TOTARA RESERVE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 118, 20 April 1936, Page 9

TOTARA RESERVE

ROAD FOR VISITORS. QUESTION OF EXPENDITURE. Whether the Pohangina County Council should take over a portion of the road into the Totara Reserve, which is now Crown land, was a point debated briefß at the monthly meeting of the council on Saturday! The point at issue was whether county funds should he used for the benefit of motorists who did not reside in the county and thus did not share in the cost involved. The Mangwatu Automobile Association wrote asking if the council intended to take over the road leading to the camp site at the Totara Re-' serve, at the lower end of the area. The engineer (Mr D. Watson) said that thousands of people took advantage of the beauties of the camping ground. The council now had no jurisdiction over the lower end of the road, but it had to be remembered that the council could obtain metal there. Cr. J. T. Montgomery thought that it was not to the benefit of ratepayers to increase the traffic over the county’s roads by giving better access to such spots. The .work would benefit only “outsiders.” Cr. J. Mackenzie also thought that it was not the function of the council, as representatives of those who paid the rates, to increase the traffic on the county roads. Cr. W. Howell remarked that the question was one of policy. There might be requests of a similar nature later. The chairman (Cr. S. J. Strahan) said the question was whether the council would take the selfish view that they would spend money only on matters that would he of direct benefit to the ratepayers, or whether they would take a wider view. Cr. Mackenzie did not agree that the view he had advocated was selfish. He thought that the Automobile Association might be willing to contn,bute something toward the cost of putting the road in order. Cr. Howell remarked that this year the council’s funds were not in as healtbly a position as they had been last year. He moved.-in- view of this, that the matter be held over until the council’s financial position became quite clear, thus allowing the councillors the opportunity of judging whether the expenditure would be justified. , The motion was carried.