LAKE COLERIDGE ROAD.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15939, 28 June 1917, Page 5

LAKE COLERIDGE ROAD.

[ APPORTIONING 005T OF MAINTENANCE. EVIDENCE BEFORE COM* MISSIONER. Mr T. A. B. Bailey, 5.31., sat at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday as a Commissioner to hear evidence as to what proportion should bo borne by tho Mount Hutt Road Board and the Selwyn County Council respectively in maintaining, repairing, improving or reconstructing the Lako Coleridge-Poak Hills road, running from the- Wilbcrforce and Rakaia Rivers in a southeasterly direction from the Coalgatc road to the bridge over the Selwyn River. . Mr F. "Wilding. K.C., appeared for tho Mount Hutt Road Hoard, and Mr Wright for the Selwyn County Council. Trueman Banks Jones, tract ion-en-gine contractor, ilororatu, gave evidcnco as to tho traction-cnginc traffic on the road. Sidney Robert Wright, elork to llie Selwyn 'County Council, said that the road, which was just over forty miles in length, was the only practical outlet for the Double Hill runs, which were four in number, and covered about 120,000 acres.. The runs were situated wholly in the Mount Hutt district, outside the Selwyn County. With the exception of about two years prior to 1914, ivhen the Government had control of tho road, the Selwyn County had borne tho whole cost of the roac'l. Some time, ago the Selwyn County anfl the Mount Hutt Road Board had had a conforcnce roneerning the road, and the latter offered to pay £50 a year, Ashburton being asked to pay Sl2o. Tho average cost, of the upkeep of the roarl was between £400 and £500 per year, but tho cost had sinco gone up. Eventually it was decided to refer the matter to a Commission. The Selwyn County had tho benefit of the Mount Hutt roads for sertdinp stock to Metliven. Kenneth Wilson, chairman cf tho Selwyn County Council, gave similar evidence and stated that, as far as ho knew, the whole of tho traffic caino from the Doublo Hills along this road. William John Percy, clerk to the Mount Hutt Xtoad Board, said that the majority of the stock trom Murchison, Lake Coleridge and Snowdon, went along tho Mount Hutt Road District for about eleven miles. ' Only a very small percentage -went from the Road District to Coalgatc. Tho Doublo Hill runs did not breed enough stock to stock their runs. He Aid not think that his district had had equal benefits of tho improvements of tho road in question -with the Selwyn County. Although not very big in area, tho Mount Hutt Road District was a fairly prosperous one. Henry Maginness, chairman of the Mount Hutt Road Hoard, said that the ratepayers poQcrally would think it a hardship to keen m repair a road that "■ they • never used. They objected to sharing ' tho upkeep of a road that only four or five residents used. He did .not think that the traffic from the Double Hills along tho road did the road any harm. Tho road wes in first-class order, and would not take much to keep it so for nome considerable time, and tho Mount Hutt people wore quite prepared to pay for what they were getting out of it. He thought they should pay about 9 or 10 per cent, of the upkeep.' Ihe Commissioner, at tho conclusion of the evidence, intimatpd that ho would follow the usunl procedure in forwarding his recommendations to tho nroper quarter.