ROAD DAMAGE BY STOCK

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 13

ROAD DAMAGE BY STOCK

COOK COUNTY PROBLEM SPECIAL HELP FREED TALLY FOR 32 MONTHS Special treatment for certain areas of the Cook County where road damage by travelling stock is excessive was recommended to the council yesterday bv the engineer, Mr. K. F. Jones. Last year, 1m was -instructed by the council to take a tally of stock traffic other than the normal district traffic using the roads concerned. “The tally.” Mr. Jones reported, “was taken for *l2 months, commencing on July 1, 103*), and finishing on June 30, 1936, and was taken by a surfaceman in each case. The tally is as accurate as conditions would peimit, as obviously drovers’ figures had to be relied on for the large mobs. However, it is no doubt; an indication of the actual position as far as outside stock traffic on the various roads is concerned.” The figures submitted by the engineer are tabulated below: —

Cattle Sheep Horses Coast, at Wainui 2,78 d 32,100 21m Waimata .. 4,154 15,073 550 Gentle Annie .. 0,800 6,040 200 Parikanapa .. 7,030 5,5.>0 38 Mangapoike .. 2,032 Nil «7 Hangar oa-'L'ah ora 758 3,400 Nil

•lieviewing the figures, Mr. Jones said that* the Coast am! Waimata Valley figures represented outside Coast into Gisborne. For cattle and horses', the Waimata totals were half as much again as those of the Coast road, indicating that for this class of stock the quieter road was preferred. The cattle total for the two routes was 6934 with 47,173 sheep and 815 horses. MANGAPOIK E BLOCK AC E “Since oarlv last year, when several

end of the Mangapoike Valley road,” the 'report continued, “through traffic lias not been possible by this route, and this no doubt has made a big <tifference to the allocation of the stock traffic to this route.

“The figures on the Ilangaroa highway and the Parikanapa road are hardly eomparabie, as they may each represent a tally of . the same stock. The on iy conclusion that can be drawn, however, is that most of the stock going over Gentle Annie use the Parikanapa road, as the figures for the two arc much the same. An interesting comparison would have been to have a tally taken at, say, Harris’ Hill on the .Ilangaroa highway, and also, say, at Bartlett’s on the Morore highway, but as both these routes are under the control of the Public Works Department, no figures are available. “On the Ifangaroa-Tahora road, the figures will probably represent the stock from the Waikohu County area using this route. “One conclusion to be drawn from these figures is that a considerable amount of increased road cost is incurred throughout the road mentioned by stock coming from areas which do not directly carry any of the cost of the repair work. This does not apply so much on main highways as the subsidies from that board assist considerably in the carrying out of the proper maintenance.

“On the riding roads affected, however,” the engineer concluded, “it is obvious that some areas are at a disadvantage owing to their location, and it points to the need of some form, of assistance from other than the riding funds.” “ALL IN SAME BOX” Or. E. 11. Baker said that lhe figures bore out what he had previously said, that, some roads, particularly the Parikanapa load, suffered severely from stock damage. Much stock went over that road when the conditions were not favourable, and often the surface was destroyed for the whole winter. Or. .1. E. Benson: Does not that stock damage apply to all ridings? Or. Baker replied that the damage on metalled fiat roads was not nearly o great as on the unmetalled hill .’cl ion •. < r. W. G. ahoiTutt: We arc all in :ho same box. < He added that most of the cattle on the Coast road were from outside 11.0 district. Cr. M. T. B. Hall maintained that he inland routes to Wairoa were in a unique position, and were entitled to special consideration. The engineer considered that the di • mission suggested that the time hail arrived for a complete exposition o: He county v. riding matter to be placed before the council. lie siq, :ted the. ho and the county clerk should report on a scheme, but before that was done each councillor should become conversant with conditions in all other parts of the county so that councillors could .appreciate the difficulties other than in their own ridings. Cr. Sherratt supported the engineer’s proposal, which, lie said, was a good one. The report was adopted.