BACKBLOCKS ROADS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22943, 22 January 1938, Page 12

BACKBLOCKS ROADS

Ever since he took office, Mr. Semple has bee i talking very vigorously about improving backblocks roads. He did so again yesterday in addressing Kirikiri Valley settlers. When, however, he came down to their modest request —a mile and a-half of access roadhe found that nothing could be done this year and made any future action conditional. That must have been disappointing to settlers who wanted £-1500 spent and had just heard the Minister expatiating on an allocation of £500,000 for the general purpose. Apparently that sum does not go very far in filling the need, and actually it is small by comparison with the total of public works expenditure this year. The fact is that Mr. Semple is spending 19 millions and can spare only half a million, or one thirty-eighth part, for the job he professes to have so much at heart —the making of backblocks roads. As he says, "there is no logical reason why farmers should be stuck in the mud after years of effort," no reason whatsoever, except that he prefers to waste unstated sums on tourist roads like that piercing the rock of the Homer Saddle, millions on railways through South Island wildernesses, and more millions on luxury highways. The latter were allotted £4,000,000 in the cuft-ent works budget, or eight times the sum devoted to backblocks roads. Much of the work could wait. People using the roads are appalled at the money and labour being devoted to easing grades or corners that are already easy enough. Road safety is not increased thereby, because it is on the most highly developed stretches of highway that accidents are most numerous and lethal. Instead of turning highways into speedways, Mr. Semple would do better for the country by turning hi? undoubted energy to the task of making backblocks roads.