COUNTY ROADS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 29 January 1927, Page 6

COUNTY ROADS.

COMPLAINT FROM MOKOIA

SETTLERS’ MEETING 01'' PROTEST ALLEGED UNFAIR TREATMENT. A meeting of settlers of Alokoia was held last evening to protest against tile condition of the roads m the Mokoia riding of the Hawera County. Mr D S. Richardson, was voted to the chair. He stated that the object of the meeting was "to. discuss the iroad question in. the riding. there ivas nothing ion tent ions as regards the membership of file council. It was to the whole Hawera County Council that it was proposed to appeal, and to protest. , ... Mr P. Sheehan asked why the riding members of the council were present it it were the council against which the meeting had been called in protest. The chairman said that possibly a deputation would be set up to wait upon the council, and it would be in the interests of the ’ settlers in the riding for their representatives on the council to hear the expressions of opinion of- the meeting. Continuing, the chairman said the asphalt showed signs, of deterioration soon after the Meremere Road was. prepared. On the main highway near the Tongahce hill there were- m places drops of- eight inches from the asphalt' to the rest of- the road surface.- With the rates that the Mokoia riding was paying, th? roads should be kept in a better state. To allow the -roads to. get as far out of; repair as had been permitled resulted in an eventual unnecessary cost in. repairs. The chairman asked why the Mokoia riding was called upon to pay extra rates. Why was there not a flat rate throughout the county? Mr It. A. Richter said that from the Tongahoe hill to the factory the main road was in a very bad state. Many side roads were better than the main road.

Cr. G. W. Williams said the rates from the Mokoia riding last year were £8300: The amount - spent upon the riding roads totalled' £4700; and besides that- payments were made to the general county- accounts. Mr C. J. Hawkin. for thirteen years a member- of the County Council, reminded the meeting that about oneliftli of the rates struck went to the Hospital Board. Cr. Williams said all the rates for, the county were pooled. General- expenses were then taken out, and the remaining funds were apportioned pro rata’ Last year the-riding bad a good deal more- than its share of county funds. Mokoia started- with a deficit of £3900. The other ridings were not so far- behind, so it was not possible for them alb to start on an ©von rate. The trouble was that the riding; did' not have enough funds to complete alb the., work, thoroughly. If, the Meremere Road, at its last repairing had been properly completed, the- final cost would, have been £1 a chain less, on the next repair. Mr. P, Sheehan said it was time some of the councillors for the Hawera- riding were, removed. Mr I’. Geary ,said there was a time when, there were no. ridings nor .separate accounts, and tire county extended out to near Opunake. The Mokoia riding, did not get mucli money spent on its roads then, and .now it was constituted a- riding he thought that all the money raised in the riding should be- -spent in it. The- chairman, .said theire- was much waste- of the metal which was dumped along the road. Travelling stock and other causes- dissipated quit© half of it. This was a. very expensive item. Dumps should be constructed to eontain the metal, which should: he accumulated in, greater heaps at less frequent intervals. C’r. Rothery said he had brought up the matter, of the meta.b dumps-at a meeting-of the council, and- had been assured: that - there was no avoidable waste. The difficulty would be a hard one to overcome. ,

Cr Williams stated that this year’s estimates provided for £1622;• to. be expended, on the main highway of the riding, before Alarch. ' Air T. E. Bickford; sakl that too much attention, was being paid to the tourists;.- Tourists were no. good to the fanners. They paid only £2 IQs per year, and they coukl .travel- from one end of the. country to the otherThe time must comey .the..-speakercon-tended;. when three times the present fees would, have to be collect'd fi’om tourists.

The chairman said another part of the -riding, in urgent need of road improvement was the Whakamara district.

Cr. Williams said it would cost £SOOO to put l those roads improper order. “Get it out of your head, that Hawera. gets your money. It cannot, by law. We had: a. good deal more than oun share last year.” Mr Hawken : “Perhaps our ideas are. a hit too big for what we. actually, rejouirc.” He went on to say that the ; Hawera riding got into a good position by. having the toll gate, and- the first |of. the tar. . - ■ ; Cr. Williams : ‘‘Yes : and the; Hawera riding lias no “tail” to it like we have.” Cr. Williams then read a, list iof the amounts spoijt on the riding roads .for. tlr? year ending March 31, 1926. as follows: Allen, £56 9s 7d: Beach, £l2*- •?.»; Duckworth, £7. 17*: Whakamara, £1 SsTngahape, £3B 18e 10d; Lvsaght, £36 4s; Mere-mere. £1539 15s 2d (labour £1043 15s'2d, tar and hitnmeu £496); Manawapou £lO3 Is: Matangara, £287- 3s 7d; Mokoia. 12s Id.; Molls, £l2 17s; Mokowai. £l3 8s 10d*. Noonoit. £270 8s- 3d: Nowell ■ (loan), £124 5s- lid : Ohangai. £403 ss' 44,;- Oto-ki, £3O 16s; Pokomoko Gorge, 14s; Polcomoko bridge. 5s 7d; Rimutoto, £l2- 19s; Patete track, £139 18s; South:. £IO2O 2s 3d (labour £629 2s 3d. tar and bitumen £391); Smith, half - borough, £ll 19s: South fold). £3..105: Tawhiti, £43 15? 9d- -Tibi. £1 7s: Tong-ahoe, £l4O Of 9d • Tongahoc Valley, £l4 12s; Whareroa £135 14s Id; Whemiakura, £39-Wairer-e,. £lO7 19s lOd : McAlpine, £9l 17s v total.. £4704 11s 104. Following a fresh debate, on highway improvement, Mr. -Hawken isaid a 20fcot road, into Hawera. would cost a fortune. . , Cr. Rothery said a wide road lasted three’ times as tong as a narrow one. Mr- Haw ken- mentioned that her was paying -rates amounting to. £430 -a. year, and .he said he would he prepared to drive on the claw if the rate-s were cut in half. He suggested to the meeting that the road near Hawera racecourse.wa.s worse than anything in tb» 'Mokoia riding. Mr Sheehan : “I was round there not so long ago, and 1 saw nothing wrong with it.” _ , . The chairman proposed; “That this meeting of ratepayers of Mokoia.. after discussing the affairs of the riding, recommend the Hawera County Council to adopt a mot hod of arranging dumps at regular intervals; along the highways for top-dressing metal; and -it also requests that the Mokoia ridino receive equal treatment as- far., as tarring operations are concerned a-s the

other ridings, which ha-s hot hitherto been accorded to it.” Mr H. Legge -seconded, the motion, which was carried, without dissent. Upon the motion of Mr A. T. Main, 'seconded by Air Bickford a hearty, vote of thanks was passed to the councillors of- the riding for attending, and assisting the-- meeting in its deliberations.