CRITICISM RESENTED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 90, 3 May 1937, Page 8

CRITICISM RESENTED

^Waipukurau Chamber of Commerce Remarks MR. A. C. RUSSELL'S REPLY Ti# comments of the Waipukurau " Chamber of Commerce about the condition of the Lower Gorge road were answered by the chairman, Mr. A.i C. Russell, at the meeting of the Waipukurau County .Council held on Saturday. Mr. N. M. Monckton introduced the aubject during a discussion ou the possibility of amalgamation of local bodies. The chairman said it would be dealt with under generai business on tho agenda. ° Mr. Monckton: Yes, but it was a bearing on the matter of amaigamaticn. Mr. Russell: You have to remember that the engineer has reported on .this, and that you cannot grade the eorrugations out of it. Mr. Monckton; But you have to speiid money on it. The chairman then dealt with - tho question of amalgamation, after which ha introduced the subject of the Lower CU^rcre* rnn H

"The Chamber of Commerce has met, wMch. is what chambers of Commerce usually do," he said, "but they do not ■nsoally take much notice of local bodies sn& ihe way they conduct their business, but here our little chamber does not have anything else to talk about. They have taken up the matter of the Gorge xoad, and in fairness to them 1 faust admit that they attacked the borough. about their roads, too, but the chamber is a self-appointed body of business men composed of a few meD in .the main . street. . ^Waipukurau Is Greedy. ' ' •'They want to draw people from ihe Ongaonga district to Waipukurau— away from Waipawa, i think Waipukurau is greedy. They have practically all the local bodies with large trading accounts in Waipukurau, Buch as the Hospital Board, the Power Board, *nd two of the county councils. "The chamber has made an attack which is personal on myself, but lct that go. 1 won't say anything about that. At their meeting a member is reported to have said thatif Iwereapproached X would tell him to mind hia , own business; that is quite likely. Then Mr; Given says it is about timo I was told how to run his business; that is all xight, too — I donJt mind being told how to run my business, but as couuty chairman I think it is only fair that fhe people of Waipukurau should know that we have tried to improve that road, but it is unsuitable for the heavy traffic of- to-day. It was originally made as a stock route, and the foundation is unsuitable for heavy traffic. To tar-seal it would be expensive, as it would xequire a great deal of preparation. It runs through Government property which pays no xates. We have tried to grade it, but nothing much can be done in this way during the dry weather we have had. "The shopkeepers in Waipukurau want to attract trade from the plains which are served by that road and •way from Waipawa. We are not interested in taking trade from Waipawa, although we have always regarded Waipukurau as our town. The chamber has decided to approach Mr. H. M. Christie, M.P., to see if he can help them to find a solution. We have no •bjection to their going to Mr. Christie, - but the chamber has never approached as. I think the Government should make a grant towards that road, and if the business people want to attract business I think they (should help to bnd the money for it. As for the usefulness or uselessness of the Waipukurau County, that is for the ratepayera to deeide. ■ . Ucfair Statement "I think it is an unfair statement, however, for Mr. 3>unn to say that the Waipukurau County takes the attitude that only Waipawa ratepayers will benefit by any improvemoat to this road, and why should the county spend money on it. I want to say most emphatically that tho Waipawa ratepayers have nevcr boen discussed by this county, and I emphatically deny that we have ever discussed the Waipawa ratepayers. "If Mr. Dunn rau his own affairs as well as the Waipawa County runs it* affairs, we should havo nothing to which to object," Mr. Russell conclud•cL "He has said our council is useless. That is a matter of opinion, but when he makes statcments about matters being disfcussed here which have never been raised here I think he is going too far." Mr. N. M. Monckton said that thcre had always been troublo over tho road, and one of the troubles was that this section was in Hatuma riding. He thought it should be made a county road and suggested that if the road were metalled with red metal it would make a great impTovement. Mr. Russell: There is a constitutional way of appToaching a county council, and it is not necessary to start mudslinging. But, if we do not get any credit for what we try to do here, we may get it in the nest world. "