AUCKLAND'S ROADS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16317, 25 August 1916, Page 7

AUCKLAND'S ROADS.

CONDEMNATION BY CRITICS. REPLY BY THE MAYOR. COUNCIL'S POLICY- DEFENDED. The articles regarding the unsatisfactory condition of many of the roads in the city, which have lately appeared in the Herald, .Jed to a question on the subject being put to the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, at the meeting of City Council last evening. >

Mr. Ernest Davis, who introduced the matter, spoke of the agitation that had taken place regarding the condition of the reads. Great dissatisfaction, he said, had been expressed, and this dissatisfaction appeared to be growing. He asked the Mayor whether he could make any statement as to the policy of the council or the Works Committee.

The Mayor said that the Works Committee had the question of the condition of the streets under consideration, not because of any agitation such as Mr. Davis had referred to, but because it was its duty to consider the matter. The commitee had given very careful attention to the question during the past 18 months. The records of the council showed that for years past the work of the committee in regard to the streets had been of A very faithful character. The state of the principal streets to-day was not discreditable to the city in view of the existing financial conditions. (Hear, hear.) The suburban streets to-day were in a better condition than the condition of Queen Street 15 years ago. They must crawl before they walked. The personnel of the council continually changed, but the work that had been done for years past had been most creditable. Symonds Street find Karangahape Road had been improved beyond all recognition. Little Queen Street was now being laid down in concrete, and about £13.000 was being spent on the wood-blocking of Customs Street West.

A Tour of the City Roads. On the previous day, said the Mayor, he had, in company with Mr. C. J. Nerheny, gone over about half the streets of the city, starting at Ponsonby and ending at the Ladies' Mile at Remuera. They, of course, saw many streets with which they were : not satisfied, but at the same time it could be said that the work done during the last ten or twelve years had been of a most creditable character. Our streets were better than those in Sydney and Melbourne. He was not referring now to the Auckland suburban or provincial roads, but only to those in the city. The Archhill streets had been vastly improved, and the footways, kerbing, and channelling, as well as the carriage ways, had been greatly improved. In Grey Lynn also a great deal was being done, and altogether a sum of £115,000 was to be expended in that area on streets and other improvements as soon, as funds were available. It did not follow that because perfect carriage ways were not being laid down that nothing was being done. In many streets a great deal wa-s being done in bringing footpaths and kerbing and channelling up to the permanent level. Thus, when the roadways were taken in hand the footways and channels would require no further alteration. At Remuera the council wag expending a sum approximating the whole amount received in revenue by the late Road Board. The Road Board could not possibly have spent so much as a proportions of its revenue was required for administrative purposes. In Green Lane nothing had been done* to the roadway, but about £800 had been spent there during the present few months. The council was undoing a great deal of the vork that had been done in the past by the ex-local bodies in the outer areas of the city. He said this without any desire to speak disparagingly of the work of the bodies referred to.

Condition of Beach Road. The state of Beach Road, proceeded the Mayor, had been criticised, but the fact that within another year or eighteen months this street would be paved with asphalt afforded a good reason for not spending much money on it at present. Traffic might have to suffer a little inconvenience, but it was better that this should be so than that a large sum of monev should be spent on work which ■would have to be pulled up within a short period. The council was fully alive to its responsibilities, and the ratepayers' money was being spent to the best advantage. In time, if a little patience and tolerance was exercised, the suburban streets would be in as good A condition as the principal streets of the city were to-day. He was not claiming any -personal credit; he was defending the administration of the council during the past few years- There had been no slackening and, considering the circumstances, it was wonderful that the Works Committee had been able to -do jo much.

Expenditure on the Parks. It had been said, continued the Mayor, that the council should not spend money on park improvements. The council was spending very little on the parka, which were being starved in order that the money might be spent on the streets. In a few cases fences were being taken down, but in some instances the council receives as much for the material as the work cost. He referred to the policy of works outlined in the city engineer's report. The chief feature of this scheme was the expenditure of no less than £653,000 on streets. They could not please everybody: there must always be a dissatisfied minority. The ratepayers must leave it to the council to say what streets should be attended to and when and how the work should be done. When the council could not do the work well enough to please the majority of the ratepayers it would bo verv pleased to give way to others who could give more satisfaction. (Applause '•

DISCUSSION AT ONEHUNGA. CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. Some discussion took place at the meeting of the Onehunga Chamber of Commerce last evening, on the condition of the roads between the city and Onehunga. Dealing first with the road under the control of the Onehunga Borough Council, Mr. A. A. Creamer moved, " That the Onehunga Borough Council be informed of the resolution passed at the last meeting of the chamber. • Also that in view of the i good work being done by the road-making plant now operating in the borough, would the council inform the chamber of any, and, if so, what proposals it has for the acquisition of such a plant. The president referred to the discussion in the Herald with regard to the condition of the roads in the Auckland district. He said all parties agreed on the present bad state of the roads, but so far as he could see nobody had suggested a satisfactory solution. Again the average citizen appeared to be satisfied with good footpaths and tram service. Therefore, they were not prepared to sanction en increase in their rates for road improvements. Mr. A. A. Creamer suggested that the main road between Auckland and Onehunga called for immediate attention. The difficulty with rep-lrd to this road, Mr. Creamer stated, was the number of controlling bodies. Mr. H. Bray said the worst part of this road was between Coffey's Hill and the Royal Oak. After further discussion Mr. Wynyard moved: "That it is desirable that a conference of delegates from local bodies in and around Auckland be held at an early date to consider the question of roading in the Eden County, and to appoint a commission of inquiry to investigate and report on the best and most economical method of construction for both main and secondary roads; also on the control or management of roads having several contiguous local districts." Both resolution! were adopted.