KAIRANGA COUNTY ROADS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 114, 10 April 1930, Page 8

KAIRANGA COUNTY ROADS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—ln answer to a letter in your paper of the 9th inst., over the nom-de-plume of “Pro Bono Publico,” your writer is evidently very short of knowledge in regard to county ■ matters and seems to have wandered a good way from home to attack my proposal in regard to the tar-scaling of the Bunnythorpe-Rongotea Road in the Taonui Riding. Now, to put him in the way of a little useful knowledge I will be as precise as possible. The Kairanga County is divided into threo ridings—the Taonui, Mangnone and Fitzherbert. The Tnonui and Mnngaone Ridings started to put down main highways before the Highways Board came into existence and we had 12 miles of road already completed before the board started to function, tho cost being £22,0C-V and for which our ratepayers will have to pay interest and sinking fund until the loan expires. Tho maintenance cost, of course, is now assisted by the Highways Board. The last part of Rangitikei Line the two ridings share has been paid for out of rates, a very big undertaking, but it will be in the future the best for the ratepayers. The next thing- your correspondent refers to is that the BunnythorpeRongotea Road is a side road. Does he really mean that or is he labouring under a delusion. As a matter of fact it is just a question which of the two roads referred to in your correspondent’s letter carries the most traffic or which of the two roads is the worst to travel on by car to-day. I know that the main road at Fitzlierbert is in far better condition than the Bunnythorpe-Rongotea Road. Again, the Taonui riding will soon have completed Foxton Line, and the interest and sinking fund on a loan of £6OOO will have to come out of the pockets of the ratepayers in the ridjng. Now, the benzine tax to which your correspondent refers, and which by the •way seems to be the only tax he pays towards the upkeep of our roads, seems to bear heavily on him, for from his information on a conservative estimate our county pays over £4OOO annually on the benzine tax, so that in a few yenrs’ time we will have completed our roads and will almost certainly have paid for them ourselves, and then will go further afield to assist the other highways to become completed. Finally, Mr Editor, in regard to pushing on with the main road in Fitzherbert, in justice to the councillors for the riding who all know the position, as soon as tho Highways Board has completed the survey tho work will be gone on with. It is on the cards that a big alteration will havo to bo made to the road in the shape of deviations and a considerable decrease in the distance. Sharp bends and grades will have to be dealt with and altogether it will be a very costly piece ot road. However, the council will start this important work as soon as tho Highways Board has given the signal to commence.—l am, etc-, P. J. SMALL.