SOUTH ROAD PAVING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20990, 29 September 1931, Page 10

SOUTH ROAD PAVING.

PAPAKURA TO MERCER.

WORK TO BE PUT IN HAND

ARRANGEMENTS FOR FINANCE.

EOARD AND COUNCIL AGREE. [FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) PUKEKOHE. Monday. Arrangements for financing the paving of the Great /South Road from Papakura to. Mercer were unanimously agreed to by ibe Franklin County Council to-day, the council accepting a new offer from the Main Highways Board, dated September 20. .Details as to carrying out the work arc <o be arranged between the county chairman, Mr. J. N. Massev, M.P., and the Highways Board, the council giving Mr. Masscy power to act in this connection. The only condition is that the undertaking shall be carried out in accordance with the scheme prepared by the county engineer, Mr. J. F. McArthur, who shall be entitled to supervise the work as it proceeds. The offer from the board was set out ns follows: "The board will undertake the metalling of the Bombay llills deviation at its own cost and grant a subsidy of £3 for £1 toward (lie cost of constructing a concrete pavement from Papakura to the Pukekolie Road turn-off at Runciman, and a bitumen-penetration pavement from this turn-off for the remainder of the road to the northern boundary of the Mercer, town district, the councils contribution not to exceed £23.000." Bridges and Metalling. The board added that, on this offer being accepted, it proposed to declare an additional 21£ miles of highway in Iho county, as follows:—Papakura-Patuma-hoe-Titi, via Karaka and Waiau, 17 miles; Tuakau-Whangarata-PokeiiOj 4g miles. ' Also, the board was prepared to subsidise the cost of erecting bridges on the newly-formed length of road between Whangarata and Pokeno, on a basis of £2 for £l, and would assist with the metalling on a basis of £1 for £l. The question of carrying out the metalling by unemployed; labour would receive con- ' sideration as opportunity arose. The board would advance the council's contribution of £23.000 toward the cost of the work on the Great South Road, the money to be repaid over 10 years in equal annual instalments, comprising principal and interest. It was explained that the estimated cost of the whole work to be carried out between Papakura and Mercer was £128.000, of which £23,000 was for metalling the Bombay Hills deviation and £105,000 for the paving. The latter amount provided for all reconstruction work still to be done prior to the surfacing. The length to be paved in concrete was 2$ miles and the length in bitumen approximately 14 miles, the total distance from Papakura to Mercer being about 16J miles. Special Rate Not Necessary. The county clerk, Mr. A. P. Day, stated that with the additional 21£ miles of'highway to be declared in the county, acceptance of the board's offer was estimated to mean a saving of at least £SO a year on what the council had been paying for maintenance of the Great South Road and the other roads now to be declared highways. It was pointed out tlia. it would not be necessary for the council to collect a special rate to pay interest and sinking fund on the advance of £23,000 from the board, these charges being paid out of the county fund without the necessity of increasing the rates. To repay the loan in 10 years, plus interest, meant an annual payment of about 13 per cent., but it would be satisfactory to know that at the end of that period the county would still have (lie benefit of the paved road without any further annual charge except its share of maintenance. The fact that the present offer would not involve the ratepayers in additional annual expenditure made it possible for the council to accept it. It was (fecidefl that the clerk write to the Highways Board notifying it of the council's acceptance. Warm appreciation was expressed of the services rendered by Mr. Massey in the negotiations with the Highways Board. Mi-. Massey <wiid Mr. M. H. Wynyard, of Auckland, motorists' representative on the board, had also been largely instrumental in bringing the matter to a successful conclusion.