STRATHMORE TUNNEL

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1935, Page 6

STRATHMORE TUNNEL

AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE COUNCIL CONSIDERS SUGGESTION. GOVERNMENT ROAD PREFERABLE. The meeting of the Stratford County' Council before the local body elections on May 3 was held on Saturday, the meeting having been advanced a week because of next Saturday being Easter Saturday. Present were Councillors T. R. Anderson (chairman), S. Pitt, J W. Vickers, W. H. Were, T. T. Murray, G. H. Rawlinson, C. Skitrop, E. W. Hancock, J. C. Best and H. C. Taylor. The Stratford executive of the Farmers’ 'Union suggested that as an alternative to the proposal to tunnel the Strathmore saddle on Ohura Road, the main highway should be diverted from Douglas via Huiroa and Kiore to meet the present highway, at Te Wera. It was claimed that the diversion would not mean a great increase on the cost of making the tunnel, and would be a greater asset to the districts concerned because it would give access to a metalled road to settlers who for yeans had had to be content with a clay road. One disadvantage mentioned in respect to the alternative route through Kiore, said the engineer, Mr. J. W. Spence, was the number of railway crossings. There were no crossings between Douglas and Te Wera on the main high- >' way. . The council could not afford to build the tunnel, which would be at the far end of the county, the chairman, Cr. Anderson, said. The countwould be building the tunnel for outsid' traffic. If the Makuri drainage scheme were embarked on with its attendant reading plan, there would be only one level crossing between Douglas and Kiore, Cr. Murray said. There were no very bad crossings on the Douglas Road route, Cr. Murray said, while if the Makuri plan were carried * out there would be only one crossing. The council decided that its original plan to have the four and a-half miles from the junction of Mangaotuku and Ohura roads to Strathmore declared a Government road was preferable, but failing a declaration to that effect, the council approved the Douglas-Kibre-Te Wera route. The request to have the four and ahalf miles declared will be renewed.

ELECTIONS AMENDMENT ACT. . The Department of Internal Affairs forwarded information about sections of the Local Elections and Polls Amendment Act that concerned the council. The section regarding defaulting ratepayers, it was stated, was to enable defaulting ratepayers to vote, to nominate candidates for the coining elections if their rates’ were paid up to March 31, 1933. The restoration of the qualification. did not apply if any rates owing by the ratepayer concerned during the financial year ended March 31, 1933, had been remitted or compounded, except remission or postponement of the 10 per cent, penalty. The Plimmerton-Paekakariki Main, Highways Deviation Association sought support for a proposal to deviate the mam highway through those districts with the object of eliminating the climb over the Paekakariki hill. “There is a good road over the hill now and if this project were favoured hundreds of thousands of pounds would be taken from ordinary roading to provide a speedway for motorists,” Cr. Vickers said.

No action was taken. , The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, asked for the council’s cooperation in suitably recognising the silver jubilee of the King on May 6. The council decided to share in the celebrations. •

In reply to Cr. Skitrop, the clerk stated that the Taihore metalling loan had matured and there was now no debt on the road.