ROAD TROUBLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 March 1922, Page 4

ROAD TROUBLES.

OF LOCAL BODIES

“The roads of Napier are in a worse condition than any other town roads in the Dominion,’’ nemarked Cr Wl K. Mill at a meeting of the Borough Council. He added that the material they were using was where the chief fault lay.

At a meeting of the Tauranga County Council the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce wrote asking support for a resolution urging on the Pi into Minister and the Cabinet the urgent necessity of pushing on at once with the construction of the principal railway bridges on the route (rf the East Coast railway between Tauranga and Katikati so as not. to delay the opening of the line when formation work reaches them. It was decided to support the resolution.

The Taranaki County Council is very much concerned regarding the difficulty of properly maintaining its main roads, the position, it is stated, being very much aggravated owing to the excessive loads that were being carried ovter the roads by motor lorries. At a recent meeting several councillors stressed the necessity for a by-law which would effectively limit the loads, otherwise all local bodies which had to cope with lorry tiaffio would he faced with very serious difficulties. It was eventually decided that a committee be set up to confer with the county solicitors with a view to a by-law being framed to deal with the traffic. i “W’liat I want is a camouflaged car, said the ranger when reporting to the llorowhenua County Council. His trouble, he said, was that people who allowed their stock to stray on the roads knew his car, and whenevei lie passed a house it seemed that the telephone was requisitioned to warn the neighbours that the ranger was on the road. “Wliat am I to do?” he a skied, “for when I pass along the roads there is not a sign of a stray animal of any description. The other day I went to Palmerston North by a circuitous route and I thought I would catch some offenders by surprise. But I bad the same experience as usual—not a stray cow or horse on the road. Next day 1 went out in a borrowed car and quite a number of offenders will be prosecuted.”

The chairman of the Hawke’s Bay County Council (Mr T. Mason Chambers) at tlie last meeting stated that the county roads had given them considerable trouble of late. They had hung back in connection wotli some oi the larger roads in the hope that the Government would do something. The council would have to make a move, however, and he suggested that some of the roads should he tarred. Cr T. E. Crosse said he was not very much in favour of tarred mads, as in Wet weal her with heavy traffic they cracked iij- completely. He thought sonic of ihe mem hers should visit Dunedin, vl c.o tlie matter of tarred roads had

I :••!] fully gone into. Te question was brought up when the chairman suggested that a portion of the Haverrarl should he experimented on v,j th tarred macadam for a distance of 100 yards. Cr C. C. Saiilh agreed with tie c’airman’., remarks, but considered that t» time had come when the posii n of all the roads in the county

: o.ild be review eL A committee consifi’ng of Messrs T. E. Crosse and T. Mason Chambers was appointed to go hro the matter and report.