HEAVY TRAFFIC.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4909, 30 November 1925, Page 2

HEAVY TRAFFIC.

DAMAGE TO PLAINS' ROADS.

CARTAGE OF FACTORY COAL.

* .The folly of the Plains suppliers of the N.Z. Co-operative Daily Co. in permitting the company to have the coal for the factories on the Plains carted on the roads'when at a slight extra cost it could come by water is now apparent

The coal cartage contractors apparently know that the County Council has no power during the summer months to restrict the weight of loads, and are taking advantage of this and carrying such loads that greater damage is being done to .the roads every week than, was caused by all the winter traffic. On. the bitumen roads near Turua the heavy coal waggons have caused two ruts to appear for the whole length of the road traversed. Settlers- who have just received their county rate demands and whosee the damage being caused are very indignant, and numerous complaints have been made to the county office. As before stated, the County Council has no power to restrict the loads. Under the regulations of the Motor. Vehicles Act the power is given to declare to be a certain class, according to the traffic they are able to carry. The procedure is a long one, and as much as possible has been done by the county, but it now has to .wait until the Minister approves of the classifications and brings them into force. The Plains roads have been declared fourth-class, which' means that the weight of vehicle and load mus.t/not exceed four tons. In a district such as the Hauraki Plains a fifth-class classification would not be out of the way, as two and a half tons would he nearer the limit that can be carried on the insecure foundations without causing damage. ' That the chief cause of .the damage is the coal waggons is testified .by ' numerous settlers, and the point is that the real ip for the settlers’ own co-opera;ive factories..