THOSE CLAY ROADS

Northern Advocate, 3 May 1934, Page 4

THOSE CLAY ROADS

METALLING URGED DEPUTAIiON TO MINISTER I COUNTY COUNCIL REQUESTS, HON. J. BITCHENER . SYMPATHETIC, The Whangarei County Council this morning met the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. J. Bitchenor, who had with him the District Engineer, Mr R. 11. P. Ronayne, and placed before him a series of roads which avere regarded as suitable for relief schemes to be undertaken by the Public Works Department. Mr .1. A. S. AlncKay also spoke on the urgent need for restoring to the Main Highways Fund all revenue received from motor taxation, so that land might be relieved from rating for road purposes. Before he heard the deputation, and replying to the welcome extended by the chairman, Mr L. Webb, Mr Kitchener said that ho-had seen on his tour that Northland had only been'developed recently. Some of the more, settled areas of the Dominion—his county, Waimato, for instance—had long since had scarcely any roads to construct. . in his county every farmer was served by a metalled road. Ho had been enamoured of the good and beneficial work done in various parts by the unemployed. .Much of the work done would not otherwise have been accomplished. “Our category in the South is not the same as yours,” he <?aid. “You still have, and will, have, a lot ro be done. I have seen on my tour what a lot remains to bo done, and I have met people who have told mo that for 30 or 40 years they have had no metal access to their properties. The position k due to the change in transport. Today, with the advent of the motor car, people are clamouring for roads, and it has conic at a time when it is hard to find as much money as the people would like to see.spent in their districts. The position has been relieved somewhat by the good arid profitable work done in some districts by the unemployed.’’ Necessary Development. Air Webb said that the formation and riiotnlling of the roads to be submitted was very necessary in the reading development of the- county, and would afford much-needed relief to a large number of primary-producers, enabling them to get their cream and produce out in the early spring and during ad- ■ verse weather conditions. They were clay roads, some of which did not have much formation. It was not possible,or advisable, in a general way, for the council to contribute towards the. suggested schemes, for the reason that by contributing towards the cost of formation and metalling- of now roads, the other roads in the county must suffer to a serious extent. Under present conditions, it was not possible to find rate revenue to engage generally in new works and at the same time maintain the existing metalled roads at an economic standard.

| The same conditions must also .apply :n many instances to annual road grants. With reduced rate revenue, to- ■ gether with the critical state of the coinnmnity, more liberal as- • j sistance out of the public funds Avas -| urged. It Avas Avith increasing diffijjcnlty that £J. for £1 conditions attach* ■ ing to road grants could be met, and then, in many instances, it could only . be achieved at the expense of existing . metalled roads, which must, receive . greater attention if the capital or foun- . dation expenditure AA-as to be saved and 1 further capital outlay averted. I In the past, nearly all metalling ■ grants had boon on a £1 for £1 basis. > It Avas noAV difficult to find the subsidies, and Mr Webb asked if it Avould not be possible for the Public Works Department to increase ita grants. The Avork done through the Unemployed Fund had been appreciated. Series of Eoaos. The first road AA'as the Parua_ BayPataua Road, which needed 6 miles of formation and metalling; WaiklekieMangapai Road, miles of formation and metalling; Waipu CaA r es-Mangapai Road, 8A miles of formation, metalling and bridging; ; Parakao ; Kafaka Road, miles of formation and metalling; Whanahaki-Ooast Road, 31 miles of formation and metalling; Maungata-pere-Otaika (Kaigoose) Road, 4 miles of formation, metalling and bridging; Kaitara-Ruatangata (Leonard’s) Road, 1* miles of formation and metalling; Riponui-Otakairangi Road, 2 miles of formation and metalling. Councillors’ Views. In regard to the Paru.i Bay-Pa tana Road, Mr A. Clarke said the possibilities of the district Avore great. The road scn T ed 15 settlers and the stiff j clay became impassable in Avinter. The J council could not giA'c any assistance to the district, Vhich Avas carrying a general rate of 3Jd in the £1 and a loan rate of 3d in the £l. The road carried a lot of traffic, for it. not only led to several fine beaches, but a large quantity of butterfat was also taken oil the country the road sorA'od. There Avere no stiff grades on the road and the bridgee Avore in good order. Little formation would be needed. The metalling of the Riponui-Otakai- * rang! gap aauis supported by Mr F. Flliott. A good many people Avore dependent on the road, ho said. Any no- : eessary formation and eulverting, he ] could guarantee, Avould be done by the ( riding. He Avould like any. metalling ] that AA’ould be done to start at the. ] Riponui end. 1

Mr T. N. Blake mentioned the. work done by the unemployed in his riding, nnd said the material .advantage had been great. The Pafakao-Karaka Road had only two settlors on it,.but it was | a connection between the Whangarei and Hobson counties, and "there was only a gap of miles unmetalled. “Although the North was first settled, it seems to have been the last roadod,” added Mr Blake..: “At the top end of our riding,the Crown took over .a big block of, land for returned soldiers, and wo are collecting practically no rates from them at the ‘.present; '-time, ,r * ••said- : -Mr A. J McKay, supporting- the request for the , metalling of the Waipu Cavcs-Manga-pai Road. --- * ‘Tin’s is a -very • old .- district, in which, up to a year ago, the*descendants of the original settlers, .did not even have a formed road; The first settlers took up land there / 70.-years ago/’ said Mr ,T. H. Hayward,- in connection with the Kaigoo^vßoad;:''A good deal of support had ,:been.foffhcoming from tlxe settlers, one. .of .whom had given £9O. for-formation,' while others had given the land would undertake the fencing. ■ • “Our revenue is receding, and with the present price ,of butterfat the farmer is finding it hard to pay their rates,” said Mr Webb, wh6 hoped that the Minister would favourably ‘consider the requests. Co-operation Wfanted. ; . “I do not pose as an authority on roads in any way whatever,” said' the Hon. Bitehencr, “and it would be preposterous for me to pretend that, by a casual look, I can judge what should be done. That Is for yon to say, and in that I want your. co-bper-

ation.” ' ' “I look on you people as the 'anthority on the reading of the district, and I want any requests made to. have the sanction of the council.’ ’ The Minister said that if the requests could ho placed in order of urgency, a big stop would be taken towards the harmonious working of relations between the department and the council. In regard to the £1 for £l subsidy, the Minister said he had no knowledge of the amount the Treasury would allocate to his department this year. He felt sure it would hot be more than last year, and that it would probably be less. The position might resolve itself into- one of less work being done, with perhaps a little greater subsidy. “A lot remains to be done here, and it is one my hobbies to try to get metal access to as many settlers as possible, and I have repeatedly turned down requests- for roads for other purposes. I want to be a help to those people and to give them better service with the money available.-. - v -. .