186 



TRINIDAD I THEN AND NOW. 



boards. Mr. Irving when Governor changed this, 

 and they were put exclusively under the control of 

 the Public Works, where they remained till some 

 years afterwards when what are called local roads, 

 were put under local road boards — which was a re- 

 trograde movement and a great pity — there was, 

 however, a reason for trying the experiment which I 

 am afraid has not been a success. 



The main roads are still under the control of the 

 Public Works since the time of Mr. Tanner, and con- 

 tinued under Mr. Wrightson and Mr. Bell, assisted by 

 their able deputy Mr Percival Stevens — who has 

 been connected with them from the beginning and 

 taken an active part dn all that has been done. I 

 think that I have in a concise way shown what they 

 were, and every one can see what they are, and by 

 comparison contrast the vast strides made. 



Improving and extending the old roads by hun- 

 dreds of miles necessarily were followed by the open- 

 ing of new ones to the extent of hundreds of miles 

 into and through places Then only known to the wild 

 animal and sometimes lonely hunter ; others are dn 

 the course of construction and others again so traced 

 out as to make them ready to be proceeded with. 

 These together with 90 miles of railways, for many 

 years in use and about 40 additional miles in course 

 of construction, will, when completed, make almost 

 every part of the colony accessible and render it an 

 ideal land for strangers from northern climes to visit 

 and dwell amongst us during the rigorous seasons of 

 their own. 



