MAIN HIGHWAYS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6144, 3 October 1945, Page 4

MAIN HIGHWAYS

TE AWAMUTU—CAMBRIDGE MONAVALE MEETING A meeting of ratepayers drawn from Pukerimu, Monavale and surrounding districts, recently considered the ouestion of the completion tarsealing the Cambridge-Te Awamutu main highway. Mr S. C. B. Macky, chairman of the Waipa County Council, Mr J. W. Garland, riding member, also Mr T. Grant, County Clerk, and the assistant engineer were in attendance. On the motion of Mr C. Russo, Mr G. A. Walsh was voted to the chair and a meeting of careful and exhaustive enquiry followed. The chairman said that this matter should be considered in the light of what is best for the county as a whole because as a main route, subsidised 75 per cent, by the through traffic as represented by the Highways Board the road lost much of its former dependence on local decision; further the overall country-wide short-haul proviso (subject of course to contingent influences where prominent enough, such as divergent towns, marked physical construction difficulties imposing permanent maintenance costs, etc.) should be adhered to wherever possible, otherwise in effect a perpetual “toll” is experienced by each and every passing vehicle. The present route is something over U miles shorter than the suggested deviation, meaning an additional mileage, involved with each return trip, in excess of three miles. The Alternative Route?

Mr Russo raised the point, that as only a little over four miles remained to be done under the original poll loan authority, and some nine miles would have to be handled in the alternative route, he presumed an added loan would be necessary at about £6OOO per mile to cope with the increase in distance. This of course would mean an all-round increase in rates. Mr Macky agreed with this view and said nothing of the kind could be done without referring such proposed expenditure back to the ratepayers. Mr Williamson said that in his opinion the present arrangements should stand, because much time and opportunity could be lost in an attempt to upset them. The chairman observed that that was the correct outlook, and when the time canie we should assist Roto-o-xangi and Puahue, on a basis of co-riding member support, in a mutual effort to better their roading conditions. Mr A. M. Fisher pointed out that the present tar-sealed road, when completed, would serve Pukerimu requirements fairly well, until such time as “sealing” could be carried out on other main highways. Mr Macky, on behalf of the visitors, thanked the meeting for the invitation to attend and remarked that such pleasant occasions proved ratepayers were fully alive to their own interests. He much appreciated the tone of general goodwill, which had always been a feature of his long asociation with the county.