CONDITION OF HIGHWAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20263, 24 May 1929, Page 13

CONDITION OF HIGHWAY.

SUBSIDY FOR IMPROVEMENT.

WAIPA COUNCIL'S CONTENTION

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] TE AWAMUTU, Thursday. Tho Hamilton-Ngaruawahia section of tho Great South Road has been for some time past a bone of contention between the Main Highways Board and the Waipa County Council, chiefly because the local body has declined the board s offer of a subsidy of £3 for £1 to bitumen surface the 13 miles of road. In the meantime, the council has maintained the road by applying a liberal dressing of sand where traffic has worn tho old surface. Lately tho coroner at Hamilton, commenting on tho death of a young man, whoso motorcycle skidded in the loose sand near J e Uapa, said he thought the young man owed his death to the dangerous condition of the road at tho point where tho accident occurred. Tho Waipa County Council at its meeting yesterday received a letter from the chairman of the Highways Board; Mr. F. W. Furkert, regretting that the council had not seen fit to accept the board s offer and directing attention to the very unsatisfactory results achieved by the application of sand. He concluded: 'Tending construction of a bituminous surface, it will bo necessary for your council to use gravel for maintenance purposes. The Highways Board wishes your council to take this matter very seriously, and will bo glad to hear beforo tho end of this month that you have commenced a system of maintenance with gravel." Members of the council did not think gravel would be an appreciable improvement on the sand previously used. In ?act, they considered that in places it would be more dangerous. Reference was made to tho loose gravel near Huntly, on tho same road, which was termed "positively dangerous." Hie only solution is bitumen surfacing. The council could not do nothing for ever, but if the Highways Board would not increase its offer to £4 for £l, Parliament should be asked to determine tho issue. Several members said their ratepayers would "turn down flat" any loan proposal if the Highways Board declined to increase its subsidy. Over four-fifths of tho traffic on that section was "foreign." It was finally decided to ascertain what the Highways Board considers is maintenance and what is construction work. The council takes the view that tho ratepayers, are entitled to first consid- j eration, for they have to pay the most, j