BAD ROADS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 2

BAD ROADS.

NGUTUWERA SETTLERS’ PROTEST. deputationto wait upon COUNCIL. (From Our Own Correspondent.) A large and representative meeting of settlers g in the Ngutuwera and Upper Waitotara districts was held in. the Ngutuwera Hall on Tuesday evening to 'protest against the bad state of the roads and the unfair treatment accorded the ratepayers of the above districts. Arnongs those present were Messrs Gavin, Alexander and Belton (councillors for the district), and Hang (county Air Laird, convenor, briefly explained the purposes of the meeting, and proposed that Mr P. J. Finer take the chair. This was agreed to. Mr Piner, in outlining the position regarding the money spent on them, said the xoads had been allowed to get into a deplorable state. .Although repeated overtures had. been made to the council for some consideration, they had had very little done, and what was done was of no use. He said that the settlers had raised £IOOO for metalling on the valley road. For this ho was mainly instrumental in getting the Government subsidy of £ for £. A long discussion followed, m the course of which some of the settlers freely blamed the council for the existing state of affairs. Mr Hyland moved that a deputation wait upon the council at its next meeting to try and arrange for portion of the money now spent on the main road out of rates to be spent on the roads in the Ngutuwera district. Mr Laird moved an amendment to the effect that the councillors be taken over the roads complained of and then meet the deputation. This was put to the meeting, and carried, whereupon Mr Belton pointed out that this would cause further delay, and run them well into the back end of the season. He suggested that Mr Hyland’s motion was the better. Mr Laird then withdrew his amendment, and Mr Hyland’s motion was carried, and the following settlers were chosen as a deputation to wait upon the council at Patea on February 8:Messrs Hyland, Laird, Lilburn, O’Reilley, Javin, Alexander, P. J. Piner, Daniel, Carroll, Jarvis, Dazzler, Hicks, and Hawker.

Mr Bang explained the position regarding metal. He said this was hard to get. There was none in the district, and the Government had increased the rate on metal carted on the railways. This made it a very dear proposition for the council, but they were now getting supplies from Mount Egmont, and metal would be more plentiful in the future. There was another thing which they had not taken into consideration: that was the very bad season they had had. He thought the council was doing good work, which compared very favourably with that of other councils. He invited any two ratepayers to take the place of the two sitting councillors and see if they could do as well. He specially praised the work done in the council by Air Belton, whom he considered was a good man for the district.

A vote of thanks to the chair ended the meeting.