HIGHWAY WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23276, 20 February 1939, Page 11

HIGHWAY WORK

ROADS AND BRIDGES MR. SEMPLE'S PROGRAMME 300 MILES OF SEALING YEARLY [BT TELEGRAPH—SPECIAL REPORTER] RUSSELL, Sunday "I make bold to may," said the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, on Saturday, when replying to a Kawakawa request for increased subsidies for bridge renewals, "that more has been done in reading and bridging in the last three y«iars than in the 20 j'ears prior.

"I am being chastised and sometimes abused for reckless spending by people who have not the faintest idea of your difficulties. On the other hand, I am being asked by men such as you, who are facing the practical problem, for three times more than I can spend. As I travel along the district, the engineer keeps pointing out needs here and there. .It is obvious that these things have to be done. My critics have one-way minds." Mr. Semple proceeded to explain his five-year programme, which was designed to get 13,000 farmers out of the mud in five years. Maintenance Problem Work had to be done in order of precedence fixed according to its urgency. As to bridges, there would be no more one-way structures while he was in charge of the department. They were planning ahead, and when he was "pushing up the daisies" a problem would not be left for others to solve.

Touching on the question of Government grants in relation to backblocks metalling, Mr. Semple said future maintenance was a problem he was thinking about, the law at present preventing making grants for maintenance. The metalled road was becoming a thing of the past. Through rapid deterioration by modern traffic, it became an increasing and recurring liability. There were also the safety aspect and the aspect of health, which was presented by the dust problem. Thus the general question of dealing was arising. At present 300 new miles of sealing was being done annually throughout the Dominion, and that ivork must go on. No More Pickii and Shovels Further reference to public works policy was made when the Minister was dealing with a request for improvement of the drainage of the Motatau and Pokapu Valleys. He had been informed that, by opening up a bottleneck at Otiria, the carrying capacity of 2000 acres would be increased from 500 to 2000 cows. The rerfioval of another bottleneck further down would free the downstream areas of any ill-effects by flooding. Three years ago, said Mr. Semple, a survey of the proposed scheme had shown that the cost would be higher than the value of the land. Under modern methods, however, the proposition might be entirely changed, and it would be recognised on the basis of mechanisation.

"We are not going back to picks and shovels and wheelbarrows," he said. "The machine does the work; man uses it. When I started the mechanised methods on public works I was called a dreamer and fanatic. Not now. The machine is performing what formerly was the impossible." £SOO GRANT REFUSED ATTITUDE OF COUNCIL UNABLE TO FIND BALANCE COMMENT BY MR. SEMPLE £from OCR OWN" correspondent! WHANGAREI, Saturday "Some of these people would rather do nothing and so embarrass the ratepayers in order to discredit the Government," declared the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, when replying to a deputation of settlers, who waited on him at Whangarei last night. "I am not saying that this is so in this case, but there are men who would leave others to stew in their own mud in order that the Government, should not receive credit for getting them out of it." The settlers concerned were seeking assistance for the completion of a gap of two miles on the route giving access between the Opuawhanga and Marua Roads. ' . "The Whangarei County Council has refused a Government grant of £SOO, because it said that it could not raise the balance of £250 to complete the j?oad," Mr. Semple went on. "The council wanted free money for the work, but this could not be acceded to. There are thousands of farmers who have no access at all, and the merits of this job did not call for a free grant." The speaker for the deputation, Mr. D. J. Jones, and others! complained of the attitude of the County Council in not taking advantage of the subsidy. "What can I do with your County Council?" asked the Minister. "I can't perform an operation to put ideas into its members' heads. I have gone as far as I can in the matter. I have to consider those who have been in the mud for 40 years. The merits of this job do not call for more than £SOO, and it is for the settlers concerned to deal with the County Council."