Roads in Pairc,1900

A report of a meeting about roads in the Pairc district, held 15 January 1900. From the Stornoway Gazette, 27 January 1900.
A large meeting of crofters, cottars and fishermen from the townships of Lemara, Gravir, Calbost, Marivig, and Cromore in the district of Park was held on the 15th inst. in the Cromore Schooolhouse. Captain Macfarlane, Marivig, was in the chair. The meeting was opened with prayer by the Rev. J. Macdougall. The Chairman, in an able and clear speech, stated that it was a well-known fact to them all that the Lewis District Committee have unanimously been of the opinion that the best way of making roads in the Park district was to construct a main road from Cromore to Gravir, with the intention of ultimately extending it to Lemara, with branches to Marivig on the left and Garyvard on the right. It was also stated that the District Committee were fully under the impression that they had the unanimous consent of the people in favour of the above route, until they heard from Colonel Gore-Booth recently that a numerously-signed petition had been sent out from certain townships against the route proposed by the Committee, and in favour of another route along the coast from Cromore and passing through Marivig and Calbost to the lower end of Gravir, and recommended by Captain Andrews as the result of his visit to the place last harvest. It was explained to the meeting that the main object of their being called there that day was to find out whether the petitions referred to by Colonel Gore-Booth were genuine or not.
Thereafter, adds our correspondent, a very lively discussion took place over the petition question, and the whole meeting seemed to be quite indignant over the whole business, as there was not a single individual known among them who knew anything about the document referred to by Colonel Gore-Booth in his letter to the District Committee. The following resolutions were moved, seconded, and unanimously carried:
1. Moved by Mr. Murdo Macleod, Cromore, and seconded by Mr. Malcolm Campbell, Marivig – “That this meeting desire to take this opportunity of expressing their unabated confidence in the Lewis District Committee, and hope they will do everything in their power to get the roads constructed in the district of Park on the original route proposed by themselves and pegged out sometime ago by the district surveyor.”
2. Moved by Mr. D. Campbell, and seconded by Mr. Kenneth Nicolson, Calbost – “That this meeting protests against the route recommended by Captain Andrews in that it is entirely against the wishes of the people that preference should be given to the route proposed by him (Captain Andrews) to the one proposed by the District Committee and agreed upon by the people; that this meeting further protest against constructing footpaths, but will bind themselves to fulfil their original promise to the District Committee if they will get roads of twelve feet under gravel, so that they will be in a positiion to use carts in the district as people do in other parts of the island.”
3. Moved by Mr. Murdo Matheson, Gravir, and seconded by Mr. D. Maclennan, Marivig – “That this meeting wishes to make known that after having made inquiries it has failed to get anyone in its townships who could give them any information whatever about the petitions referred to by Colonel Gore-Booth in his letter to the District Committee, and that it is pleased to hear that the Committee wrote to the Congested Districts Board for a copy of the petition sent to them.”
4. Moved by Mr. Norman Nicolson, Lemara, and seconded by Mr. Norman Morison, Marivig – “That this district will not be satisfied until roads are constructed in the following places, viz.: – (1) A main road from Cromore to Gravir and extended to Lemara, with branches from Marivig and Garyvard; (2) a road from the Cromore Schoolhouse to Marivig, and from Calbost to Gravir along the coast.”
5. Moved by Mr. J. Smith, Cromore, and seconded by Mr. Roderick Mackenzie, Marivig – “That copies of the above resolutions be sent to Mr. MacIver, their County Councillor, to the Congested District Board, and to the local papers, and that their County Councillor should be asked to write Colonel Gore-Booth for a copy of the petition sent to him.”
After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting was closed.