OTANOMOMO ROADS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 44, 2 December 1913, Page 6

OTANOMOMO ROADS.

ATTENTION URGENTLY EEQUIEED Farmers on the flat land from Finegaud to Port Molyneux have long been in a slough of despond through the deplorable state of tin* roads leading to their holdings. Settlers on the lately subdivided Otanomomo settlement are in a more pitiable plight, for they have no roads worth speaking of. An attempt was made to bring the matter to a head at the meeting of the Clutha County Council on Friday, but the petitioners did not even get a stone—for it was stones they wanted, largo or small—and had to be content with sympathy and a somewhat indefinite promise of "something" being done. SETTLERS'PETITION. Thomas Heyes, farmer, Otanomomo, and 1") other settlers, wrote drawing attention to the state of roads and ditches from Otanomomo siding to the Puerua traffic bridge. All through the past winter, and even right up to September, the roads were practically impassable, and a few days rain put them into a terrible state now. A contract was let three years ago last March to gravel the road from the Punt road up to Lauder's comer, but the job had not been commenced yet. Six years ago the farmers in the locality worked their teams for seven shillings a day, carting silt on the road from the punt to the main Swamp road preparatory to the surfacing with gravel. This stretch of road was now just as bad as any other stretch, and was just a series of deep holes. Four months ago timber was carted down to make a crossing for this same road, and the' timber is still lying where it was unloaded. Two years ago, Messrs Sutherland and Dippie got the contract for gravelling the road from Lauder's corner towards Otanomomo siding foi* a distance of 2000 yards approximately, and a Government subsidy of £125 was obtained for tliis work. This job is still unfinished. The petitioners considered that it was time for the metalling of these roads, and that the. 30 chains from the Ppnt road down to Melville's gate ought to be taken in hand at once, also from the Punt road up to Lauder's corner. The ditches were also in a bad state, owing to the Hoods silting them up. They were also choked up with vegetation. There were now twelve new homesteads in the district, and consequently twelve new ratepayers, and it was only a fair thing that a larger share of the county's income should lie spent on the roads in their district.

In connection with the above, a deputation, composed of Messrs A. Aitkenhcad, T. Ileyes, G. Bransgrove, P. Murray, R. I)' Evelyn and .1. H. Taylor, waited on the council. Mr Aitke.uhead said that the punt road was in a very bad state, and there were holes in it two feet deep. Councillor Mitchell (chairman): Can you suggest what repairs should be made? Mr Aitkenliead: Yes, till up the holes. There is plenty of stuff nearby to fill the holes up with. There is about 25 chains to do, and it would take about four days with drays to do the work. The road is really impassable all the way. Since last Christmas there has not been a surfaceman on it except for five days, and on my road the surfaceman has been working two days since then. Prom Lauder's corner to Otanomorno siding all that is needed could be simply done. A grader was put on in the dry weather when the clay was too hard to shift and so the holes could not be filled up. v A mac who knew how to go about the-work could do it for £6. You can't trot twenty yards without getting thrown out. The Chairman: The council realise? what is the state of the road and what is required to be done, but the question is finding the money to get it done. Unfortunately your member, Councillor Hay, is not here to-day through illness, and so the only thing that can be done is to refer the matter to your member, the engineer and myself to see if anything can be done to get the road repaired straight away. Mr Aitkenliead: I am prepared to do it for £6, with the plough and grader, from the flag siding to where the metal is already laid—a distance of about a mile and three-quarters; then from Dick Lauder's corner it would take four days with two fillers and two drays, and it would take one a-half days to "fill up the holes at Melville's. I would guarantee to have all the work done by Christmas. The chairman was dismissing the deputation when Mr Heyes stood up and .said: Before you dismiss us I would like to say that I am a new settler on'Otanomomo settlement, and I think we aro entitled to have something to say. The roads on the settlement are so bad thai a man could not get a strong horse to pull an ompty dray through th.«m.

Councillor Mitchell: Yeß, we understand all that. Mr Heyes: I think now that there is considerable revenue from the settle ment-^ — Councillor Mitchell: Where does it come from? I think the best thing you can do is to approach the Government asking thorn to give you a grant to get roads on the settlement. The council has no funds to do that. Mr Heyes: I approached tho Government before, and they say it is the council's place to put the roads in repair. Councillor Mitchell: Wc can't hear any more on this matter. Tho deputation then withdrew.

OTANOMOMO SETTLEMENT ROADS The Commissioner of Crown Lands wrote that he had had numerous complaints from the settlors on Otanomomo settlement to the effect that nothing had as yet been done towards constructing the'roads through the settlement. It had been arranged that the county engineer was to take charge of the works, for which he was to receive a percentage for the supervision. The past few months having been so wet the writer could understand that the engineer would have a reluctance to make a start with the formation, but it appeared that the council might well have attended to the cleaning out of the drains as a preparatory measure, as these were in a very bad state. As not only were the settlers who were already on the settlement being put to much inconvenience for want of roads, but for want of them the unsold sections were not being taken up. He asked that the council would give every opportunity to its engineer to proceed at once with the work of road-making, and to push it on with all possible speed. Councillor Clarke moved that the work asked for by the Commissioner of Crown Lands be gone on, with as soon as possible, and also that the work of lilling up the holes on the roads be done at the same time. Tho engineer (Mr Ramsay) said the letter brought up the question of drainage. It was intended to take the stuff out of the drains to mend the roads. He had everything ready to start immediately ilry weather set in, but it would be waste of money to do anything in a wet season. He would like to know if the money allowed for road formation on the settlement was also to include cleaning ditches. The engineer was instructed to obtain information on this point.

Aii American who has just "done" New Zealand lias written a: book. Here is his description of Kotorua: "This violent, vaporous land is ulcerous with turbulent, nauseous mud-holes, and with the white sterility of silica. _ Earthquake tremors frequently shake it, and it throbs with, the pulsation of subterranean boilers. It haa steaming lakes, pools and streams, healing baths and springs, acidulous basins of emerald, opal and orange, and tinted terraces of sinter. From smoking crater come deadly gases and on mountain-top is heated turmoil amidst snow and ice. Here are thermal islands in the sea and buried villages ashore. Here, in this warming-pan, this outdoor kitchen, are roaring steamvente, simmering shallows and sweating sulphur. In populous centres, in untenanted swamps and manuka waste are plutonic vapors, infuriate mud and spouting water. In this realm of hidden fire* are, clear cold lakes in the shades of lovely forests." During the great maritime strike of 1890 til© steamer Pateena, which the Union Company afterwards purchased from the Steam Navigation Company, had the unique experience of making the voyage from Melbourne to Launceston with a crew which consisted only of the captain, chief officer, and the first and second engineers. The Pateena carried four passengers on that memorable voyage, and there were also several stewards, wlho all assisted in the istoking, and the steamer arrived in port without a mishap of any kind. Captain Hood, now marine surveyor at Auckland, and formerly harbormaster at New Plymouth, was then in the service of the Tasmanian Steam Navigation Company, and was chief officer of the Pateena in 1890 when she made the voyage witliout any regular seamen.