THE TAUPO ROAD.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 336, 27 November 1875, Page 3

THE TAUPO ROAD.

From the following very sensible letter which we extract from the Hawke's Bay Her all, it would seem that the Napier end of the Taupo road is in a far worse condition than this end:— Sir,—l wish to know who is in charge of the road from Napier to Taupo. I have been over most of the roads in New Zealand, and over a more disgraceful road than this I never had the misfortune to travel. From Runanga to Tarawera there are such bad and dangerous places that, if the driver had not been well up to his work, we should have been capsized every quarter of a mile on the road. From Runanga to the Mohaka crossing, the road seems without any person whatever to look after it. I asked the driver if there was any person looking after it, and he told me there were four men on daily wages, with an overseer receiving good pay, and that he (the driver) had complained repeatedly about the roads, but no notice had been taken about it by the overseer of the men, who appear to simply receive their pay regardless of the condition of the road and the lives of passengers travelling over it. This is a road that, with a little attention, would be easily kept in repair and I think it is a great pity that the Goverm ment does not appoint some competent person who is capable of superintending the repairs of it. I am certain there are many workmen who would be only too glad to be appointed for less money than the present overseer receives, who would keep the road in order, and work himself. A road like this, about 2CO miles long, that must have cost the Country some thousands of pounds, should, in my opinion, at least, have some competent person to keep it in repair. On my journey down I was surprised there was no provision in the way of culverts to carry off the water from the road. lam certain there is not a culvert to every mile, and it stands to reason that, if heavy rains fall, there must bo a torrent of water running on the road enough to carry timber and heavy stones away, and much more easily, light pumice, which floats readily by the securing action of the W'ater, washes ruts in the road that would swallow a horse, The ruts are allowed to remain sometimes fourteen days, as the driver tells me, without being filled in, notwithstanding the repeated complaints ho has made about them. Trusting that now public attention has been called to the matter, something will bo done to remedy tho evil complained of.—l am, &o. A Traveller,