A SERIOUS MATTER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 787, 9 April 1910, Page 6

A SERIOUS MATTER.

THE HUTT ROAD. GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL BODIES. Serious complainte against the Government in connection with tho making of the Weflington-Hutt Road were voiced by Mr. F. T.. Moore, chairman of the,Makara County Council at tho meeting of that body yesterday. Councillor Moore reminded his colleagues Mt. Harkncss, Mayor of Onslow, had already drawn attention to the matter when speaking at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Proceeding, the chairman expressed too opinion that • ilhe road-making in question had lately been oarried on by tho Government in a very extravagant manner. In some instances th© level of the., road was being raised three-or more feet above the present level; This was preposterous, and the cost was going l to be enormous. Ho moved:—

"That the Mayors of Wellington, Onslow, Petone, and Lower Hutt, and the chairmen of the Hutt and Makara County Councils be asked to meet at the-.offices of the Hutt ' County Council on Tuesday, Ifche lffth instant, at 2 p.m., to discuss the extravagant • cost l of the work of widening the Hutt Road, which expenditure has to be subsequently borne by the local bodies named in this resolution."

Continuing, Mr. Moore said that the particular instance of the raising of the level of the road, as,referred to by him, was in front ol the stoie of the Vacuum. Oil Company. Hundreds— probably thousands—of yards of metal would be required to raise the level. If the Oil Company was going to bear the expense he would have nothing to fay, bat if it was to : benefit in this instance at the;pubKc's expense, he, for one, would most strongly protest. - Another point was that, while it was possible-to obtain.metal at a price 30 cent, less than was being paid, the Government insisted on getting it from the present supplier, who was making a small fortune out of, it: Moreover; instead of insisting' that the metal should pass through the 2-inch gauge, the Department was accepting 4-inch or 5-inch metal. As long as he thought- the metal came from' the Government quarry, he did not regard it as a mat: ter for interference, but when he learnt that it .was coming from private property, he thought it his duty to pro-' test.

Councillor Haggerty said such a conference as the chairman proposed should have been called long ago. The chairman said tens and tens of thousands of pounds were being wasted. The Government was simply spending the local- bodies' money. The general taxpayers would pay for the railway work, but the whole cost of the road work would fall on the local bodies.. Some money might be saved even now by calling attention . ifco the matter. The. metal could have been obtained from Ngahauranga Gorge at 30 or 40 per cent, less $ian the Government was paying for it. A man who was well versed in road-metal was prepared to show the proposed conference that a large sum of money could have > been saved by obtaining the metal at that place.. The local bodies would.have to pay for the maintenance of the road, and the part that was made was not wearing too well so far. '.-''.. Councillor Bryant: No, it is not. It won't stand a week's.'straight traffic. •You see planks ; put down in some places so that"'th'e"-traffie must curve round them, because fih'e"- 1, -road 1 won't stand straight traffic?"**, o-ma ~ •■ . _ •-.' Councillor Haggerty: Where are they' getting the metal? ' '••'■" The chairman: From the Hutt. The motion was carried unanimously.