"Worst in N.Z."

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 176, 12 August 1937, Page 6

"Worst in N.Z."

HAWKE'S BAY ROADS Mr Edmundson Repeats His Statement HIS RIGHT TO CRITICISE Reiteration of his statements that tlie xoads in the Hawke's Bay province are the worst in New Zeaiand was made by the president of ' the Automobile Association (Hawke's Bay), Mr J. H. Edmundson, at the monthly meeting in Napier yesterday. The statement was made in reply to critieism by the chairman of the Hawke's Bay County Council, Mr F. B. Logan, at the last council meeting. "I read of Mr Logan s annoj*ance wheu he was taking some exception to remarks made by me at our iast meeting," said Mr Edmundson. "If you will reeall, what I said was that the highway s in the whole province were obsolete and without design, I did not single out the highways running through the Hawke's Bay County Council's area in particuiar. My remarks embodied all the highways generally b.etween Napier and the southern end of the province, and 1 went on to say that they were the worst between Napier and, Wellington. This fact I want to reiterate, and I hope my remarks will not cause Mr Logan any further annoyance, because when he considers my viewpoint as president of the Hawke's Bay Automobile Associationx I think he must admit that I was perfectly justified, or at any rate that I had a perfect right to make a critieism of these highways because I' believe in the old adage that 'the man who pays the bill has » right to caEL the tune.5"For many years," Mr Edmundson *dded, *"Mr Logan and his other fel-iow-county councillors throughout the whole of* N.ew Zeaiand have ■ iusisted that as the motorists are the largest users of the highways they should pay the cost, and, if Mr Logan wili call, his county in common with other t> has drawn a three-to-one subsidy from the Highways Board for many years and for some time now has been drawing the whole cost of the reoonstruction and maintenance of these State highways through the Highways Board5 s funds, which funds .are derivtd from the taxes paid by the motorists. "If Mr Logap had spent his time inqniring the value of these subsidies that his 'council had obtained from the Highways Board instead of finding out how many of niv council were county ratepayers, his action Would %ave been more to the point. . "Eor some years," said Mr Edmundson, "the North Island Motor Eldon has advocated that the motor associations should have' a representative on the local Highways Council, •s well as one' on the Highways Board. It shows that this representation is -eally needed in, view of the attitude ©fi Mr Logan and his fellow-council-lors. "I am surprised that Mr Logan and some of his councillors descended to personalities," he conclnded. "It was ■ quite uncalled for and unnecessary, md I do not propose to copy their bad example." * * The meeting passed a resolution endorsing the statement made by the president.