ESTABLISHED 1875. Manawatu Daily Times. The Oldest Manawatu Journal. Conducted by E. D. HOBEN. Published Every Morning. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1911. THE GORGE ROAD.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1346, 19 June 1911, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1875. Manawatu Daily Times. The Oldest Manawatu Journal. Conducted by E. D. HOBEN. Published Every Morning. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1911. THE GORGE ROAD.

At the recont conference of local .bodies interested it was decided to urge the Government to take over the Manawatn Gorge road on the ground that it was n national work—the great highway between the East and West Ooasts.aud passing through , a distriot from which the local bodies charged with its maintenance g«t no revenue. There is a great deal in this oontantion, and probably the only satisfactory solution of the situation is for the Government to take the whole' work in hand and treat it precisely as it treats the railway on the other side of the river. Already it has ocst the Governmeit very large sums-sums so large that it might well be pleaded that it had met all that oould be reasonably asked of it. In addition to the actual ocst of the road there has been the very great cost of the bridge whioh many hold would, after all, have been better plaoed at Hokowhitrt with the road made through Siiberia, and so serving both the Pohiatua track and the Gorge road. However, all these mouies have been spent and oannot be recalled. It remains to make' the best of tbe sitnation as it itinds for it would be most regrettable if all the money should have been sunk without attaining the primary objaot of Keeping tbe road open for traffic ' To attain this it will apparently be neoessury to take some means of safeguarding the'road from slips, and this will probably involve replanting the hillsides. The Gorge is likely to give trouble for years to oorae, both to the railway and the road, if the slipping hillsides oannot he suooesafuliy auohored by deep rooting plants and shrubs, and the Government 1b in a better position to oarry out this work BQooesifally on both sides of the Gorge than can any looal bodies whiob have but paitial and divided control and have;not oommand of the ! resources ueoeesary. No doutt this view will be plaoed before the < Minister for Works by the deputation ' whioh it has now been arranged ' shall interview him on the subject on Wednesday next, '

TAB COUNTY BOUNDARIES While tliß matter of the Gorge road is being brought before the Minister by the various bodies intarestad, it would be a good opportunity for the Orona and Kairanga County Councils to adjust their boundaries or to ask the Minister to do it fcr thorn. The boundary at that end of the Counties is quite iudefensible, and how it ever came to be made by any sane delimitator ia a mystery. The Oroua Onvinty is understood to be willing to .riadjost the boundary whioh gives it * the rates from Siberia without any roading responsibility or providiug | road access, aud the revenue from a valuable ferry rererye which should go towarJs the cost of. the Gorge road, without having the Qgjg» road in its oharge. Wo nuderutatid that the" Oroua Council is willing to assß»t to Sibaria being joined to, I Kairauga County when it would J (probably be atUihed to Fitzherbeit! ;iUiDB, whioli has liifehertn had to' bear'* I ' B cost of works that have enhance of «ie estate, and yet from #0 jfaw* for whioh the estate was oxc'.'tidftl by thi exisfciug boundary. But Ofttt Wants to keep ' the Ferry Retorvev Ikt, of course, wonld be manifestly tmiait. The Hon. R. McKenzie knows toe eorintry and the position, and we think feat if Orona and Kairanga cannot o'ome to an BKreement throDßh their dele*-1 gates, Kairanga should ask him fo readjust the boundaries, aud if the (JovernaiQiit takes over the maiuteuauca of the Gorge road it would be only fair that it snould take the revenue from the Ferry Resarve towards it. Oroua could not oousktcntly object to fchis.aud Kairauga should bs quite ready to agree to it.

This lias boon brought to cur notice moro than onco and yesterday there was an occurrence at the intersection of Feafchcmun and Rangitikei street?, when a motor cyclist travolHop fast ran into a motor oar travelling at the inoderata pace—tor motor oars-of ]g miles an hour. The oyolist looked up Rangitikci street one way as Jie oponoii it out, bat not having eyes in tho back of his head didn't look tho other way. And the Other way was tho approaching car. That we have not a fatal accident to ohrouiole this niomiugjis due to ono of those strange intfrventions whioh are attributed to Providenca or luck nooording to the mental attitude of the narrator. If it is necessary to go round oorners in oars and on motor oyohsaVh walking pace isn't it to orous an' intersecting street in the Baine way?