FAR NORTH ROADING.

Northern Advocate, 20 October 1920, Page 1

FAR NORTH ROADING.

BIG LOANS AVAILABLE

PRACTICALLY NOTHING DONE

At the last ordinary meeting of the Mangonui County Councfl-tthe actingchairman, Mr Long, urged an early start, and all possible expedition in the expenditure of the £54,000 ■ snd other loans. The council must place tin? work entirely in the hands of their engineers, and with a free hand allow them to get ahead. They must not have ia repetition of what had occurred in the past, where witih the failure to take early and necessary steps the season had been practically wasted.

' €r. L. J. Matthews agreed, and urged that the Awanui road work be put in hand at once. He realised the difficulty of getting workmen, but their engineers would have to do their best under the existing conditions.

Gr. Panther saM that ttfie only way to go ahead was to put the responsibility on their engineers as they themselves had suggested.

Cr. Garton regretted tlhat no c.»n-' tractor could be induced *o come up. Under the circumstances <tfoe council must proceed with the work itself. Cr. H. B. Matthews agreed with the suggestion to plac e the whole thing in the hands of their engineers t.nd allow them to get to work at once. If the council procrastinated for anotjheir month it would probably lose the best part of another season.

Cr. Garton said that they were now getting into the second year and thers was practically nothing done. Even if they could not secure contractors the council must let the ratepayers see that with the assistance of its enginers it Was able to construct a good road. After the Awanui road was put in hand, the next work in his opinion requiring- attention was at* Johnston's, where the flood was continually blocking the traffic between Kaitaia and Mangonui.

Mr Long said that he wished to compliment the council on the stand which it had taken that day. His experience had taught him that in all b'g projects, if they were going to get anything done, they nvust get an early start. Immediate steps must be taken to push forward the work on th e Kaitaia-Awanui road-where < the whole traffic of the Western area cone*ntipated, and which milst be completed this suiromeir '.at-.-all coats. He recognised that 'their engineers were 'going to have difficulty wiflh reigjarito labour, and in this matter tlhe council must render Ivery assistance and not put any unreasonable restrictions on its engineers,

Cr. Evans agreed, and pointed out that the council had passed a resolution some time ago choosing th e . Kai-taia-Awanui, Kaingaroa, Herekmo, and Waipapakauri roads to be dealt with in the first scheme of construction..

Cr. H. B. Matthews said *hat some of their roads wene in very good condition at the present time and it would probably pay to take these in hand at an early date and complete them, thus saving a large amount of money which would require to b e expended should they be allowed to get into disrepair.

The following motion was then iroved 'by Cr. Panther, seconded by Cr. H. B. Matthews, and carried unanimously :—"That the council's engineers b e instructed to immediately take all. steps necessary for carrying out the expenditure an connection with the council's loan of JBS4,QQQ for road' works, also tlhe balance of the £7,500, loan."