ROADS IN THE BACK BLOCKS.

New Zealand Mail, 22 January 1902, Page 43

ROADS IN THE BACK BLOCKS.

The rosy account of the condition of certain country x-oads which we published in the “Times” of Thursday, on the authority of Mr Hursthouse, Government Engineer, has attracted the attention of “A Commercial Traveller,” 'who writes:—lt is not at this time of the year that the roads in the country districts should be viewed by the Government Engineer. If he desires to really know the drawbacks the pioneer settlers have to fight against in the matter of bad roads, that gentleman should make his visit during the depth of winter. The writer ti’aversed the Mangaweka-Tai-hape road as late as October last, under the care of an expert driver and with a light buggy drawn by two powerful horses, and the l’oad over which these sundi-y heavy gentlemen report they trotted the whole distance took three and a half hours to cover, the distance being only thirteen miles. For miles at a stretch the road was up to the horses’ knees in thick, heavy mud, and it is no uncommon occurrence for waggons drawn by teams of ten and twelve horses to be bogged going down hill. The truth of what I have said will he borne out by any person who has traversed the road from June to December of last year. As this terribly eut-up condition of the roads is entirely owing to the fact that tho Government has been carting heavy railway supplies from the railhead to Taihape, it behoves Ministers to take upon themselves the duty of keeping this road in a fit and proper condition for the bona fide settlers, whom they pose as fostering.