MAUNGATAPERE

Northern Advocate, 12 February 1931, Page 8

MAUNGATAPERE

MEETING OF RATEPAYERS.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

A well-attended meeting of ratepayers was held at the hall on Monday evening to discuss tne proposed surfacing of Maunu-Maungatapere Road. Mr G. S. B. Morrison, who presided, called on Or, J. H. Hayward, who detailed the negotiations that had taken place between the County Council and the Main Highways Board, ("which had definitely turned down the council's repeated applications for a £3 for £1 subsidy for a concrete penetration surface.

Inter alia, Mr Hayward explained the proposed method of financing the work, the (board's portion of which, amounting to £SOOO per year, would be derived from the roads adjacent to boroughs fund. There were three of those roads in the Whangarei Ckmnty, and it was agreed that Maunu Biding should take precedence, and, with assistance from the other ridings, it would be possible to finance the work without increasing the general rate. Mr Hayward said he would like to have had a better reason from the board's engineer for the condemnation of the cement ‘ penetration method, which had stood' to all reasonable and necessary tests. Be bitumen surfacing, engineers agreed that semipenetration was the best method, although Mr Tyndall, when appealed to, said “make your road of the cheapest stuff you can got. ’ 1 Be maintenance, the engineers' opinions varied considerably, the cost being estimated from £6O to £IOO. per mile per annum. Maintenance of Maunu Road, in its present rough and unsatisfactory state, was costing £154; per mile. The question ’ for the meetings to with the work in bitumen or go - on losing the subsidy of, £SOOO per year. Eeplying to questions, Cr. Hayward said the Main Highways Board w/ould pay the £3 for £1 subsidy for maintenance of the bitumen road. The board had consistently declined to subsidise maintenance on roads for which a riding had loaded itself with loans. The Public Works Department officials had not yet carried out their promise to bear the cost of necessary deviations on the route.

Mr A. ■ C. Mannington gave useful details of his experience of work on tar-sealed roads in Taranaki and elsewhere. The semi-penetration method was far superior, and he considered the estimate of cost quoted by Cr. Hayward as most reasonable. Mr Mannington moved, and Mr ElHs seconded, “That this meeting is of opinion that the surfacing of Maunu Eoad should bo done by tar penetration, and that the Main Highways- Hoard subsidy should bo utilised as so»on as possible.” Cr. Hayward urged that the time was now opportune to get the work done cheaply, and it would attract Auckland contractors.

The motion, on being put to the met ting, was carried unanimously.

Derating,

The chairman introduced the subject of derating of farm lands for reading purposes, which had been taken up by the Farmers' Union, and he asked for an expression of opinion from the ratepayers present.

This evoked a general discussion, which, however, did not break any new ground.

Cr. Hayward was emphatic in his opinion that it was impracticable to attempt to carry the whole load by petrol tax. The general rate of the Whangarei County was \ 3id and it would require a tax of a\ least 9d per gallon to raise the necessary funds. If the proposal was made a national one, the price of benzine would become altogether unreasonable and prohibitive. Earthquake Relief. An informal discussion of ways and means of assisting the Napier earthquake relief fimd, brought a suggestion that a pnblie meeting in connection with the matter should be called by Mr Morrison for Monday evening, when it is hoped that as many residents as possible will endeavour to be present. T/he youger people of the district, whose social activities have been dormant for some months, are specially urged to attend.