GROVE BUSH ROAD

Southland Times, Issue 19514, 13 May 1922, Page 5

GROVE BUSH ROAD

SOLDIER SETTLERS AND THE COUNCIL. A deputation from the Grove Bush Soldier settlers was introduced to the County Committee yesterday by Mr J. R Hamilton, M.P., their complaint being that valuable time was being wasted over the construction of Cox’s road. Acting as spokesman, Mr Hamilton raid that the settlers could not understand why the work was not being carried out as the Council had the money in hand. He had made inquiries, and had been informed that the delay was due to the consideration of a deviation round the sawdust heap which obstructed the road, and the question of widening the road to a chain. The Council was favourable to the widening, but tha settlers would be satisfied with a half chain road, going through the sawdust heap Ha had been informed that. Mr Cox was opposed to the deviation, and the Council would have considerable delay in getting the land under the Public Works Act. Mr McNeil said that the acquiring of tha land for the deviation would again hang up the work, probably for twelve months. The delay would be very serious to thn settlers, who were anxious that the work should be commenced at once. The who)* difficulty was the establishment of the Grove Bush factory, which gave the settlers a nearer factory than Ry al Bu&h. The engineer, Mr B. C. Basstian, nrfid that the road should be a chain wide, especially through the twenty chains of bush. It was hardly practicable to put a half chain road through the bush portion as it was damp and would require a ditch on both sidea. With regard to the removal of sawdust, the sawmillcr who placed the sawdust on the road, was sirreeable to pay for ita removal or the deviation which it would cause. There would b-» about 3000 or 4000 yards of sawdu't to be removed. Messrs Lightfoot, A. Mclntyre and Collinson spoke on behalf of the settlers, the last named stating that the road was urgently required a& the settlers had all bought cows for the coming season. Councillor Fraser said that the Council had spent a considerable sum on the Rya*. Bush outlet for the settlement, bue the ea tablishment of a factory* at Grove Bush had altered the whole aspect of the settlement. The Council was doing all it could to purh on the road. It was decided to try and arrange with Mr Cox with regard to the deviation, and if hat failed the Council would consider other means of putting the road through Councillors Clark and Norman to vimt the locality and to report to next Council u xaeetir?.