MAKARA ROADS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 140, 11 December 1923, Page 8

MAKARA ROADS

BETTER SYSTEM OF MAIN

TENANCC

LOAN POLL TO-MORROW.

New machinery for the purpose of improved attention to those roads in the Alakara County which carry the heavy ii-afiic is one ot' the urgent needs of the Jounty Council, and an expression of ipinion is being sought to-morrow from ■he ratepayers of the Poriraa Riding. I'hey are to be asked to vote upon the luestion of raising a loan for the purpose stated. The matter is not regarded as one of concern to the. ratepayers of -he Makara Riding of the county, as the roads in their district do not suffer :rom the heavy traffic, being mainly ised by pleasure traffic. If, however, ohere is need of the machinery in that part of the county, it would be obtainible under the same conditions as those ipplying to other counties desiring to ■lire it. Tha position of the County Council,and its desire to have the roads maintained as well as possible are given :n the following statement made by the chairman (Councillor E. Windley): "The loan proposal for road-making machinery, the poll for which takes place to-morrow, is a progressive move that will ultimately save the ratepayers a. great,deal of money in the cost of road maintenance. The system of maintenance that existed forty years ago is in force to-day. This is wrong. It is impossible to maintain roads efficiently under present-day traffic without an improved system corresponding with the demands made by the increased traffic. The old methods are proving too costly, and by the use of the proposed machinery the council will be in a position to make the money provided for maintenance do more than double than is done at the present time. I have addressed meetings of ratepayers throughout the riding, and surprise has been expressed at the high cost of maintenance work.

"Investigations have been made, and the result is an ample supply of good metal in the- riding. All that is wanted are up-to-date methods, instead of plodding along in the same old groove. The machinery will be used on all roads— and it is sadly needed on some tof the by-roads that have been neglected so long. I desire to impress upon the ratepayers the difficulties and disadvantages the council is working under, and would respectfully ask them to support the proposal, and thereby give the council an opportunity of effectively carrying out its trust. . .