WHANGAREI COUNTY ROADS

Northern Advocate, 11 July 1936, Page 5

WHANGAREI COUNTY ROADS

COMPARISON WITH OTHER DISTRICTS

There was some comment at yesterday’s Whangarei County Council meeting on the criticism by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, of Whangarei county roads. The clerk drew attention to three features which he thought should be brought before the council, and which might have a bearing on the subject, namely, divided control of the reading system, the straining of members’ finances to lift grants made somewhat alluring by the amount of subsidy offered by the Crown, and the shortage of repair metal on many of the roads preventing the graders from j operating successfully. | The chairman, Mr J. A. S. Mac Kay, I said that, for some reason, there was no doubt the main roads compared unfavourably with those in other counties, and this was particularly noticetable on main highways. It might be that there was too much delay in effecting repairs. , He thought that /the county side-roads compared with any in the Dominion. Most of these were metalled and that could not be said of all counties'. Cr Elliott said he was sorry chat strictures had been passed on the main highways, though he knew that his portion—the Kamo-Hikurangi section —was not as it should be. He certainly thought that it would be a good policy to maintain this road on a fairly decent standard till the road was taken over by the Main Highways i Board. was sure that the board i would insijst on it being in good order j before it was taken over. I

Cr Hayward, referring to the Wheki Valley-Maungatapere road said he had thought sometimes that there was not enough surface metal on the roads. Mr Menzies had been of the opinion that if more live metal was put on the surface it would be. easier for the graders to keep them in repair. He suggested that the enginer should confer with the district engineer and find out his views. It seemed to be the only thing to be done. A hard road pot-holed easily, but if there was plenty of live metal it could easily be swept into the holes. Cr Blake said that in Hobson small applications of metal were made more frequently. It may not take any more metal in the long run, but that might be the secret.