NGAHAURANGA GORGE ROAD.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1138, 27 May 1911, Page 10

NGAHAURANGA GORGE ROAD.

QUESTION OP ■WIDENING. LOCAi BODJKS CONFER. A conference of local bodies interested in the Ngahaurangu Gorge Koad was held during a. meeting of the Makara County Council yesterday morning. The chair was occupied by Councillor G. Monk, and there were also present Councillors 1 ,, . T. Moore, I'. 11. Hawkins, S. Bryant, and J. Hasgerty. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr. T. jr. Wilford, M.P.), tho Mayor of Onslow (Mr. V. Holdsworth), ami Mr. J. P. Luke, M.1 , ., wero present by invitation. The Johnsonville Town Board and the Hutt County Council had also been invited to send representatives.

The matter before tho meeting was tho question of widening the iVgahauranga tiorgo Hoad. Councillor Moore stressed tho necessity for this step, urging that tho road should be widened and improved. At present the width of the road varied from 12ft. (o 18ft., which was practically the same as it stood when Wellington was first laid out. The increase in general traffic, motor-cars, and traction engines had made the road unsafe. The wooden bridges had got into a slate of disrepair, and should, he urged, bo replaced* by concrete structures. Although the Makara County Council had control of the road, he thought it would be unfair to expect them, a small local body, to take upon themselves tho whole cost, of widening the road, which on the rough estimate of a contractor would rim into about ,£SOOO. This was the estimate for widening the road to 30ft. for about 1-i miles in the worst place.

Mr. , Luke remarked that the rough cost submitted by Mr. Moore would widen the road to 30ft. from tho narrow portion of the entrance to the gorge, half way to Johnsonville, a distance of about miles. The suggestion that a sum of .£5llOO might, bo raised to carry out this work was of itself desirable, but the question was whether it went far enough. After interviewing the Minister in regard to the matter, he was convinced that, unless tho associated boroughs were prepared to come into a general scheme and contribute towards.the cost, it was no good going to the Minister. If they came to an agreement they might well approach the Minister and ask him for a £ for X subsidy oft" contributions towards the work. Assuminß that the sum of .£SOOO was borrowed under the Local Bodies' Loans Act, it would be at tho rate of 3.V per cent., plus c£l 7s. Gd. for sinking fund, making a total of £i 17s. Gd. per cent, per year, or an annual charge of «C2-i.3 15s. for interest and sinking fund. This would be liquidated in ?,ti\ years.

The estinra'te "of the cost of widening tho road to 30ft. all the way up the gor"o was something like ,£7500, according to Councillor Moore.

lho Mayor of Wellington thought-there was too much of the stand and deliver order about things as they stood. He would like to know what loc.il bodies it was intended to bring into the scheme ami whothertho Makara Council wanted the City Council to contribute or only to cive its weight and influence). He could not commit his council to anv™mS on any such; meagre particulars. r« if Il0a(I llad I)Mn controlled bv rtifterent local bodies with the Wellington City Council as the authority in control ot the road, and an adjuster had been commissioned to work out the proportion duo by the various bodies' .interested, bomothing of the same kind might bo applied m this instance to arrive at the relative proportions to bo contributed. He could assure them that he was prepared to lake an interest in the matter, but it was necessary to get down to something concrete so that a deßnito sehemo could bo put before the City Council It was apparent that to a certain extent Wellington was interested in the road Mr. Holdsworth remarked that' ho did not know much about the matter previous to this conference. It was only in the case of a breakdown in his borough >i road that they would have to use the Gorge Road. He assumed that they only wanted Onslow present so as to givo

weight !o any representations that might be made lu ihe Minister.

.Mr. Wilford staled that if the Makara Council would forward ils report anil estimate t» the City Council ho would

nsl: tin' City Kngineer to reyort on Hie. frasibilily of the sclicmo. ]"t would bo advisable, lie thought, for Hie Makara Council to wait on the Finance Committee of thn City Council.

It was 'decided ut length: "That the Makara County Council engage an engineer to report on the Ngahauranea Jioad i'.nd submit an estimate of the cost of widening the road to .1 minimum width of 30ft., and replacing all wooden bridges with concrete structures. When such estimates and plans have been obtained, the .Makara County Council to wait upon the Finance Committee of the City Council, and communicate with the other local bodies interested, asking their co-operation in carrying out the undertaking."