THE MAIN SOUTH ROAD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 229, 10 January 1911, Page 4

THE MAIN SOUTH ROAD

COUNCIL OBJECTS TO SIR. KING'S

CRITICISM.

At the County Council meeting yesterday, Cr. McAllum called the attention of the Council to a report of the Motor Transport Company, as appearing in the Daily News of the 7th ult., where Mr. Newton King was credited with saying "that the quicker the ratepayers on the Coast got to work and forced the hands of the Taranaki County Council and got the whole Coast into one county, and put the road in good order, the better it would be for themselves." Mr. King must know, as well as any man in Taranaki, the strain on the ratepayers in that particular section of the county, in trying to keep the Main South road in order; and he knew that a toll-gate was erected to help provide revenue to> its upkeep. Vet shortly after the gate tariir had been gazetted, he and others representing the Motor Transport Co. waited on the Council to get a reduction in the tariff to suit the particular needs of the company. He reckoned the tariff was too high, and that the Council should <iiul other means of revenue. Did Mr. King, lie asked, help the revenue as lie could do? Every year his firm took out auctioneers' licenses, but did he take them out with this Council ? And yet he charged the Council with having a road under its control which "was a.disgrace to any local body." Cr. McAllum said ■he wished to sympathise with the company in its present difficulties, but he strongly protested against Mr. King's statement that "it was owing to the bad roads the company was in its present position." Mr. Morrow was much nearer the mark when he said that "the waggons were all right if they had been treated right at the start."

The chairman said he considered the remarks were an unjustifiable reflection upon the Council.

Cr. Carter said he did not sec where the logic came in when it was said that the roads were the means of driving the company ont of existence. He was sorry the company had gone under, and had ljad hopes that, with the waggons properly running, these would have been the means of saving the roads. The Council had met the Transport Company in a fair spirit, and had put the roads in good to meet their requirements. Cr. Hill said when the toll fare was fixed the company was not in existence. They agreed to pay for the alterations, but since then, in conversation, Mr. King had practically blamed the Council for the fatal accident. (Members: "Oh, goodness!") Cr. Hill also mentioned to Mr. King the matter of the auctioneers' licenses, and in his reply he talked of the bad roads and the maladministration going 011 in the Council. Cr. Andrews considered .Mr. King's remarks were very unjust and uncalled fo(, Cr. Andrews added lie had voted for the Motor Company in the Council from fhe beginning to the end. Cr. llopson said he was very much surprised to see the report in the News, lie asked if the company had ]>aid their share of (lie cost ( €10) of altering thi* tariff, as promised. '(''No.") Well, then, he said, they had not kept their promise. What the Council had done to the road, and the alterations to the tariff that had been made, said something in their favor. Cr. Andrews said he was at the site of the accident shortly after it occurred, and lie could not see half a dozen stones within half a chain of where the niotor-wag-ston went off.

The chairman said lie certainly objected to Mr. King's remarks of that nature, especially seeing that the Council had done what they could for the company. The Council should stick up for its just dues in the matter. He for one was quite prepared to improve the road from one end to the other if the people would raise a loan for the purpose. The Council could not find the money to alter the grades 011 the roads. The matter then dropped.