KEREPEEHI ROADING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4859, 31 July 1925, Page 3

KEREPEEHI ROADING.

RIDING SCHEME ADOPTED. LOAN OF £20,000 REQUIRED. A meeting of the Kerepeehi Ratepayers’ Association was held on Thursday evening to discuss loading matters, Mr N. S. Davidson presiding over an attendance of eighteen settlers. Mr F. Basham, county engineer, and Cr. J. H. Nicholson were present. Mr Basham submitted the following estimate of the cos,t of the ischeme: — MAIN HIGHWAYS. Kerepeehi Road. —Saerifying and rolling old metal, spreading metal 12ft wide and sin deep and bitumensealing ; less half share by the Main Highways Board, £1936. Wairau Road—First construction, to form, sand, metal, and blind with red metal, less half share by Highways Board, £1539. Fnial construction, scarifying, adding new metal and bitumen, less half share by Highways Board, £1240. Pekapeka Road.—First construction (similar to Wairau Road), £3744; final construction £2BBo'. Turua-Netherton Road—From Pekapeka Road to riding boundary, 50 chains, scarifying old metal, laying new- metal and : bitumen-sealing, less half share by Main Highways Board, £750. Contingencies and engineering costs to bring the total for main highways to £13,000. RIDING ROADS. Kerepeehi-Wharepoa Road, 200 chains, £5600 ; Kaikahu Road, 130 chains,, £4940 ; Rimu Street, 31 chains £ll7B ; Matai Street, 12 chains, £456 ; M'ro Street, 12 chains, £456 ; TuruaNetherton Road, 18 chains, £506 ; enginering, supervision, and contingencies, £864. Total £14,000, less such 'subsidies as may be obtained from time to time. . * The Kerepeehi-Wharepoa Road and the Turua-Netherton Road were to be bitumen sealed,, and to bring the other roads up to the same standard would cost a further £5lBO. Assuming that a £ for £ subsidy would be obtained on the riding rqads, the total amount of loan money to be lilted would be £20,000. The rate required would be 3.24 d, but a rate 10 per cent, higher would be given as security for the loan. The whole rate would not be struck until all tne money had been spent, and that would jiot be for many years. Explaining the estimates, the engineer said that he would not advocate bitumen sealing a. new road. He had, therefore, provided for the work in two sections. The red roads should be maintained as long as was eco-. Domical, .and then be scarified, new metal laid, and bitumen-sealed. The roads would then have a better foundation than any other road on the Plains. Settlers might point out that the bitumen-bound roads around Turua were breaking in places, but he would like to point out that it was not the fault of the bitumen, and was due to the lack of sufficient metal in the road. The Kerepeehi-Wharepoa Road and the Kerepeehi-Ngatea Road should be surface-sealed with bitumen as soon as possible, as they had now reached that stage when' maintenance was costing more than the interest on the bitumen work. Four or five yards of red metal were required every three years to maintain a macadam road.

It would be noticed that the first year’s interest and sinking fund were ■not included hi the loan, as it was bad finance to pay interest on interest for 36% years, and thereby , pay twice as much in that period as would be the first year’s rate. The fact of doing the new roads in two sections proved that the full rate would not be collected for jsome years. The scheme was discussed at length, and no dissention was expressed though some doubt existed as to whether the Kerepeehi-Wharepoa Road should be bitumen bound. However, no action was taken, as it was pointed out by the engineer that the scheme was providing roads for the future and no one could tell what tne traffic would be in the next few years. It wae suggested that the prpposal should also include the authority to bitumen-seal Kaikahu Road. This could be done when required as a route to the railway station if situated near, as was expected. Mr W. Booth moved, and Mr S. Bridge seconded, that the full scheme as submitted by the engineer, with the addition of authority to bitumen seal Kaikahu Road, be adopted. This was. carried without dissent, and it was unanimously decided that the council be asked to .take a poll of ratepayers as soon as possible.

Messrs Davidson and Jamieson were deputed to wait upon the council in support of the request and to urge it to seek as much subsidy as possible. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the engineer for attending.