TURUA ROADING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4807, 6 February 1925, Page 1

TURUA ROADING.

$, —— NO NEED FOB STRIKE. CONFERENCE WITH COUNCIL. The threatened strike of the ratepayers employed by the County Council on the road construction work iu the Turua southern area on Tuesday morning did not eventuate, as owing to another job remaining ;o be completed the workmen were not asked to take tip the tramraiis.

In the .after,noon a conference between the County Council and the settlers was held. .While tup uecision in regard to the order in which the various roads in the rating area were to be completed ,was arrived at, the councillors announced that the question wpuld come up for discussion at the meeting on Tuesday, and in the meantime the tramraiis need net be removed,

INSPECTION OF ROADS.

Crs. J. C. Miller (county chairman), C. W. Harris, J. F. Mayn, T. McLoughlin, and J. H. Nicholson responded to the invitation of the-Turua Ratepayers’ Association, and were present at the Whurepoa corner on Tuesday. From there they were conducted towards Netherton by members of tne association over the portion of the Turua-Netherton road within, the loan rating area and shown the holes; in which the back wheels of a motor truck h,ad- sunk go far that the frpnt wheels were, according to one ratepayer, lifted a foot off the road. Another hole inspected was the one into which a tourist’s c,ar had dropped, forcing a stone through the crankcase and holding up ten other cars for a couple of hours. These particular holes' and some others equally as bad, have since been filled with metal by Erenan and Co., possibly by arrangement with the county engineer. The party .then proceeded towards Turua, the cars running on the worn tracks alongside the metalled portion of the road. This road is in a very bad state, and in wet weather, when the dirt track would be too slippery to use, it would be exceedingly dangerous, if not impassable. The councillors and ratepayers present were distributed In the motor-cars, and the ratepayers doubtlessly pointed out that the road being traversed was their route to the dairy factpry as well as to the township. The bitumen sealed , road was met at the Orchard East Road corner, and from there on the going was excellent. Near the Huirau Road factory the construction gang wag seen laying down the metal shoulders alongside the completed bitumen work. These shoulders are required by the Public Works Department before a subsidy will be considered. A subsidy of £1 for £4’ was granted, some time ago on the representations of the county chairman and clerk, and while the cost of the. shoulders will be equal to the subsidy a much better road will be made. Sufficient work has been done to enable £5OO of gubsidy to be lifted.

The party proceeded to the Gumtown Road berthage and metal hopper, inspecting the 63 chains of Huirau Road that has been completed on the way. The tramraiis alongside the completed end of this read were reinoxed some "time ago to Hamiltj is Road, and on the metalling of that road being finished were, taken up again. The rails, from alongside the road from the Huirau Road corner towards Turua have also been taken up, as that work is completed. Thus there is available at present sufficient tramrailg to lay a line from the Wharepoa ferry berthage to the Kerepeehi edge of the rating area, but not sufficient to lay a line alongside the main road from the present line at Orchard East corner to the Kerepeehi corner.

To enable the main road to be done from either end wpuld mean that some rails would have to be taken up from alongside an uncompleted road. Three weeks’ work would finish the Orchard East road, and ten days the Gumtown road, but according to the instructions of the council the workmen are to commence cm the Kerepeehi road. The sleepers used for the tramlines are of inferior timber obtained nearby, and would not last over the winter, so the ratepayers contend that the work should be d°ne in turn. The question of finance also enters into the subject, as until the balance of the loan is raised some of the work will have to be suspended. There is .no danger of any road not being completed as the loan was allocated for inidvidual roads, and the speciflca- 1 tions recently drawn up provide for the road being satisfactorily completed with the money available. According to a statement made by the assistant engineer, the different works are coining out very close to the estimates. THE CONFERENCE. About two dozen ratepayers were present at the conference, which was held in Mr J. Hamilton’s shed. ' Mr P. R. Henry presided, and opened the discussion by explaining what had taken place at the Ratepayers’ Association meeting leading up to the signing of a petition by some'36 ratepayers. Many ratepayers had not yet signed. The contention was that the commencing of work on the Kerepeehi road wap economically unsound, as it would increase the cost and delay the completion of the job ; that it was contrary to the interests of the ratepayers, who were contributing £l3OO in . loan rates and to whom the main road was the only outlet; and, thirdly, that the council had broken or ignored the promise or uhddrstand-

iug under which the loan had been authorised. Mr C. Ansford said he had voted for the loan on the understanding that the main road was to be done first. If there was only a limited amount o£ money available it would be ridiculous to do the Kerepeehi road, where there were only two ratepayers, and let the main road settlers suffer with an impassable road. Mr S, Bagnall said he .was one of the ratepayers whose land bordered the Kerepeehi road, and he was quite satisfied to have the main road done first. Mr A. H. Sutton Was of the opinion that the councillors did not know the position when they voted, and that they would now rescind the motion. THE COUNCILLORS’ VIEWS. Ur. Mayn said that when he voted he did not know the facts of the case, as no opposition that he attached any 'importance to had bene made. Trouble would be caused by deciding the question there and then, and he would suggest that it be left in abeyance until the next meeting of the council. The engineer had gone to Wellington to raise more o? the loan, and if he was successful the two jobs could go on together, Cr. McLoughlin said that since the engineer had in November last given an assurance that the yiork would be gone on with resolutions had been carried, and he was very adverse to rescinding them. Tlie great thing was to get the balance of the loan money, as that would simplify the matter.'

Mr W. Madgwick pointed out that no request had been made to do the Kerepeehi road, and he asked what had actuated the council to vote ais it did.

Cr. Mayn said, that for years the ratepayers of Netherton and Kerepeehi had been crying out about bad roads. When the matter under dis-

cussion was brought UP' no serious opposition had been raised. Ex-Civ .Madgwick said that he had strenuously objected. Cr. Mayn said that no serious notice was taken of a riding representative, as it was natural for him to stick up for his own riding. Cr. McLoughlin stated that no power to undertake the control of the work had been delegated by the council. as that would have been unlawful. Cr. Harris said that he had voted for the motion because a pledge had been given. Now that he had seen the position and heard the facts he would have no hesitation in altering his vote when the matter came up again.

Mr Baker asked what would be done in the meantime. The foreman had teen given his intructions, and would carry them out before the council met.

Mr Madgwick urged the councillors to confer on the matter.

Cr. Nicholson asked what would bo the position of the Kerepeehi road if the balance of the loan money was not raised.

Mr Madgwick said the position would be the same as that of the main road should the KerepeehiWharepoa road be done, ■ except that there were only two ratepayers on the Kerepeehi road, and they W6re not greatly concerned, whereas there were dozens on the main road, and they were vitally interested..

After the councillors had conferred for some time the county chairman said that the ratepayers would have to judge by the remarks of the councillors what would happen at the next council meeting. He would instruct the foreman not to remove the rays ■n the meantime.

Explaining the position from the commencement, Cr. Miller said that he was not sure whether the control had at one time been left to Cr. Hayward and himself, together with the Good Roads Committee. However, later on. the ridings had neen changed awe! Mr' Madgwick, of! the committee, became a councillor. At a meeting in Mr Gardiner’s mill it had been

agreed that the two mud roads should be done, and then the main road. Mr Miller then explained that the reason why the council had decided to go ahead with the KerepeehiWharopoa road was because the mam road, having been scarified, it appeared likely to stand another winter, but owing to the interference of the work on the- Kerepeehi road by the bad weather it became impassable, despite much patching. The engineer had advised that a good job could no: be made until it was done thoroughly, hence the motion which had been carried. He was of the opinion that tlie councillors, having seen for themselves how the main road had broken vp. would vote for the rescinding of the resolution on the score of economy and efficiency, as well tus on a sense of fairplay to the ratepayers who were finding the money. In face of the resolution he could not give definite instructions except to delay the werk until after the council meeting.

Cr. Mayn suggested that the Tuma and Kerepeehi Ratepayers’ Associations telegraph to the Minister, for Finance urging him to facilitate the raising of the whole of the balance of the loan authorsied.

The conference closed with a vote of thanks to the councillors.