissent dans te texte, mais, lorsque ce'a Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas At* filmies. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdes et/ou pelliculies 1/ Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages dicolories, tacheties ou piquies □Pages detached/ Pages ditachies 0Showthrough/ Tiansparence [~~| Quality of print varies/ Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire D D Only edition available/ Seule idition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une pelure, etc., ont iti filmies A nouveau de fapon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. Q Additional comments:/ Commentairas supplimentaires: [Printed ephemera] 1 sheet (verio blank) This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmi au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X I6X 20X 24X 28X 32X Th« copy film«d hw has been r«producad thanks to tha gonarosity of: D. B. We Jon Library Univers' y of Western Ontario (Reyir '! History Roont) Tha imagas appaaring hara ara tha bast quality possibia considaring tha condition and lagibiiity of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacificationa. Original copiaa in printad papar covara ara fllmad baginning with tha front covar and anding on tha last paga with a printad or lllustratad impras- sioi., or tha back covar whan approprlata. Ail othar original copiaa ara filmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or lllustratad Impras- sion, and anding on tha iaat paga with a printad or lllustratad imprasslon. Tha last racordad frama on aach microflcha shall contain tha symbol —<»•( moaning "CON- TINUED"), or tha symbol V (moaning "END"), whichavar appllas. Mapa. platas, charts, ate., may ba filmad at diffarant raduction ratica. Thoaa too larga to ba antlraiy includad in ona axpoaura ara fllrnad baginning in tha uppar iaft hand comar, laft to right and top to bottom, aa many framaa aa raqulrad. Tha following diagrama lllustrata tha mathod: L'axamplaira film* fut reproduit grAca A ia ginArosit* da: D. B. Weldon Library University of Wnstern Ontario (Regional History Room) Las imagaa suK/antas ont 4t« raprodultaa avac ia plua grand soin, compta tenu da la condition at da ia nattat* da l'axamplaira fiimi. at an conformit* avac iaa conditions du contrat da fllmaga. Laa axamplairaa originaux dont la couvartura ^n papiar aat imprimte sont filmte an commandant par la pramiar plat at an tarmlnant solt par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una ampralnta d'impraasion ou d'illustration. solt par la sacond plat, salon la c«a. Tous las autras axamplairaa originaux sont fllmis an commandant par ia pramlAra paga qui comporta una ampralnta d'impraMlon ou d'liiustration at an tarmlnant par la darnlAra paga qui comporta una talla ampralnta. Un daa symbolaa suivants apparattra sur ia darnlAra Imaga da chaqua microflcha, salon la caa: la symbola -^ signifia "A SUIVRE", ia symbols ▼ signifia "FIN". Las cartaa, planchea, tabiaaux, ate, pauvant Atra filmte A daa taux da reduction diff Arants. Lorsqua ia documant ast trop grand pour atra raproduit an un saul cilch*. il ast fllm« A partir da i'angia aup4riaur gaucha, da gaucha A droit*, at da haut 9n baa, an pranant la nombra d'Imagaa nAcaasaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 S 6 The Road Question! A few Words in Season,— To the Ratepayers of iVIinto. Brother Rate-Favkrs :— In a few days, we shall have to settle a matter of greater importance to us than any which has called fur our attention since wo have been settled in Minto. We shall have to vote "Yes" or "No"— 'For'' or ••Against," a good gravel road from the top corner of the Township, down to the Grand Trunk Stntion in Guelph. And it \% well f«r us to look at the question in all its hearings and cnnsider it well, before we lake a step ene way or the other. As a 1 rxiher rate payor, I have adopted this pliin of pliicing a few though la before you and trust thai you will give them a fair liearing, even if they do not altogether square with your own opinious. It is useless to talk about the value and importance to any settlement, tmw or old, of good roads and easy access to market. Wo all Know, by bitter experience, the in- convenience and loss arising from mud- IioIm and cradle-knolls, mud to the hob, and broken down conlaroys s"d slumps luft in the middle of the road as nature placed them. There is not a man, with ten acres of clearing, in this T.iwoship.who has not lost dollars every year from these causes. He has \m<\- a breakdown and a blncksmilirs bill alor}; with it; or he list had to leave part of his load and trudge Mlong with the other half it: or ha hn6; or lamod his team; er ripped Ins liar- neas; or had an up.^et; or been (ulject to «<>ina one of the thousand o her m'^cliances which aru ii3«vijLHi>ly eaonected wi'.h miry ways and rough travelling. Dut these are only the b»}»M>ivi«g of the evil. Wo have M RuHi»red far greiter losses than these, im-i as tlioy may have been, and arc, acd wilt be, unless we gut rid of tli.im. I bo lieve thai Minto Ihk.-.i tliou-x>d the market in Jaiiuary and Feb fu.iiy, when the sit igliing ix at the bi.>st,and llio jirici's, loo often, at the wor»t. Add to the loss of price, the loss of timi. taken to travel over a bad roa>l; add again to this tlie extriicost of team and driver, und tliu Ujss upon the carriage of smHll loads com- p ired with the cost of full ones, and you l.ave a large item on the vrong side eveiy time you go to r.>arkat. Tliu avt-rage price uf wtieat in Uu*'lpli, in February of the present year, was 85 cents; in the fall months of the lanl year it was Oflc. Wlm anlTered ihis l.>ss of ten cents upon the distinct understanding that the Minto por-l tion of the road would be built by tl.'o ^ people of Minto; that it was a work of ex Iremo difficulty to secure that vote; and that nothing will be done by the County unless we approve the J3y"Law submitted to us. In fact, I can assure you, from what 1 have been told by the Commission- ers appointed by the Council, that they will not fee', themselves justified iu ev de'it fbr this pur pose I The»9 are Iho questions to be con sidered. We have lo build 15 miles of road. To do this, we aie askeil to iwue f!l8 009>»i( Ddlti-ntures, runnir-g over 15 years. '1 buse Dubeiiliiros, it in ca fulatcd. will yiel I enough to ccmplete the woik. To rub off this debt \v« are nominally ix- {lACted (o raise nnnually a i>iifii which, AccoaniNu to ouk tkhsknt AsaitasMKNT will rtTpiiro a tax < f nine mills in the dol- lar. Supposing the ruad In give nothing in the kIii pii of lolU — supposing none ot iL^ .L^iuijiiirijii til t>e liiiiiirlil up from tiirii' to lime-- thi* lax can l.e paid yeaily by the tliffcrenou npuii a liiad of wheat sulj wIhh ill* markvis Hie lip, compared with what we got now wlicn force.l lo sell in lilvighing. Tli« IMK fur eveiy iJlOO of HMwimeiit woiilJ 1>H 00 cnils. Hut llie RACII DOLLAR OF A8BKSSUENT WOULD COVKR THE BNTIRB CoST OF THE ROAd! What is that when extending over fifteen years f Who will feel it, when lightenedi as it will be, by the receipt of tolls from thousands of non-residents in this Town- ship! Who will really know, by the extra weight of taxation, that Minto has c«o- structed a great public work at her own cost? We are familiar with the argumenta used against the proposed By-Law. W« ate told that every farm in tha Township will be mortgaged for more than its worth — that nobody will settle in a mnrrieipality so tiwfully eaten up with taxes — and tht ;t wo shall, slock, lock and barrel, be forced t* take up our beds and walk before many years are over. Now, what is tlie debt incurred ? We have 74.000 acres ket, or to ge*. them for nothing, with such a communication with maiket iu spring and fall as we have now, which should wa choose? I think that I can answer far the whole, when I say that not one thinkiaf;, far seeing man amongst n» would lake tha land and m-id for nothing, and reject tba land and gravel, at 25c per acre , payable in 15 years, with ruturns from tolls to help us lo pay it. And this is exactly hew wa stand now. We have the offer of a gook Company may buili tbe road, or I he County may make it, «r we HiBy help ourselves. Is the first plan likely to be cairied out ? Count upon T«ar fi))ger« — and yor can do it upon one hand— the number of your neighbora-wbo are likely to put their hands in their pock- ets to advance tlOO, or $50, or even $?0 for this purpose. You cau't reasonably expect ^ largi* number to inwest private moans m ibis shape, vher they have so much else to do wiili iheir nioney,.and you niiiy depend upon it ihay won't do it.— . You couldn't rrti»e 15.000 in ihic way in the whole Township of Minto: and it would be fully to expect any great number to take up stack outside of the Township. It is in)po88ible, then, now or for some time to come, to get up a Company for the pur- P'.se of gravelling tie road. Will the County do it— wholly and entirely f Auk our Heevea, or any n ember o( the County Council. They will tell you that it is impossible to induce tbe County Council to vole funds for building the road, unless Ibe Township of Minto ■hews ii> iQisrssi in the undertaking by assuming its shara of it. They will tell you, in addiiion.that the maj.»rily of onk, at last session ef County Council, w«i aecured upon the :i«»w,ineiii lolls will nearly, if r.ot altogether, pay foi the road. One or two' miUs on the ijsl — iO or 20 cents upon $100 — will give nioie than is needed to meet the rcquirtments of the road. If we look al the greatly in creased value of property, which weiihai! inevitably experience in the caurse vftime, the rate will bu much leas than th^s»— It will be imposed when we are better able to bear it than now — and it will be borne by a iiiui-.h Itiiger number of settlers;, fur, ju»t to surely as we make n guod road , new setilers, with abundant means, will eome in. Mills will be started, tanneries will be put in operation, lands t>elonging to non residents will be sold or cultiviited, nnd all these will have to carry their share of the light bur- den. Iu fact, tbe tax'whicb may be iin- pored will be so small that it will make no a >preciable diflerence iu tbe amount yeaily paid by us to tbe Collector. If it did cott us some dollars per annum more than we now pay; if we were compelled to make up by a direst tax the whole of the late — what would this be in comparison with the immediate advantages derivablii- from a sure road at all seasons, and a command of tbe r.arket upon any day in ttieyear? But, THE MAN WHO USES TUZ ROAIT WILL HAVE TO PAT FOR IT. As I have already said, the Tolls will nearly, if not altogether, meet the annual payments. Look at the map of our Township, and you will see that the settlers in tbe Townships north of us will be forced to travel upen one lead- ing road' in their way to maiket. It can- not be evaded. And even if evasion* were |>08.sible,tbey would not be desirable, as •ur road leads to directly to tbe front. This fact alone will insure a large amount of travel every year, equal if not superior. I verily believe, to tliat passing over tbe roads below Elora and Fergus when thej were first constructed. Their tolls let, at that time, for about $700 ; and have since gone up to a much higher figure. Ours will let for tbaVsum, at tbe very least, ll we have ihr..'e gates, we shall at once real- ize t2. 100 per annum from tolls. Th*- amount annually required to meet the debt and interest will be $2. 280, or just (180 more than the tolls will yield. There will be triftltig repairs, of cource, but no heavy outlay can be incurred upon the read fr some years to come. When it Joes ceme. the tolls will be greater than at firs'; it w.ll be borne l^ nuch larf;cr number of rate-payers than «e now poM.csr; and we shall be much belter able to b^ar it than at the praeent time. Of what Uien have we fo be afraid ? Shall we be sunk irretrivably in debt, ai some pretend ^ Shall we be swamped wth taxHst Hhiill wa bs drives eut sf ihs Township by the imposiiiou of burdens impossible to be endured ? The idea is preposterous. Even if we had to pay the whole amount NOW, lEvaii cimtb upon affucted one way or othe.-. But it is bigb^ ly probable that it will >et be placed under tbe control of thi» Municipality, and it )» well t« bear this in mind when discuaaing the advisability of incurring a d«bt for roato me I have noted, and trusti that tjief will b»> duly weighed, by such of you as ina; have the opportiiv nity of reading them. I might abuse those opposed to this meat.ure, but abuse is net argument: I might be tempt«d into ques- tioning tjie motitiee-bf those- doing their utmost to defeat the By-law, but althougb< we may guess at motivas, it is ubelees to enquiie iniu them. The great question* for us is— Do we need this read, how can. we get it, and will it pi.y us to build it!— and I flatter myself that I' have given a^ positive, if brief answer to the different branches of the query. A few n:or« words, and I have done. On the 28tb, it behooves every ma3 favorable to improve*- ment to be up and doing. Thia is no common municipal quettion justifyiog' staying at home and taking your ease. — Upon the vote given for or against tbe By- Law depends the construction of a good' raad to market — depends its construction, now, or mud for years to coma. Tha County Council is strangely constituted at times, and may not again be so fav«rably disposed to consider our case, If wa en- ter into a rasolution to implement our part of the bargain^ tbe County is in honor bound to camplate iU part of tL« tngag*.. ment If we refuse, tbe County ii virtu. ally absolved from its agreement, and yo«. may depend uj>on the fact tfaat tba en*- mies to improvement will make good use of theih opportunity. Don't give tbem tha chance. Don't say to them " Wa ara not ready to go to work yet to help ourielvaa." Don't tell them to take back tbeir proffered support. But seize tbe opportunity ao fortunately presenting itself, and strengthen the hands of those prepared to battle for your interesia in tbe Ceunly Couucil, ky accepting the liberal terms secured hy. them, and prove to them that you really appreciate the services of your friends bj. hearty and willing co o|)er8tion, Beliaving that you will do this, and ao materially advance the interesia o( ionA Township for all time to come, and hop- ipij to be with you early at the poll on the morning of Thursday, the 28th instant, to. record a lUoDg vote for the By Law, I am, , - Youra faithfully, ^ A MINTO RATEPAYER;. / ^ Minto, 20lb March, 1861,