"NEEDN'T THROW ANY STONES"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 173, 9 August 1937, Page 5

"NEEDN'T THROW ANY STONES"

County Reply to A.A. Critieism of Roads MR LOGAN OUTSPOKEN "I don't know whether Mr. Sldmundson is an engineer or a capable critic; I don't know and 1' don't cara vtTy much, either," said Mr, F, B. L gan, chairman, at to-day 's meeting of the Hawke's Bay County Couneil when replying to recent critieism by Mr. J. H. Edmundson, chairman of tho Automobile Assoeiatioxi (Hawke's Bay), of the Council 's roftds. Mr. Edmundson alleged that thd Hawke 's Bay roads were the worst be» tween Napier and Wellington., He considered that they were obsolete and lached design. A police officer at tho same meeting concluded his report with the following comment: "There is not a good road in the Hawke 's Bay ccunty." "Out of the eleven jnembcrs present afc that meeting, ojily one of them was a county ratepayer, and possibly oue cf the others might pay a shilling in rates," said Mr. Logan in quoting fxom the report which appeared in the Herald-Tribune. a "First of all, when I saw Hie head* lines, X felt very annoyed," said Mr. Logan. "On reading the cotntents 1 Came to the conclusion that Mr, Edmundson either lacked knowledge or was looking for a little publicity. 1 don't know which it might ha vejJjeeft. ' '•The idea of comparing- our*roada with the State -highway to Wairoa in ridiculous," continued Mr. Eogan, "The Wairoa road is costing about £250 a mile, and if we could afford to sped that amount we could give Mr, Edmundson a billiard table "to ttavel over. The whole thing is futile aud ridiculous. This is like . the things a silly lot of people do in Hyde F$rk, where they let off a lot of steam, Some people think that they ; could drive . . from Napier to Wellington on steam and without having to use any petrol." "After being on the Marino Pa* x'ade it is a pleasure to get on to the county roads," said Mr. C. Lessen. "They did not have to go qut of the Napier borough to complain about roads. I am not at all concerned at what the Automobile ' Association thinks." "In a Wellington paper the report went further and said that ihe Hawke's Bay roads were the worst in New Zealand," said Mr, M. S, Chambers. "The Automobile Assoeia* tion need not throw any stones. Xts s. gii-posting is not the best," he added. "X don't think that we nee.d taka axiy notxce of this," added Mr» Logan, And the council proceeded to deal "with other business. J