MAIN NORTH ROAD.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20572, 14 June 1932, Page 10

MAIN NORTH ROAD.

a CANCELLED contract.

motorists protest

"What can we expect in Canterbury when the chairman of the Maui «i/hwavs Board advocates deference to Sly "ntereste. H the Board cannot function for motorists, ita name is a m is-nomer"-this criticism was made by the acting-chairman of the council of the Canterbury Automobile Association (Mr F. W. Freeman) at last night's meeting of that organisation when a letter was read from Mr p. W. Furkert in repjy to an enquiry from the secretary of the Association (Mr J. S. Hawkes) as to why the Board had accepted an offer from Goosman and Co., contractors, of Auckland, for paving portion of the main highway from Gisborne going north. Ihe As- | sociation decided to protest against the action of the Board in cancelling a tender for the paving of the AshleyWaipara section of the Main North road from Christchurch, and supporting the Kowai County Council in its endeavours to get the section of the road completed. A copy of Mr Furkert's letter appeared in , the motor column of The Press on Friday last. It stated that the Ashley-Waipara road ran through flat, dry country, where road making and maintenance were cheap, whereas the load north of Gisborne was expensive to construct and maintain, and had .been allowed to get into such a bad condition that a general breakup was inevitable. If not attended to there was a likelihood of the road requiring to be entirely reconstructed. Mr F. W. Johnston said that the Progress League had decided to support the Kowai County Council in urging the completion of the section under discussion, yet the proposal had been rejected by the Board. Mr Furkert was an engineer, and the speaker was a layman, but he would assert that Mr Furkert was wrong in his view of the road. As a matter of fact it was a disgrace to the community. i"e Kowai County Council had the sum or £3OOO set aside as its share for carrying" out the paving of the section ot seven miles referred to instead ot spreading that expenditure over Hi miles. Being anxious to get the worK completed, the Kowai County Council intended to approach the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) today. and to send representatives to Wellington to-night with a view to interviewing the Highways Board concerning the auestion. . , "It is the worst section on the road," said Mr H. E. Kennett. A Disappointing Beply. "This disappointing reply must cut Canterbury motorists to the quick, and can be regarded only as a ruthless subversion of a promised undertaking. Canterbury's two gaps in arterial highways adjacent to. the Oity are the Ash-ley-Waipara section of the Main North road, and the Kolleston-Bakaia section of the Main South road,",said Mr Freeman. "After co-operative action j and agreement-of loeal bodies—-county | councils, the South Island Motor "Union, the Canterbury Automobile Association, the Canterbury Progress League, and I other bodies—the Ashley-Waipara section, which is already two years overI'due, -seemed, after. n*fich negotiation, to^eon' the point ef ifruition. The conitorojlinff' authority, the Kqwai .County vi'ere gfedtfa&ed and expectant. : "The history of this, "agitation has turned out to be a sorry - chronicle of disappointment. The president of the South Island Motor Union understood from with the Minister on behalf of the motorists that this work would be protected. Construction plant and specifications wete in.hand, tenders were called-, and the Slowest tenderer's deposit was banked and cashed. The tender was the cheapest ever received for this work. After six months the tender was shamelessly cancelled. What a set-back for private enterprise and Canterbury's unemployment efforts! "The chairman of the Main Highways Board tosses Canterbury's prescribed programme to the winds," continued Mr Freeman. "Sight is, lost of the fact that the combined policy of all North Canterbury counties and supporting bodies had sacrificed every other section to get this one done. All realised its need.- Gisborne has a population of less than one-seventh of that of Christchurch, and it has less than one-fifth of its motor intensity.'' Mr Freeman wanted to know why, if the road had not wasted away under heavy traffic, 30,000 cubic _ yards of metalling was called for_ in the new specification,, of the highway. The Leithfield-Ashley section was one of worst in Canterbury. It had a sahay bottom, a»d -the, xnpment a igrader got off it corrugation commenced. Ifvthe loose metal on it now were used it would"gd west," like i motor taxation. The road ; was a bug- [ bear •to • the county council 1 , and to | motorists generally. ,

"No railway serves the first'portion of the _ road under review," continued the speaker. " What can we expect in Canterbury when a chairman of tie Main Highways Board advocates defence to railway, interests. Why, seven miles of this road cost less than onethird of the South Island Main Trunk line, and carries four times the amount of traffic. Nor should we forget that this railway, on which £1,000,000 has been spent, is stopped, thus burdening this highway. The chairman of the Main Highways Board must not take the role of chairman of the Bailway Board, or even of a political agent. If the Highways Board cannot function for motorists its name is a misnomer." Mr Furkert's statement that the present shingle surface is superior in smoothness to some of the pavements which have been laid down at .very considerable, expense can only be .talceh as somewhat of a reflection on road construction under the Highway Board's supervision."

Sooth.lsland's Bights. Mr Freeman: went on to state that it was time justice was done to Canterbury motorists, and added that the allocation made by the" Board for this year to No. 14 District, in which the road was situated, was actually a reduction of £57,000, as compared v with the allocation of - the. preceding yea?, although the Board lifted £175,000 annually from the district. He understood that there was- plenty of : sand and limestone in the Gisborne'district, and claimed that if it were mixed with bitumen'it would make splendid roading material. "It was once the Sonth - Island's happy position to have about £500,000 in the highway funds, but the nest egg is now scrambled," lie added:: "South Island funds paid many thousands to rehabilitate highways in the Murchison earthquake, Which was really ft national liability, thus" again giving assistance to the Consolidated Fund obligation. Political preponderance is with the North Island, and it is imperative that South Island motorists must watch aud strenuously guard the South Island allocation of funds._ • Motorists, recognising the exceptional financial vortex threatening tho Dominion, met the case by agreeing to a transfer \>f £500,000. But this was not done with the idea of allowing South Island monfey to be spent in tho North Island. Our business people must resent this defaulting

Christchureh snffen tial tmtaut and overdue paving of tt* sent to Zealand'?" asked Hr'XMI^«H 'A motion mi against the HigMny contract, and airoajrty Kowai County CoamU to have the seetion to" IMMHHH taken immediately Mt It was decided to letter to the Miniate* JNWHMBBI (the Bight Hon. 'J. the eh airman of tk-16fc A radio emergency wireless to the parties operating on liMjtliflHH been formed under tl» New Zealand . in New Plymouth naki Daily News")- W* :< *llml club is to provide tw».lWjfj§j§^Bg mittmg and re«ei»Ug carried by _ a Bwurt search- parties and • in New Plymouth, all, will be able^faitg to the suggestion was tors in b^abfcT to* talc® fte ]** licensed to work a jHgjMMBM unable' to respond t# One portable already; -and- St is •a* other will take long. be of inestimable on" the moan tain, in tMjHSH elimber who has had ence of the nwantn^^vJSHg^Mßß abont the" possible WwM* the "opinion' that have saved Bwi there were- two on-the track and «M would be a gw*t **g3|gSHHl cbmnranieate with ally when a doctor W The sluice gate nel at Araponfc wMA Karamea, will re^al** take It to its out in parts which weight of 260 tons, abont 15 of the the machinery w«I#» tons. The sluice g*fo*TmjallMfMil the one which at P wg^% water baek in^the^WM^^gjga^M sluice gate is anticipated i« : t r ""-r -gflKfll machinery to Arap_a»jJ'" *gL -MmH none of its parts » *7 VTjLAfIH railway gauge. cylinder Is the heavies* ncrv, weighing 1® *°**Lat others are masove. weighing eight toaa, gM9 and eight tons, nine jjwy Wwp-jBH seven, four between 34 ranging f*®® *?• *