TOURIST ROADS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 245, 15 October 1936, Page 8

TOURIST ROADS.

ROTORUA DISTRICT. GRANTS NOT ADEQUATE ? COUNTY COUNCIL'S PROTEST, (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) ROTORUA, this day. Being of the opinion that the grants allocated to the council for road works in the Public Works Estimates were smaller than those given even during the depression years, members of the Rotorua County Council, at a meeting yesterday, decided to write to the Min* ister of Tourist Resorts, the Hon. P, Langstone, expressing dissatisfaction a* the failure of the Government to deal with the question of maintenance oJ tourist roads. , *4 The county engineer, Mr. T. S Robertson, said that when the Estimates were released he communicated with the member for the district, Mr. A. P. Moncur, pointing out that of the £6145 granted to the council for road works. £460 had already been spent earlier in the year, while £2960 was for Public Works expenditure. A further grant of £900, with a subsidy of £2 for £1, had also been applied for by the council; together with an application for a. free giant in respect to the road giving access to the Mamaku State mill. The council had been given only half the amount asked for in free grants, and only £725 had been granted for the purposes of providing access for settlers. No grants whatever had been made for roads in the district used extensively by tourists, but which the county ratepayers were expected to maintain. Mr. Moneur, he said, had subsequently replied stating that he had passed on the representations to the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, who had said that the position actually was that £6145 had been put on the Estimates for the Rotorua district, the council's contribution amounting to only £975. Mr. Semple had contended that on these figures the Government was subsidising road work in the Rotorua district to the extent of £6 for £1, and that this should be regarded as quite liberal treatment. The chairman, Mr. H. P. Ford, said that while the council appreciated the efforts made by Mr. Moncur, the position was that settlers were getting less favourable treatment than they had received during the depression years. Mr. L. Keith asked what was going to be done about tourist roads. _ The chairman said that he had mentioned the matter to Mr. Moncur and had been told that the Government proposed taking action, but so far nothing had been done. j The engineer said that in the meantime the roads were in a very bad condition. The scenic road to Lake Okaj reka and the road to the summit of Ngongotalia Mountain were in a disj graceful condition. After further discussion it was decided to write to the 'Minister of lourist Resorts drawing his attention to the fact that no provision was being made for the maintenance of tourist I roads and expressing dissatisfaction I with the position.