THE MAIN ROAD QUESTION.

Northern Advocate, 15 May 1918, Page 3

THE MAIN ROAD QUESTION.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In your issue of the 13th inst. I was pleased to find a lengthy report of the Farmers' Union Executive, for the Whangarei centre. In that report I notice that some discussion took place upon the question of control and maintenance of main arterial roads. For many years I have taken a keen interest in this question, and repeatedly voiced my opinion as to the necessity for a better system of control. I contend that the Government should take all main roads out of the hands of the local bodies, as they are never likely to have sufficient funds to enable them to do justice to the main and arterial roads of the northern part of New Zealand, as road construction, owing to the hilly nature of the country, is so very expensive. My opinion is that a commission should be set up to carefully view the country and decide upon which shall be considered the main roads; the line of route of the Great North Road first, then other main roads connecting the various settlement centres with the Main North road, which should, of course, be as central as possible. Main roads are just as necessary as railways and should be financed in similar manner by the Government. How many settlements (old settlements, too) are completely isolated during the winter months? How many farms and homesteads are on the market because the owners, after 40 or 50 years' residence, are tired of this annual floundering through miles of mud? This, Mr Editor, is not as it should be, and there can be but little development of our farm lands; neither will the roadless state of affairs help us to meet our heavy liabilities after this great war is oyer, and our indebtedness is piled up millions high. It seems to me that we as a people have still to learn that bad roads mean stagnation to any industry, and particularly agricultural pursuits, whilst good roads mean progress. If we are to increase our exports so as to lighten the financial burden of the Dominion the first matters for consideration should be a better roading system, and I hope that the Farmers- Union will prove to be a power in the land by way of assisting the Government to bring about a better order os. things as far as a roading policy is concerned. We must do something to induce settlement, something to improve the conditions of the man on the land, so that we shall hear less of the cry: "No roads! I want to get out of the country into the town." The cry should be the other way, "Out of the town into the country " The cure for this trouble is roads and better roads, and m order 'to bring about this desirable change the Government must take the heavy financial strain off the backs of our local bodies by relieving them ol the construction and control of the mam arterial roads. Thanking you for your valuable Bpace^I c a» X] etc. k