Kaitaia’s Needs

Northland Age, Volume 5, Issue 24, 13 March 1936, Page 1

Kaitaia’s Needs

At the last Town Board meeting, the ques ion of raising a loan for the re-formation of one of the roads in the Town Area, was briefly discussed but no decision was arrived at, there being only three members presen’, and it was righily considered that such a question should be discussed at a full Board meeting. The accelerating or retarding of the progress of Kaitaia, rests to a large extent in the hands of the Town Board. No one can gainsay the fact that Kaitaia, situated as it is in the centre of a rapidly developing area of rich dairying country, and with no town approxima’ing its size within 60 miles, is destined to become the commercial centre of the Far North.

Private enterprise has recognised the future for Kaitaia and, due to its efforts, the town lias been place i in the forefront of the Dominion in the value of buildings erected during the past few years, when the size of the town is considered. Against this great development by private individuals the Town Board can place little in the shape of improvements to tiie roading system and public utilities. Private enterprise lias far outstepped public enterprise.

When the Town Board took over the control of the area from the County Council, it fell heir to a legacy of debt, with the majority of ilia roads and footpaths unformed and un-metalled. Successive Boards have striven to form, metal and maintain the roads out ot revenue, and it has, to an extent, carried on with the work in a fairly satisfactory manner. Its revenue is not large, the to'al revenue being about £1,400, and of this amount the average yearly expenditure on roads, other than Highways, is nearly £4OO. It is not possible for the Board to keep pace with the growth of the town and finance all the works required out of revenue. The latest figures available for the area give the length of legal roads as 11 miles, but only half of this mileage, 5J4 miles, is metalled, and there are still l}/ 2 miles of unformed roads in the area. The full length of these roads will not be required but there is still a lot of work ahead for the Board to form and me’al the roads needed, besides maintaining those already metalled. The footpaths also require attention and there are some miles of these that will have to be formed and metalled in the near future. If the Board is to endeavour to carry out this work out of revenue, then it will be many years before this is completed and meantime the growth of the town has been refcarde 1. The Board has already embarked on a scheme for a water supply for the town and an application for a loan is already before the Loans Board, and from the latest advices it seems that this scheme will be approved. A scheme for the supply of eleclricity has been prepared, but this has been held up by the authorities pending a decision on the formation of a Power Board for the four Northern Counties. The next step is for the Board to consider the raising of a loan for the purpose of completing the roading system of the town. Prior to this an estimate of the cost and a scheme of the work required should he prepared so that, in future any works undertaken will be to a definate plan and not the

“Before we can expect to reduce the number of fatal accidents on our roads—and they are far too many—we have to aim at better control, and that can only be done by the Government taking the matter into its own hands. What is everyone’s business becomes no one’s business, under the present system, and to have control divided among 303 local bodies will not bear examination. I propose to deal with the question this session.” —Minister of Transport (Hon. R. Semple).