LINK ROAD WANTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15594, 28 April 1914, Page 9

LINK ROAD WANTED.

NAPIER TO TAIHAPE.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER.

"NO MONEY AT PRESENT." [ltT TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, MonJa/. A disputation from the Hawke's Bay and Rangitikei local bodies waited on the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. W. Eraser) this afternoon on the subject of a ' road connection between the East and West Coasts. Mr. D. H. Guthrie, M.P. for Oroun, said the deputation wanted a link between Napier and Taihape. The Hawke's Bay and Rangitikei local bodies had spent large sums of money on opening up the back districts, but between the two there lies an unformed portion of road, which renders expenditure useless. In order to complete ! connection, the deputation urged the necessity of the Government contributing towards what it regarded as a work of national importance, and suggested that the Government Bhould give £2 for £1 on a total expenditure of £6000. Mr. Oldham (president of the Taihape Chamber of Commerce) said the road was an absolute necessity. At present Taihape was 200 miles from Napier via Palmerston North, the nearest point on the Main Trunk line. If the road was completed it would be possible to tap the Main Trunk line at Taihape, distant only from Napier 95 miles which could be covered by motorcar in three or four hours. The Minister: We are not making motor-car roads now. We are giving access to back-country sections. Mr. Oldham contended that the road would open up very large areas of land, which had recently been taken over by the Government. Mr. Donnelly, representing Hawke's Bay interests, urged that the road would open up large areas of native land which had been acquired by the Government during the past few years. Mr. A. L. D. Fraser, representing the Hastings Borough Council, stated that local bodies had formed a road up to within three miles of each eide of the Rangitikei River without receiving any subsidy from the Government, and now they had reached the end of their resources. Replying to these and other representations, the Minister said he admitted that the work required doing, but he had no money to do it with until Parliament met and voted the money. It would not he fair to allocate money until applications had been received from all parts of the country. But he would get a full report on the proposed work and consider the application when the Estimates were being prepared. He might say that he felt inclined to do something for them—(hear, hear)—and it was more than possible that a fair sum would be placed on the Estimates.