THE SOUTH ROAD TRAM.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 15 April 1908, Page 5

THE SOUTH ROAD TRAM.

I. FURTHER CONTRIBUTION BY THI WAIMATE ROAD BOARD. i( * At the meeting of the Waimate Roac 16 Board on Tuesday a letter was receivec *~ from the Clerk of the Hawera Countj • Council, stating that the next move ii ' c connection with the train' would' be th( " preparation of plans and cross-sections, 3 " etc. This would cost £170, and it wai S asked if the Board would contribute *" on the same basis as for the original r report, viz., according to valuation. l " The Chairman (Mr T. A. Bridge) r said the amount would be about £5C or £60. Mr Wells and Mr Long said the Main l " South road would never stand without the tram, and the sum should be * granted. a The Chairman agreed that the road s would not stand. . Still, he wondered if 7 j it was necessary ifco pay for' details before a poll was taken. The Council already had a very full report. Mr Long asked if the plans and cross-sections would be of use afterwards if the poll were successful. The Chairman replied in the affirmative. Mr Long said the tram must be put through, and so much would be done. The Chairman said the part of the district he represented probably Would be against the' tram. •'/ Mr Long: They are very foolish. The Chairman ; They will get no direct benefit,, although, they would get a big indirect one. Still they would not saddle themselves with" a rate Mr Long; Well, the. tram will not be run at a loss. It must eventually be run up the Manaia road. If they waited for the railway they would wait a long time. The people were standing in their own -light. The Main South road would not stand even if it were made of good metal, and it was not. Mr Wells said when Hawera sanctioned the stuff now, being put on the engineer must have thought of the tram, otherwise a much better road would have been made. , The Chairman .drew attention to the Waingongoro . Hill road. „-I t was remade t\vo or. three- years ago, and look-, ed very well, but it had gone to pieces. The stuff put there was better than that being used now. The road had been made very well, hut it did not stand the tremendous traffic Mr Wells thought it was a pretty good proof that the present Toad would not last., ' ' Mr Long said the hill would wear out more quickly; than the flat. The Chairman said the hills sometimes received less metal. It had been Mr Tremain's practice to put 'more metal on the flat than on hills. Mr Wells said -if the Waingongoro hill were left without further metal for this winter it would prove that the road would not last. It would be impassable after being made of good stuff for more than three years. The Chairman said the kapuni people would be certainly standing in their own light if they voted against the tram, especially in face of the fact that there was a suggestion to run a branch up the Manaia road. Mr Wells said manure would have to be used and firewood was gone. The Kaupokonui Factory Company had abandoned wood at two of its factories. It would have to cart coal. The Chairman said he objected to Mr Black's report because the quantities to be carried were based on cheese production. Mr Long said the population would increase tremendously and, more butter would be, made. „ VK ,-,.„.■ . ■ ,; Mr Wells and, Mr long, sail they would like to see Mr Bridge propose a motion agreeing .to contribute. That would help the. question; a lot. ,i ' Mr Long said the tram was not going to be. only a convenience. It would be a money-saver. \j, Mr Wells thought- it would-be a mistake to 'let outsiders get hold of the tram. • > ' ■ „ kt\ **- The Chairman said if. the wiree other bodies (Hawera Borough' Council, Manaia Town Board and the Road Board) paid their share the county", would contribute the, rest, -.^,^ . *.». - /l J, Mr Long: Weil, lam (glad' tot know that. Auroa people i^ admitted: to him that »the- iruat would be a *gpod thing for the district. [• [, '• , /(v Mr Wells: It practically means that Auroa will be six miles from > the railhead instead of- 16 miles. In, any case the roads will . not- last. He > thought the amount of Baying on' the roads would pay the. interest. Of course, more than the, South road would be saved* V It might' mean that the Manaia road would wear a less time, but that was easy, to keep in order, and moreover the tram would one day go up there. >■' '.' , Mr Bridge- Said that he admitted that the tram would be a gain indirectly, but;he questioned, whether it would pay/as anticipated. Mr Wells: Well, the /toll-gate will be done away with, and that would pay interest, i while Im addition ' the saving on the roads would be enormous. ' • The Chairman admitted that, and he agreed that the land at Kapuni would, rise in conjunction with the other land nearer the Main South road. After the luncheon adjournment, The- Chairman said he would move a resolution, because he understood that a large number of ratepayers in the lower part of the district were willing. He moved — That the Board pay a portion of the sum required to procure plans, cross-sections, etc., on a basis of valuation. Mr Wells', seconded the motion. He pointed out that £600 would possibly be collected at the toll-gate, and of that at least £400 would be contributed" bY Waimate. To that couldTlbe added; £3oo saving in maintenance on ,the road, and a total of £700 would be obtained ,which would go a very long way toward paying' interest. Mr Long said the Kapuni people' might thmk. perhaps that they. did not contribute much to the tolls, but they did — throuejh their, produce. Mr Wells concluded that a toll-gate would be put on the Skeet road some time, as some traffic was being diverted , that' way instead of going down the Normanby road. The Chairman said it was hoped that Eltham would not allow a gate to be erected on its boundaries. The motion was carried unanimously. Pearson's P(-pto-chlor dispels ilifttf four of taking food Jby coring lndlgmtito 10