TURUA ROADS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4418, 24 May 1922, Page 3

TURUA ROADS.

PERMANENT SCHEME REVIVED. THREE AREAS: PROPOSED. TOWN RATING PROHIBITIVE. A public meeting of Turua , ratepayers, convened by the Good Roads Committee, was held in the Victoria Hall, Turua, on Friday evening. Mr D. G. McMillan presided over an attendance numbering nearly 50. Messrs 1 J. C. Miller (chairman), W. G. Hayward (riding member), and E. Walton (clerk), of the Haurpiki plains County Council, were also present, Mr McMillan said the Good Roads Comm’ttee was still carrying on. They ignored the vote of no-confi-dence in the recent loan proposals being turned down. They would later on be asking the ratepayers to sanction somewhat similar to the last. The Town Board now being an established fact it was opportune to have three separate schemes, one fpr the northern area, one in the Town Board area, and the other in the southern portion of the r.iding. The proposals would be put forward sepa rately. Some might say that as the loan was turned down it might be best' to leave the affair alone, but .'t had been thought best to pur. the pro-' posa:Ts forward again. In a conference with the Town Board it had been decided to recommend to put the three proposals separately. Regarding the many critics to the recent loan proposals, he maintained that, the critics must have better suggestions or otherwise they were not truly critics. The only solution for the bad roads was to go in for a permanent reading scheme of tar macadam. He .thought the. meeting should -sanction the Board’s and Committee’s deliberations of the previous night. Both bodies had been well represented,. THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

The recommendations made at the conference between th© Committee and the Town Board were later read, and were as follows:

1. That there be three separate special rating areas, namely, Northern, Central (or Town Board area), and Southern area. 2. That the 115 chains of> Kerepeehi Road from Government boundary to ferry be not included in the scheme, unless a Government subsidy of £1 for £1 be obtained on the cost -of laying down this road. 3. That the widths df. road to be laid down be as follows: Northern Area. —Turua. main road from Town Board northern boundary tp south boundary of Orongo Estate, 10ft wide Ngatipu East Road from Turua Road to Government boundary, 9ft "wide. Town Board Area.—From Turua Post Office to northern boundary of Town Board area (about 51 chains), 10ft wide: Piako Road from post office to Mr Hicks’ corner, 12ft wide; Turua Post Office corner to Schpol corner, 14 ft. wide ; School corner to Willow Drain. 12ft wide; Raratuna ,Street Church corner to Oparia Read, 9ft wide: Oparia: Road, 16 chains from Gisler’s gate northwards, 9ft wide.. Southern Area.—Willow Drain to Troughton’s gate, 12ft wide; Huirau Road from main road to Gumtown Road, 10ft wide, flin metal; Gumtown Road Conner Howards river for 85 chains, 9ft wide ; Gumtpwn Road, 75 chains 9ft wide ; Orchard East Road, about 83 chains from Turua Road ’o Government boundary, 9ft wide 1 Kerepeehi Road, 115 chains from ferry to Government boundary, 10ft wide, if Government subsidy obtained. COMPLICATIONS. Mr Bennett: Would it r-.ot be ad visable to ask the meeting if the proposals should be put in three separate schemes or in one? Certain complications, Ke said, had since arisen. The proposed schemes would cost the Town Board area 13s 9d per acre, the Northern area 7s lid per acre, and the Southern area 7s 6d per acre. Mr McMillan said the Joan had been turned down previously by the Town Board area and the rest had carried it nearly-to a man. He Maintained that it Would be waste of tdme and money to put .the loan proposals in one section. ' Mr Bennett: Perhaps some of the gentlemen who turned it down last time would like to give us some more information about it now. Mr Henry thought each area defined should meet and decide whether they would come into the scheme. Speaking for the area he represented, he thought the proposal would be carried. Mr Sutton thought the areas as defined should remain. BOARD AND COUNCIL. Mr McMillan maintained that if there was one scheme .throughout it would be a "Donnybrook.” He would like to hear the opinions of those who had previously had a Tot to say to state their case—why they turned It down. Mr A. P. Gardiner asked what adjustment had taken place between the Town Board and County Council. He thought it unfair that they- should be asked why they turned it down until that had been stated. Mr Bennett said that the main reason why the loan had bean turped down was a matter of main roads. It was suggested that the Towjn Boar! collect the rate it was empowered to levy and pay the County a percentage for administration and, the Town Board would spend the money. The Council met the Board fairly, arid -t-' fairly as anyone could expect. Mr Geisler said he could see no 4 1S ‘ ? for three different loans,. Some farmers had property in .the Town Board area and some in the county. NO HOPE IN TOWN AREA. Mr Bennett maintained that there was no possible hope of the loan being carried in the town board area, as the ratepayers would not be able to afford it It would be a good thing to go on with one scheme embodying all the proposals.

Mr Hicks moved that the action of the Good Roads Committee in calling the public meeting be approved. Mr Henry seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously. THE . COUNTY ROADS.

Mi’ Madgwick asked if the Town Board would get any assistance from

the county in respect to main roads. • Mr Miller said the conference between the Town Board and the County Council committee had discussed who would control the rcads> The Act did not give the Town Board much liberty. If the Town Board wished to raise a loan it had to go before the County Council. Each area carrying its loan would pay its own amounts.

Mr Madgwick maintained that the Huirau Road was assisting the main road by going with the loan. Mr Gardiner asked if the Council had any intentiop of taking the Piako Road as a county road. Mr Miller said he had not discussed which roads they would make main roads. , Mr Walton said all the roads in the county were county roads. As far as he kne.w there was no intention to proclaim any roads main roads. The Council had authority to spend all the money in the town board area. Mr Hicks asked what the position was regarding the ordinary rate. Mr Walton said the ordinary rate was the general rate, and levied in each particular riding according to the riding’s requirements. A DEADLOCK. Mr McMillan thought there was a deadlock. The Town Board was now wishing that they all co-operate and come into the one big scheme. Mr Bennett said he had changed his mind since the previous night, as it would cost .too much. He could see that the outside areas would carry their end, but the town board area would not carry theirs. By cooper- 1 ating i.t was the only way to carry the whole loan.

t Mr McMillan said that when -ths outside areas hear that they have to pay tp build the Town Board roads they would turn the loan down. If the .scheme were put; in one the ratepayers in the; southern area would see that they were carrying the burden of the town board area. It was unfortunate that in the first place th? loan was turned down. It was only narrow-mindedness that caused those in the town board, area to turn the previous loan down. . . Mr J. Green thought the ratepayers outside the town area would use the roads more than the townspeople. Mr F. Stephens thought that now the Town Board was in existence the loan in one scheme would be carried. Dr. Bathgate thought it absurd to put down a few miles of road and then have bad roads alongside themHe urged that all .the settlers pull together. They should all join together in a united party and vote for one loan for the whole of the district. Mr-Bennett said it was not advisable to put a loan that would be turned down before the ratepayers. Mr Brown asked if all polls were carried, would the three areas combine.

Mr McMillan said the Turua Town Board area turned the scheme down in the first place and. 'outside districts now proposed to go in for separate loans.

Mr G. Gray said there were only two at the meeting from the northern area. He agreed with the southern area settlers that they were all previously agreeable to go in the one scheme. They could come to some arrangement now if. the town boar 1 people would give a guarantee that they would vote for the loan. He would be quite prepared to fall in with the Town Board tp get good roads for the whole of the district. Mr Sutton said that if the southern end held a meeting the northerners should be invited.

Mr Madgwick said the southern end was independent of Turua, as they .would have a good road right to Paero i; also they could supply the Huirau Road factory and would not need to go near the Turua township.

Mr F. Olsen : Would you cart your cheese and coal from Paeroa ? Mr Gray maintained that for every one who would go tp Paeroa a dozen would come to Turua. His (the northern end) had only Turua as an outlet, and they would fall in with Turua.

c Mr McMillan said the difference in the rating had been a bombshell to him. The previous night it had been unanimous that they go in for the three schemes. He was of the opinion that the Town Board’s portion would be turped down, but there was also the chance that if the proposals were put in one it might be turned down. too. Mr Bennett asked,if it would suit i,f he canvassed the area to ascertain how the ratepayers would vote. Mr Henry asked Mr Bennett if he was sure that the promises would, go to the ballot box, Mr Hicks proposed that alternate proposals be put pn thp ballot papers. Mr Walton said that, it was not permissable by the Act to put alternate proposals on the ballot papers. ' SUBSIDIES. Mr McMillan said the possibility of gaining subsidies had not yet been discussed. It had been proposed at the previous night’s meeting that a strong deputation wait on the Minister and ask him to help. Mr Miller, speak'ng of the proposal to get a subsidy from the Government, did not hold out much hope, but che settlers, were quite within their rights to askMr Suton moved that a deputation wait on Mr Massey at Hamilton. The motion was carried, and Messrs J. C.. Miller, A, Sutton, and J. Bennett were elected as the deputation. Mr Bennett thought it advisable to call a meeting of the town ratepayers. Mr Henry asked if the town board scheme could be curtailed, and Mr Bennett said he would bring that bofore the meeting. a Votes of thanks to the chair nnl to Messrs Miller, Hayward, and Walton concluded the meeting. ~