STATUS OF A ROAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19510, 14 December 1926, Page 14

STATUS OF A ROAD.

MAIN HIGHWAY WANTED. RIDING MEMBER'S COMPLAINT.. [BY telegraph.—own correspondent.] TE AWAMUTU, Monday. At a meeting of the Waipa County Council to-day the member for the Kakepuku Riding, Mr. G. S. Clarke, said that when representing to the Main Highways Board recently claims for declaring the Kakepuku Road west of the mountain a main highway, he had not had full support from the council. Mr. Clarke said his riding was a small one not closely settled, and it was handicapped by having a large block of Government land on which was the Tokanui Mental Hospital. If this land were rateable his riding would receive approximately £475 more than it now received. The Kakepuku Road relieved the Great South Road, southward ofTe Awamutu, of an increasing amount of traffic, and was the principal route from Kawhia to Te Awamutu, yet it received no uosidy from the Highways Board. He thought that if the Waipa County had supported his representations the Highways Board would have declared in favour of that route being a main highway. It seemed to him, said the speaker, that some other councillors had withheld their advocacy because they had hopes of getting roads in their own ridings declared mam highways. The chairman and other members denied that they were so influenced. The chair-; man said that at last month's meeting when the main highways were' debated, it was decided to ask for a subsidy for the Kakepuku Road. Mr. Clarke had departed from that decision when he asked the Main Highways Board to declare it a main highway. Otbw members expressed the opinion that the case had been so well put to' the Highways Board that there was good prospect of success. It was decided to seek the assistance of the District . Highways Council in having the road declared a main highway from the borough boundary to the junction with the Kawa-Kawhja main highway.