WAIKATO TO AUCKLAND.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4923, 8 January 1926, Page 3

WAIKATO TO AUCKLAND.

BOUTE VIA. HA.UBAKI PLAfNSk MOVE FOR RECOGNITION. A write r in the MorrinsviUe "Star” recently pointed out the advantages to the people of Morrinsville and the , whole of the Lower Waikato of the route to Auckland via Tahuna, Patetonga, Waitakaruru, and Pokeno, and suggested that it should be declared a main highway. He pointed out the Kgitartaess of the route, but x deplored hilly nature and state of the road. ' The postiioii is that the Hauraki Plains County Council recoin mended that-the road be declared part of the main highways, scheme, as it realised that the road jwotild carry the Lower traffic,' but the request- was I? not given effect to. ■ Hills are of little consequence to modern motor traffic provided the surface of the road is smooth. The Pate-tonga-Waitakaruru road will shortly receive its ’ annual grading, but ty present it is somewhat rough in parts. Despite this„ there is a fair volume of through traffic. ; ' The suggestion has been made that a new road should be made from the lower Patetonga Road to Ngarua Road. This would be practically ' straight and level, but whether the project/ will eventuate or not is hard Statoil, in view of the mixed attitude of the Patetonga settlers towards reading questions. ' ’ When, in ,the dim distant future, the Waltakaruru-Maukoro canal is completed—if it is ever completed—there will be a straight, level road on the stop-bank. Already it is formed for some distance .from the Waitakaruru end, .and a loan for metalling was carried this summer by the settlers fronting a, few miles. From Morrinsville to the-Hauraki Plains County boundary) only a small portion of the road remains to be metalled, and the work isi proceeding. The section to Kaihere is in the hands of the Patetonga ratepayers, who are desirous of providing good roads for their own benefit.. A very liberal subsidy has'been promised for this section of the road. From Kaihere to the road is unmetalled, and likely to remain so, but in the summer months the surface is capable of being made very good by grading. The Waitakaruru-Pokeno section of the main highway will be metalled throughout during the present summer if all goes well. If the Patetonga settlers have their riding roads metalled .there will, be an all-weather route from the Waikato to Auckland via, the Plains, because before long ,the Ngarua road will be completed and the Puhanga Canal road metalled or a. crossing provided over the Piako River to the ' Kerepeehi block. , When this, is done a,nd the route use'd extensively it will probably be declared part of .the main highway system. When it is realised the amount of work being done by the iSHighways Board on roads in other parts of the Dominion that serve as short 'routes for through .traffic and carry only a very sjnall propotion of local traffic the claim would seem a, reasonabe one.