THE FLEET!

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 25, 21 February 1920, Page 3

THE FLEET!

Our "Hole in Hole."

" T SEE," said the man on the •*■ wharf, "regular fleets of motor cars are coming to New Zealand." "My troubles!" exploded his mate; "what New Zealand wants is a fleet of motor road rollers or steam road rollers, or any other kind of road rollers." Welfare Leagues and any other kind of leagues will yet set down as the first plank in their platform "Roads," the second plank in their platform "Roads," and the third plank "Roads." There will never be a great series of real roads in New Zealand until roading is nationalised. The days of the little Road Boards are. one hopes, numbered, and local upkeep by citizens rated by local bodies coming to an end.

The drayload of metal laboriously put into a hard hole by a maintenance man, and washed or kicked out before the week is out, isn't roadmaking. The steam scarifier and ten-ton truck, the road roller, and the road engineer (as distinct from the jack of all trades engineer) are to be the means of progress to New Zealand.

A Government with a soul above heavy feeds and trips to Samoa Avould "take the roads in a face," despite local jealousies or local votes. It would strike a general national rate for New Zealand roads, and no: for local sections or political lengths—and it would have larger "fleets" of rollers than of motor i-ars

Some of the people use the railways—all of the people use the roads Nationally, the roads of Southland are as of much importance to the people of Auckland as the robds of Hawke's Bay are to Wellington. The one necessity — the urgent insistent shrieking necessity of New Zealand —is greater production, and greater production depends upon roads and road rollers and road engineers.

They send an engineer to Samoa to advise us in the matter of an artificial harbour, which will never be made, and which, if it were made, could never pay. His talents and the talents of other engineers could be far better used in giving us roads. What's become of that National Highway Scheme as a memorial to soldiers? It has probably been abandoned for fear someone might walk on it.

Next winter the people who keep us all will flounder up the naves to get tucker to us, as has been the custom from time immemorial, and next summer politicians will cure every neglect by expanding their waistcoats and shouting, "There is a great future before this district!" The people don't want flattery—they want roads—fleets of scarifiers and rollers, and bunches of engineers, to root out the barrow and shovel system of road building. Since the elections the Government hag folded its fat white hands over its exuberant waistcoat and muttered in its sleep, "Public Works," without doing any. It will stir in its sleep directly, and get a local body to pitch another barrow load of scoria in a hole—but roads? Never!