A Day of Deputations

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 6, 13 November 1931, Page 5

A Day of Deputations

Wharf, Roads and Bridges In addition to the deputation from the Women’s Division the Mangonui j County Council received four other deputations on Friday. The Muddy Diggers’ Valley Road Mr. L. Ward waited on the Council to urge the necessity of having the road through the Diggers’ Valley metalled, and that the Council ask for a Special grant for the purpose. When the sections were taken up by the returned soldiers, the then Minister, Mr. Guthrie, promised that the road should be metalled within two years, but this had not been done and the road was very bad in winter. >VU the settlers wfte married men with children, most of them the sons of pioneer settlers, and all had done their bit in the war. They had had for years to plod through deep mud through which some of the children had to go five or six miles to school or through the bush. The settlers, who felt they were being neglected, had good prospects, production had gone up steadily since the settlement was founded eleven years ago, he himself had taken over 70001bs. of cream over the bad road last season. If the road was metalled they would be included in the Herekino - Ahipara round trip. The Council admitted the necessity of having the road metalled and determined to urge on the authorities the necessity of prompt action. Cr. Kitchen said the Government had broken faith with the diggers. A certain amount of free money had been got for metalling, but for the last three years nothing had been received. It was unfair to the Council for the Government to offer them subsidised grant, they knew there was not money available. Cr. Wrathall suggested j that they should telegraph asking that a free grant of £SOO be placed on the supplementary estimates for the metalling, and the other councillors supported, and meanwhile resolved to spend all the free money available. The Dangerous Mangonui Wharf Mr. C. R. Adamson drew the Council’s attention to the urgent need for effecting repairs to the Mangonui wharf which was in a very dangerous condition, and urgently in need of attention, and Mr. J. W. Hoskins supported the representations. The necessary repairs are to be effected. Gill’s Road Messrs. Gill and Cowan requested that some metalling be done on Gill’s road, the settlers being willing to or spawl the metal, and the Council pleased with this readiness to help resolved to see what could be done. A Blocked Road Mr. Williams asked the Council to clear him a track through about an acre of tea-tree which was blocking an unformed road along which he had to drive his cows. As there was a fence on one side and a swamp on the other he could not drive them round it. It was resolved to see if relief labour could be put on to do the clearing and the matter was handed over to Cr. Holder and the Engineer to attend to. Penalty on Contract Mr. J. E. White requested the Council not to enforce the penalty incurred through delay in the completion of his bridge contracts, caused by the delay in the arrival of the materials. They had pushed on with the construction as rapidly as possible, working ten hours a day. As Mr. White had always proved a satisfactory contractor, the Council accepted the explanation and remitted the penalty. PROTECTION OF CHILDREN Mr. A. J. Matthews, the father of Leslie Matthews, the victim of the school bus accident, wrote to the leaders of the three political parties, urging the inclusion of a transport regulation forbidding traffic to pass school buses when discharging or receiving children on the lines of the tramway regulation. From Mr. Forbes, as Prime Minister, he received a notification that the suggestion had been handed to the proper department; from Mr. Coates, as Minister of Transport, the reply that the suggestion would receive careful consideration—the usual formal official replies. From Mr. Holland he received a more human letter, sympathising with him in his misfortune, and seeing no reason why such a transport regulation as he advocated should not be passed.