MAINTAINING ROADS

Putaruru Press, Volume XIV, Issue 677, 4 June 1936, Page 8

MAINTAINING ROADS

HINUERA PROPOSAL i Surfaceman Wanted

A determined effort was made by Cr. P. R. Hawke at the May meeting of the Matamata County Council to secure the erection of a surfaceman’s cottage at Hinuera and the stationing of a man in that centre. Cr. Hawke outlined his proposal, which was mentioned at a previous meeting, and pointed .out that as the land was already there the costs would more than be recovered out of rent.

,Cr. P. Dee thought Okoroire could be better worked from Tirau. He hoped the proposal would not mean the elimination of the Te Poi surfaceman.

Cr. K. S. Cox pointed out that the council should go very slowly about erecting cottages near main roads, as the Government would soon be taking over main roads. Further, it was better business to have lorries concentrated in Tirau, where they could be overhauled by an expert mechanic, than scattered all over the county.

Cr. J. Pohlen seconded the proposal and asked where the money would come from. Cr. E. D. White said that Cr. Hawke had raised an interesting point. However, he would like to see the engineer go into the matter and bring down a report. He believed that perhaps a more economical system could be devised, say, by the use of a light lorry and a couple of men going around the roads. He felt that this might be a better system than the surfaceman with horse and dray. Cr. A. Pearce: The lorry could scatter the men about the roads and pick them up again at night.

Cr. Pohlen said he was convinced the horse grader was out of date. The engineer said there was only one in the county and that was mostly on the Kaimai. A dual system had been in operation in the county for years, and he was certain that men in a lorry were apt to miss nine out of 10 jobs they should do, as against what would be done by a surfaceman with a horse and dray. A point in this connection was the opening of the small drains and culverts which could be seen by a man walking or riding along on a" bicycle with a shovel. These men were held responsible for their area and he knew who to blame if the road went wrong. With a lorry the same man was never dropped at the same place twice, and thus no one could be blamed. That would be the basis of his report.

Replying, Cr. Hawke said that he had not suggested doing away with the Te Poi surfaceman. Under his idea there would be no need to dump metal at the Waihou bridge one day and pick it up the next. He claimed a man stationed at Hinuera would save money for the county. There was no need to clean out culverts and ditches each week. A motor lorry cost about the same as a horse and dray per day and the latter was limited to area. He favoured a big lorry so that banks could be cut and gravel carted. He had knowledge of road-making and he claimed a big saving could be made on present costs as a result of his proposal. Desultory discussion followed during which Cr. White suggested that if Cr. Hawke dropped the house proposal and just asked for a surfaceman stationed at Hinuera, it would find more favour, as it was a difficult year to find the money. Finally the matter was closed by Cr. Hawke adopting a suggestion to postpone the matter for a month and to give notice of motion of his proposal.