COUNTY ROADS AND FINANCE.

Northland Age, Volume 19, Issue 30, 27 October 1921, Page 3

COUNTY ROADS AND FINANCE.

(To the Editor). Sir,—Notwithstanding the letter of “A Taranaki County Engineer” in your issue of the 29th inst I maintain that the information contained in my former letter was quite correct. It was neither hearsay nor conjecture. It stated that the excellence of the Taranaki roads was primarily due to its surfacemen and that at the time of which I wrote (about 16 or 17 years ago), viz; when the toll gates were leased for £3O per month per annum, the surfacemen or working foremen were practically in charge of the roads. To fix the time more exactly I may state that this period was during the chairmanship of the late Mr H. Okey M. P., and of the early succeeding years of his successor. During those years Mr John Skinner was the consulting engineer, but the surfacemen were not under his immediate control: they were given almost a free hand. That the sterling worth of these men is recognised at the present time is beyond dispute, for less than a month ago the “ Hokianga Times ” stated that the Engineer of that County had returned from Taranaki, and that he had reported that the roads there were under the control of surfacemen and an overseer, the engineer being employed as required. This means that the present state of affairs is almost identical with that of which I wrote, small details such as employment of extra labour, etc, being eliminated. Ido not of course suggest that the use of present day road making implements is dispensed with; most certainly not; Taranaki is far too advanced to do such a thing. It knows and appreciates good methods, hence the retention of its surfacemen. The value of implements for road making, as for everything else, depends upon the efficiency of the men using the'm. It is a case jjf the man behind the gun. A good man with poor implements will make a better job than an inferior man with good implements. The inference is obvious.

Now with regard to the Toll Gates: — The Omata toll gate was among the first, if not indeed the first, to be established in the province. It was put there for two reasons, (a) to catch the large Maori traffic to and from Parihaka, and (b) to help the Omata Riding in financing th« upkeep of the South Road, which contained 3 long and steep hills, and 2 bridges between the Okato and Omata ridings. Since that time, at least two of these hills have been greatly improved and one bridge has been eliminated, so it is fair conjecture to assure that the gate has been removed to Okato, (which is in a measure a Maori district and not far from Parihaka), in order to tap the native traffic there. The other toll gates in that County were at Waiwakaiho and Mountain Road, near Waipuku. Evidently the one at Waipuku, which is on the border of Stratford and Taranaki Counties, is the mountain road one of other days. At any rate it does not matter much where they are, they were and are there as revenue producers, and they fulfil their purpose admirably. Mangonui County needs revenue badiy, and toll gates would greatly aid it in the collection,whether by tender or otherwise is a mere detail. Egmont and Waimate are the richest counties, and the roads being level are moreleasily maintained, hence the absence of Toll gates there. I am, etc. * “WHANGAPE”