KIRKBRIDE'S ROAD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 89, 11 July 1944, Page 5

KIRKBRIDE'S ROAD

INDEPENDENT REPORT REQUESTED

COUNCIL RECEIVES LETTER

A further letter from Mr G. Kirk- \ bride was received by the Whaka- ; tane County Council at its meeting ] last Tuesday -requesting an indepen- • dent report on matters relating to his access road. The letter read:-— : "Sometime ago I requested the < Council to join with mc in asking ' for an. independent report by a Gov- ■ ernment official with a view to finalising the dispute between myself ; and the Council. This Avas refused, but I will again , submit this request,, as a report has ; now been furnished by a member of the County staff which contains statements that are quite incorrect and entirely omits some of the main, reasons T mentioned to him why the road should- be. fenced and the users have the same privileges in regard to the use of it as all other ratepayers in the settled parts of the county. Since the short length of fencing was erected, the road—in conjunction with adjoining paddocks on both sides of the bridge—has been used as a night paddock and cows have been found camped on the middle of the road at any hour of the night by other users of the road besides myself., and they are a danger on the road. When I mentioned the fact that two of Mr H. Wardlaw's cows had been killed on the road by motor vehicles colliding with them, M>r Carling replied "Oh, I won't put that in my report." He refers to the length 7 of road from the Raroa Creek to my boundary as unfenced. This is not correct as it was- originally fenced to near my boundary and is still—for half the length of the road —fenced on one side, the same as all river roads in the county. 'The assertion that Mr Wardlaw owns land on both sides of this length of road is not correct and no further survey is required to confirm this, as a surveyor from the Lands Department was camped here for a month defining the road— (part of the old Ruatoki Track) and the plans issued afterwards plainly show the present road as Wardlaw's: boundary and any small strips of land on the. river side marked as Crown land. Mr Carling states that it is qmte true that others on the main road allow their cows to wander and men-1 tions Mr J. Mitchell as one. Mr

Mitchell emphatically denies this and states that he has always been very careful not to allow his cows to stray on the. road. Although others were mentioned also, Mr Carting omitted from his report that complaints had been made to him by motor drivers about cows on the roads and that he had warned the owners not to allow them to wander on the roads. * In his letterr to the Counties Association, the Clerk stated that the Council had no record of any arrangements made about the fencing of the road. I would like to know what the. County records of the transaction are in regard to taking my land for the road—what Act it was taken under and what were the actual arrangements made between myself and the Council." The Council resolved 'that the letter be received.