THE WAIKAWA-TOKANUI MAIN ROAD.

Southland Times, Issue 18971, 19 June 1923, Page 2

THE WAIKAWA-TOKANUI MAIN ROAD.

To the Editor. Sir, —The Waikawa-Tokanui main road is practically the only outlet to a thriving and progressive farming, grazing and sawmilling district but it is an absolute disgrace to a civilised community. It is formed chiefly by the original coating of rotton rock mixed with clay and water and ground into a mud with a wide range of variety in depth and constituency. The chief trouble seems to be a lack of engineering and management on the part of those in authority. From time to time small sums of money have been spent in maintenance on this road with little or no results. Now we maintain that maintenance is not what is wanted, in fact has proved useless, and I would like to suggest that a permanent road be constructed on a sound and definite plan. The crown is far too low and flat and the water tables far too high above it for maintenance ever to succeed. In the past the common practice seems to have been to cart gravel four or five miles in the months of May and June and dump it down in from six to eighteen inches of mud. The result is the same as putting plums into a cake to make the batter thicker, besides destroying the few patches of road that are not all together broken up. For the last ten years this road has been steadily going back and will soon be quite impassable if something is not done. Application to the local County Council seems to help us very little as they have only three words: No funds or maintenance. At present I understand there is a movement afoot to get a Government grant for .this road, and I hope that those who have the work to put in hand will see to the construction of a good solid road that will carry heavy traffic and drain off all the surface water. If the funds are not sufficient this year to do all that is required, do the worst piece and do it well.—l am, etc., . ANTI PATCHING.