PAEKAKARIKI HILL

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 293, 6 September 1932, Page 10

PAEKAKARIKI HILL

Repair of Flood Damage MOTOR CLUB CRITICAL The progress of the work which is being done on the Paekakariki Hill in the clearance of slips and the restoration of wash-outs, has occasioned the criticism of the Wellington Automobile Club The fact that the work is not being tackled with, the urgency expected on an important highway is attributed by the club to the diverting of the funds of the Main Highways Board to various ether purposes. The club draws attention to the risk of important routes degenerating through the paring down of funds until emergencies cannot be met. An official report from the club states that although a' week has elapsed since the damage occurred on the Paekakariki Hill, very little lias been done apart from the clearance of the slips to permit the passage of traffic and the marking of the wash-outs with posts. In the past restoration work of this nature has been tackled inwnediately with a strong gang of men. The club reports that it would not be surprising if the delay was due to lack of funds since the Paekakariki Hill is embraced by the No. 9 highway district, for which the maintenance vote is only £35,000 this year, as against £62,000 for the previous year. This route carries probably 000 vehicles a d.ay, and the automobile club considers a highway of such importance should not be allowed to remain in a state which entails serious dislocation of traffic. The Paekakariki Hill is not the only road to suffer from the recent flooding, and the reports suggest that a substantial sum will be required to restore the surfaces. i “The reduction in maintenance allocation is typical of what has happened in other districts, and it is apparent that insufficient money has been allowed to meet contingencies,” states the club’s report. '