ANOTHER FIVE-YEAR PLAN

Evening Star, Issue 22990, 22 June 1938, Page 3

ANOTHER FIVE-YEAR PLAN

TAR SEALING OF ROADS [Per United Press Association.] TIMARU, dune 21. A proposal for a national scheme for tar-sealing roads ' after the completion of the State highways was outlined by the Minister of Public Works (Mr Semple) when be -met the Mackenzie County Council at Fairlie to-day He intimated that a plan could be drawn similar to the five-year plan for iniproving back-country roads. Mr Semple said that at present bo had no legal authority to grant subsidies to county councils for tar-seal-ing work and that the law would have to be altered. The roads for tar-seal-ing would be marked in order ot urgency. He maintained that the modern tar-sealed road in New Zealand was as good as any in the world There were still some 4.000 miles of State highways to be tar-sealed, and they would be done as as possible. The metalled road was a thing of the past, and the next problem tor consideration was to end that liability and pave the principal roads throughout the Dominion. The Minister is to visit Lake Tekapo on Thursday, when he will inspect the site of the proposed dam which will raise the lake to conserve water for the Waitaki hvdro works. If the scheme is proceeded with. —and the Minister said to-day that a start would probably be made in four years’ time—most of the present Tekapo villarge will have to be removed to a new site and a new bridge will have to be built in conjunction with the dam.