ACCESS TO MATAU

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1934, Page 6

ACCESS TO MATAU

JUNCTION ROAD QUESTION.

CR. RAWLINSON’S EXPLANATION.

An explanation of why he attended a meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce at New Plymouth and reference to the reports of his remarks in the Press were made to the Stratford County Council on Saturday by the Ngatimaru riding member, Cr. G. H. Rawlinson, Matau, who was invited to attend the chamber meeting in respect of the Matau road metalling proposals. Cr. Rawlinson claimed that he had been misreported and criticised the Matau branch of the Farmers’ Union for the part it had played in the metalling question. Cr. Rawlinson said he knew nothing about the chamber meeting till two days before it took place, when he received an invitation to attend. He was reported in the Prtss to have said that the Stratford County Council was opposed to metalling the Matau saddle road between Matau and Purangi, but actually he said that the Stratford council was not definitely in favour of it. It had been said that the Stratford counci,! would not metal the road over the saddle because the land alongside it could not bs> farmed but the same could be said of the Matau-Kiore stretch. “I want to criticise the Matau branch of the Farmers’ Union,” he continued. “We will never have a shortage of politicians to go to Wellington but judging by the way things are going we will have a shortage of men willing to go on the council. The Matau branch held about three meetings in six years till it was resuscitated a few months ago and it seems to me that all it can do is to try to undermine what the council is doing. I am a member of the branch but I am sorry to say it.” “The Commissioner of Crown Lands asked me why we did not want to metal the Matau saddle,” said the chairman, Cr. T. R. Anderson, “and I told him that when the Stratford county took over the Ngatimaru riding we were promised that Stratford would be made the outlet for the district and that we have the rating area’ to consider.” “As far as the Farmers’ Union was concerned it had only tried to carry out the wishes of the meeting of Matau settlers four years ago and again three months ago,” said Cr. T. T. Murray, who is president of the Stratford executive of the Farmers’ Union. The chairmta: We can only do what we consider best for the ratepayers without reference to Chambers of Commerce and the Farmers’ Union. If the ratepayers do not like what we do they have their remedy.