VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1934, Page 7

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

VIEWS ON CURRENT TOPICS MATAU ROADING CONTROVERSY. CASE FOR METALLING SADDLE. (To the Editor.) Sir, '-I regret to note that the Minister of Public Works’ reply to the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce was not more favourable towards metalling th® Matau-Purangi saddle. I can only conclude that the Minister does, not know the position. I am not blaming him in any way, for he cannot be expected to go into every- nook and comer- in the country. I presume he relies on his staff to a great extent to.report, on urgency or otherwise of the different works. If such is the case and the Minister’s reply to the chamber is based on their advice, I think it high time his staff had a thorough overhaul. With regard to the merger of this riding into the Stratford county, I was one amongst several others who were called upon to give evidence before the commission which sat.at Matau, and I was not in favour of the riding being merged into Stratford, for the reason that it was not in the best interests-of the district or county generally. We would be going away ■ from our port, which every article required for' and produced on a farm drifts through in some shape or form. At that time the nearest metal in the direction of Stratford was, ten miles away over a very unreliable stretch of road being newly formed and enrough .very’ broken country. • Our main direct road' to the port shortened the distance to .the port by about 15 miles, and was metaljed to within three and ahalf miles of our district centre. Moreover, it was less dangerous and more solid.

I am' more convinced'now than ever that I was' in the right. • Only about a month or so ago wheel traffic . was blocked on the new Kiore Road for , two or three days. About eighteen- months ago it was totally blocked for a week or more, and was not safe for wheel traffic for about six weeks. We now have this road metalled to Kiore, but I am not banking on it for an “all weather road,” as some people term it. It is surprising what two or three days’ steady ram will do in this class of country, and we may again have to fall back on the good old Junction Road, whlc.r some people are doing their best to condemn.

The big lever at the time of the merger was to get out to the railway, bu; the Government defeated its own object when it metalled that stretch of road from Kiore towards Stratford. It is seldom the railway carries any passengers from Matau or Purangi to Stratford these times. About the only things carried by , rail are wool, manure and live stock for the various freezing works, and this traffic would have found its way to the railway, metal or not. No doubt the railway is a big help to settlers along the line and further back, but as far as this district is concerned it has proved to be the curse of the place, for the turning of the first sod at Stratford over thirty years ago -was the cause of stopping the metalling of our main road beyond Purangi..

It has been pointed out to me on different occasions, when asking for further metal, that there had been a lot of money expended in the riding since the merger took place. “Wasted,” I think, would be the correct term. I do not know who was responsible, but it. is no credit to anyone. To start with the Government put about forty relief workers on widening roads fop the best part of two seasons. First the MatauKiorc saddle was widened, then the Mangaoapa Road was widened from Kiore to Junction Road near Purangi. Next the Matau-Purangi saddle was done, and lastly Pohokura saddle, in the Whangamomona county.

The men themselves made no secret of the fact that they were not allowed to draw more than £27 per month, and ■the - more' experienced' hands had to put in a good deal of time in camp for the reason that had they worked full time they would earn more money than they were allowed to draw. Now, even supposing these 40 men averaged half that amount, it would amount to a big sum of money, and had the Government expended it in perhaps taking off a few of the worst corners and carried on with the metal from Purangi we would not be faced with the position we are in today. The total population of this riding is 130, not including a few Natives, occupying 33 homesteads. About ten miles have been metalled in the riding since the Stratford County Council took over, and what is the result? Five additional homesteads are placed on a metalled road occupied by fifteen persons,. leaving twenty-four occupied homesteads with just over one hundred persons still wallowing in mud for half the year. So you will see the results are not very great so far, in spite of what the Minister and some correspondents would lead the public to believe. I stated some time ago at the council table that we needed a further 12 miles of metal to get us out of our difficulties, and I still maintain that to be correct, I.notice one writer has the necessary mileage, up to ten miles, and advises the supporters of Junction Road to take a broader-minded view of the matter. It is wonderful what some people’s ideas are of broad-minded views. The only difference between that particular correspondent and me is that he suggests a little extra on Mangamaire Road, and an extra mjle on Matau North which, by the way, leads to an empty shack on his own property. This extra mile carries very little traffic, I suppose that if we were to suggest a mile or so on Terangi Road, which leads to. my own property, is used equally as much, and serves as much country, that would be a narrow view. No. I would suggest this extra would be more serviceable on Matau saddle, the road which we have to depend on for our mail, which would shorten the distance to the nearest freezing .works (Waitara) by half, and would shorten the distance to the port by about 15 miles. I notice that Mr. T. T. Murray made a statement at a North Taranaki Farmers’ Union meeting to the effect that the metalling of this saddle served only one settler. At Stratford he was asked if his statement was correct, and Mr, N. B. Fletcher, Huiroa, and Mr. L. Ayres, Matau, confirmed that statement. There are twelve families living on this road, and we are at a loss to know which pettier it is they have singled out. Perhaps these gentlemen will explain. In conclusion I would thank all who ar© doing their best to assist us in our difficulties.—l am, etc., G. H. RAWLINSON. Matau, Nov. 12.