"NOBODY'S BABY"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19337, 29 May 1937, Page 3

"NOBODY'S BABY"

COUNTIES' ROAD-ENDS MINISTER AS 'GODFATHER' ARIKIHI ROUTE METALLING "The position, as it appears to me, j» that this section of road is 'nobody's .bahy,' and you" want to find a godfather for it. ' The case, iV typical ""of what we havo found in many other parts, of the country, adjoining county councils, neglecting, tliose portions of through roads which do not actually serve their. own particular ratepayers." I will S'eo what can be done, but it seems that the Cook and Uawa. county councils should take the matter up between them," said the Minister, of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, to a deputation of Waimata and Ankila settlers to-day, when he was advised that half a mite of the inland road between Gisbonie and Tolaga Bay was unmetalled because neither council was prepared to ;spend money on it. ■ _ The Minister was informed that the Cook Countv Council Had metalled the road to its boundary, but between that point and the end of the metalling done By the Uawa County to serve, its remotest ratepayer on that road there was hall a mile of' quagmire impassable for anything but stock traffic. He stated that the neglect of"this section appeared to help the case for amalgamation of counties, since it meant neglect of a through road which was important to both Uawa and Cook ratepayers. Once a Through Road The idfcpntatioii was (introduced by Mr A. G- Hultquist, M.P. for the Bay of Plenty, who gave tho. Minister an outline of what tho Waimata. settlers were asking for. Mr. Hultquist explained that the Ankihi road in earlier years had been a through road to Tolaga Bay, but latterly had been disused owing to the un- ' metalled condition of part of the route. The settlers were now asking that the Minister should take an interest in having' the metalling pushed ahead as quickly as possible. A half-mile o metalling was required to open the road between the Cook and Uawa counties »> a through route The position in regard to the road was explained by Mr. J. C. Field, who slated that it had, been, made 45 years ago, and the settlers had raised £BOO for the first metalling job. which had made the road usable at times when the coast road had been impassable. All that .was required to open the road was half a mile of road, on the Uawa side of the houndary, but the Uawa County claimed that the halfmile section would serve none of its ratepayers. The Minister asked why the metalling could not be done by the joint efforts ot the two county councilsV He understood that the road would benefit Cook County ratepayers to some extent, and tbo case showed the need for some sort •of amalgamation between the counties, in order that a situation such as this should hot' be continued. 'Mr. Wood, cugmcer-in-chief of the Public Works Department, explained that the Cook County Council provided access from Gisbome for Waimata and Arikihi settlers, "and tho Uawa council had no interest in providing an outlet to Tolaga. Bay for Cook County ratepayers. Maintenance Question, Mr. Lawson Field stated that if the road was metalled, it would be a secondary route to and from the Coast. The Minister: Who would maintain the road if it were put in order? Mr. 0. G. Thornton, district engineer: There's the rub. The councils have shown no interest in the maintenance in the past. The Minister pointed out that the Government had had sad experiences in the past regarding the maintenance of sections of roads' which had been built with Government funds. There were roads all over the country which had fallen back for want of maintenance. Mr. Orinerod stated that if the road was opened up, Uawa county ratepayers would use it,' as much as Cook County ratepayers. The only reason it had fallen out of use was that the coastal' road was in good order, though much longer. The Minister promised to communicate with the two county councils, and inquire what they were prepared to do in the way of contributing to the cost of metalling, arid particularly as to maintenance. Maintenance was absolutely necessary, he stated. The deputation expressed, its thanks to Mr. Scrapie, who closed the discussion with the remark that the road was "nobody's baby" at present, and the need vvas to provide at least a godfather who would look after it.