MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD

Southland Times, Issue 23732, 2 February 1939, Page 8

MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD

LOCAL BODIES MET IN INVERCARGILL / ■ REQUESTS BY MOTORISTS AND COUNTY COUNCIL Continuing its tour through Southland the Main Highways Board arrived in Invercargill yesterday afternoon and was met by the Automobile Association (Southland) and the Southland County Council. Mr M. M. Macdonald, who presided in the absence of the president of the association (Mr D. J. Wesney), extended a cordial welcome to the .members of the board, and expressed the pleasure qf all present at having an opportunity to meet the board and discuss matters of interest to them all.

The deputy-chairman of the board (Mr A. J. Baker) expressed his appreciation of the co-operation that had existed between the board and the local authorities and the automobile associations.

On behalf of the Automobile Association Mr Macdonald urged the completion of the Clifden-Manapouri road. It had, he said, been surveyed, and the association felt that it should be gone on with as soon as possible. If it was necessary to declare the road a main highway to carry it through, then they would be in favour of its declaration.

Two gaps, at present unsealed on the Invercargill-Dunedin highway between Dacre and Brydone and between Gore and Balclutha were mentioned by Mr Macdonald, who said they would like information on when that work would be done. Mr Macdonald also advocated the classification of the Clifden-Black-mount-Manapouri road as a main highway. ROAD AT WAIKIWI Mr I. V. Wilson mentioned the road from Waikiwi to Lorneville. There was, he said, no footpath on that stretch of road, and they felt that facilities should be provided for pedestrians and cyclists. There had been many accidents on the road and they would like something done before someone was killed. Another road mentioned was the east coast route to Southland, through Tokanui. A great portion of it had no rating capacity, it was said, and the association contended that consideration should be given to increasing the subsidy or to the board taking part of it over. A better surface and better corners were necessary, as it was largely a tourist route. They would also like to see the Wai-kaia-Piano Flat road declared a main highway, as this was another tourist route.

Mr Baker agreed that the matters brought under their notice were vital. For the year ended March 31 the board had had the sum of £5,000,000 placed at its disposal, and the expenditure had been so well balanced that it had been possible to take a broad view of reading of New Zealand as a whole. The programme of improvement had been consistent, progressive and orderly. Between Oamaru and Dunedin during the past few years a sealed road of good standard had been built and they had been working steadily towards Invercargill. They also knew what had been done in the interior of Otago—the Dunstan and Kawarau gorges for instance. BOARD’S POLICY Since the inauguration of the State system the board had made very substantial progress with the improvements on the State highways in and out of Invercargill. It was the policy of the board to complete these works as early as possible, but the weather had held the work up. At the end of the present sealing season there should be four and a-half miles of the Bluff road sealed at the south end and two and a-half miles at the north end, making a total of seven miles. Mr Baker said he had known the Clifden-Blackmount-Manapouri road for many years, and had been over a fair section of it. Last year the District Highways Council asked for 518 miles of new highways and recommended the revocation of 23 miles. After its review all the board could do was to declare lOj miles and revoke threequarters of a mile. Last year the board was not able to make any fresh declarations, and that same position had applied for several years. He could

not see a possibility of any new declarations. His personal view was that there were many through roads that had a better claim than the Clifden-Manapouri road.

Dealing with Mr Wilson’s request for a footpath and cycle track on the Waikiwi road, Mr Baker said that that section of the road was acquiring an urban character, not only with residences, but also with shops and factories, and the board’s policy in such areas was to indicate to the local authority that the provision of footpaths was a matter for which it was largely responsible, and the local authority would be assisted by a subsidy. Other points referred to by the association would no doubt be mentioned by the County Council, and he would therefore make no reply until he had heard the council’s views. COUNTY’S REQUIREMENTS Mr Macdonald then surrendered the chair to Cr G. W. Whittingham, who took charge of the meeting while the Southland County Councils requests were presented. The council asked for a subsidy of £5 for £1 on the Wai-kawa-Papatowai, the KenningtonWaikawa and the Invercargill-Fortrose highways. Cr A. S. McNaught said that the Waikawa-Papatowai highway was definitely a tourist road, and the other highways were both tourist and industrial roads, both being subject to heavy industrial saw mill traffic.

Mr Baker said that the board was not in agreement with that policy. It was only fair to give that indication—that the subsidy basis would have to stand. The three-for-one basis applied on the other - end of the road in the Clutha county.

Cr L. A. Niederer submitted a request that the Waikaia-Piano Flat road be classified as a main highway.

Mr Baker said there was not much chance of this because of heavy commitments.

Under the heading of additional highways Cr McNaught mentioned Racecourse road which, he said, carried 200 or 300 vehicles a day at ordinary times, and on the eight race days it carried thousands of vehicles. If the board could not give it a heavy sealing it might perhaps be prepared to give it a light sealing. The distance was only a mile and a-quarter. ‘

Mr Macdonald said the Automobile Association would also support that request, as a great many of the residents of the northern suburbs of Invercargill used that road in leaving and entering the city. Mr Baker said that the County Council should make an application when the board made its annual review. ROADS AT BLUFF The board was met last night by representatives of the Bluff Borough Council who placed before it a request for the completion of work on the section of the main highway from Bollin’s comer to Stirling Point. It was explained that a contract had been let by the board for the reconstruction and widening of the road, and that the work had, for some reason, been held up. The board agreed to investigate the position with a view to having the work completed. VISIT TO WESTERN DISTRICT NO COMPLAINTS AT NIGHTCAPS Road requirements in the Western District of Southland were discussed by the Main Highways Board and local bodies at Nightcaps, Otautau and Riverton yesterday when the board continued its tour of the province. “We have no complaints to make against the Highways Board or its local representative,” said Mr W. Excell in welcoming the members of the board to Nightcaps on behalf of the Town Board. Mr, Excell added that the Town Board was taking over an area of land at the foot of a steep grade where there was a right-angle turn. The owner of the land was prepared, on payment of £3O, to hand over the piece of land necessary to ease the curve. It was stated that it was a matter of altering a one-chain-radius curve to a two-chain cufve. The deputy-chairman of the Highways Board (Mr A. J. Baker) explained that the board did contribute to the legal and other costs of acquiring land for such improvements. The rate of subsidy would be three-for-one. There were, of course, other cases where the rate of. contribution would not be on quite such a liberal scale. A clause in the specifications stipulating, the use of crushed metal for road

work in the borough was the subject of a protest by the Otautau Town Board which met the Highways Board at Otautau.

The town clerk (Mr J. Fisher) said that previously the work had been done with Tihaka gravel, which was also used on the main street. It had been proved very satisfactory, but the Highways Board’s specifications stipulated crushed metal, which would be a good deal more expensive. It had been suggested to him that he should apply to the Highways Board for a change over to Tihaka gravel, but had been told that such a change would mean altering the whole of the specifications. They did not want to stand in the way of the acceptance of tenders for the work. They wanted the work done. A good proportion of crushed metal was “discard” and it was this that added so much to the cost. It was a total loss. If the specifications must stand they would be faced with £252 of extra expenditure. The “discard” suited the county for maintenance, but the Town Toard had nowhere to put it. The county was not prepared to take it over.

Mr Baker said the same position had arisen throughout New Zealand, and adjustments of this kind had had to be made. The trouble about alterations at this stage would be in preparing the specifications all over again, and that would cause a great deal of undesirable delay. He suggested a modification of the size of the chips which would mean that there would be less “discard.” The Highways Board’s engineer would discuss the matter with the Town Board’s engineer within the next day or two and advise the Town Board of the position.

The suggestion of a modification of the size of the chips was acceptable tu the Town Board and the matter was dropped in the meantime. At Riverton the board was met by the Riverton Borough Council and matters affecting the borough were discussed, including the problem arising through the necessity of using crushed metal.

The modification agreed on at Otautau was explained, and this was acceptable to the borough also.