CLAY HIGHWAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 37, 13 February 1931, Page 3

CLAY HIGHWAY.

TE HANA-MANGAWAI. NEED OF GOOD ROAD. HIGHWAYS BOARD EXPLAINS. The unsatisfactory state of the road between Te Hana and M»ngawai, North Auckland, is the subject of complaints. Although it is one of ttie most important links between Whangarei and Auckland it is a play road. It is complained that although metal has been stacked along the sjdes of the road, and any amount of unemployed labour is available, no attempt has been made to put the road in order. The Rodney County Council takes the attitude that the Te Hana-Mangawai Road is not a main highway, and that to obtain a subsidy a standard specification would be required. Merejy to metal the road would not be enough. It was estimated that the work would cost £4000, and that even if advantage of unemployment relief could be taken the balance of cost would be substantial. Mr. M. H. Wynyard, of the Main Highways Board, said this morning that the Te Hana-Mangawai Road was a main highway. There was a portion of several miles of road which was unmetalled. While the Main Highways Board was touring in North Auckland it discussed the road with the Rodney County Council, which refused to pay anything towards its cost, and expressed no great anxiety to have the gap metalled. From the board's point of view, continued Mr. Wynyard, the connection was, under the circumstances, valuable only as a means to give a through winter connection at an early date to Whangarei, for vfcich urgent requests had been made. Subsequently, said Mr. Wynyard, the Otamatea County Council made a proposal to metal lightly the main highway between Topuni and Kaiwaka pending its construction. That was a direct road, and saved many miles on the deviation round by Mangawai, and the county offered to do the work for £100. The Highways Board, was now considering this suggestion, in conjunction with similar work through Port Albert and Whakahine as a possibility for giving through metalled access next winter to Maungaturoto and Auckland. "Although the Te Hana-Mangawai route is a main highway," added Mr. Wynyard, "the Main Highways Board lias not sufficient money to metal all main routes this year. The present appropriations are already strained." ■