MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5057, 26 November 1926, Page 3

MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD.

THE VISIT TO NGATEA.

PLAINS COUNTY NEEDS.

Members of the Main Highways Board, who are making an inspection of the North Island, highways! and getting in touch with loical bodies, visited Ngatea on Thursday and were interviewed by the Hauraki Plajns ' County Council.. The members of the board present were Messrs D. H. Mckenzie (chairman), A. E* Jull, C. J. Talbot, J. Woods, P. S. Woldie, and M. H. Wynyard. The board’s enggineer (Mr A. Tynddll), the secretary (•Mr W. A.. Sutherland), the chairman of the No. 2 District Highways, Council (Mr L. B. Campbell), and the Public Works Department resident engineer (Mr O. G. Thornton) were also present. All the members of the council attended. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS.,

TBe county chairman brought before the board the matter of the. delay in getting-the board’s share of the cost of construction and maintenance of highways. . Sometimes the payment was made promptly, but when delays occurred the county was embarrassed. The council realised the benefit of the highways scheme, and was doing its best to kqep the spirit of the Act. A clajm for £336 was made in March and the money was received at the end of September. Payment of-a claim made in September was received in December. Claims for maintenance, made between November 2 and December 17 were not cleared up until August 23. The £1750 grant on Wilson’s; Road was delayed two months, ajnd a claim for £2226 Os 7d made on August 23 had not yet been met. Mr Woldie. said .that apparently all the old claims had been met. Possibly delay had occurred in getting the. works inspected. The large claim of £2226 Os 7d would be, investigated and cleaned up as quickly as possible.

Mr J nil said that he was ajmazed at the progress of the Plains and the amount of road work done. It had done wonderfully well. The board would do its, beyst to assist the county. It might be possible for the board to adopt the practice of making a progress payment on works completed but not yet inspected. Mr Walton pointed out that in the newspaper councillors frequently read statements by the Highways BoE(rd that county councils were not taking full advantage of the scheme. He wished the board to know that the Plains Council was doifig everything possible, but was being hindered by the delay in the receipt of the board’s contributions. HIGHWAY FROM PATETONGA.

A request wasmade that the road from Maukoro through Patetonga, Kaihere, Ngaru% to,the existing highway at Ngatea should he declared a main highway, as was also desired by the Piako County Council. This would provide a short route from Morrinsville to Auckland. The county was prepared to raise Q loan for its share of the cost. PAEROA-THAMES ROUTE. The declaring of .the Orongo-Peka-peka Road corner road as a main highway was also requested. Mr Walton pointe'd out that this 'road, being flat and almost straight, was bound to ta/ke .the traffic when the Hauraki bridge was opened. He did not desire that the present Paeroa-Thames road should be abolished as a as it was an old established road. There 'was no doubt that .the traffic would use the Plains County roads, which were in better order thajn the road on the other side of the river. Settlers had undertaken a liability of a 5d rate and in view of the amount of outside traffic it was fair that assistance should be forthcoming 'from the Highways Boards Mr McKenzie (chairman of the boaid) said th&t the board was. sorry if could not inspect air the yoads in the county. With regard to/the declaration of highways, the board was being inundated with such requests, and it realised that an annual review would be essential. Representations should be madp to the District Council, which would make hj recommendation. RED METAL? The opinion of the board bn the us.e of red mental was next asked by Mr Walton, who said .that an offer had been received .to supply this, class Of metal for the sole use on a road at ’6d per yard less than the usual cost. The cost of rqd metajl would be less than blue metal. Averaged oyer the • whole county, the difference would be •quite five shillings; psr yard. The chairman of the board said that lie was favourably impressed with red metal and did not see why it should not be used if a saving cduld be effected. MAINTENANCE OF BRIDGES. in reply to Mr Walton members of the board advised that the maintenance of bridges on highways was a legitimate charge against the board. The cost pf operating.opening spans was likewise a charge the maintenance contribution. POKENO RiOAD. ■ Cr. C. W. Harris; made a plea for the early completion of the unmetalied portion of the Paeroa-Poken© main highway. Mr Wynyard said that the reason the road had not been completed wife bn account of the unknown route of the railway. The mattear had now been settled, and the work would be expedited. USE OF BITUMEN. ” Cr. J. F. Mayn asked the board for an. expression of opinion on .the use Of bitumen. Mr Wynyard said that the board had practically given a ruling on the matter by-declining to approve Of bitumen-sealing proposals for Orchard East Road. Inview of the completion <of bitumen roads at Turua it would .be advisable to wait' awhile and watch how. those roads stood up to hard traffic.

In returning thanks Mr Walton said that the Plains. Council had confidence. in the Highways Bmard, and it was endeavouring to do its best to improve, the roads.

MEMBERS VISIT PAEEOA. COUNTY COUNCILLORS MET. Yesterday morning the meunbers of the Main Highways Board met Crs. H. M. Corbett (chairman), A. R. Robinson, and W. F. Johnstone, df the Ohinemuri County Council, to discuss with them matters in connection with th© main highways in the county. In extending a welcome to the Highways Board members the chairman said it gave him grea|t pleasure to meet them, firstly, because it was nice to know personally the people you were dealing with, and, secondly, because matters of differences, if there were such, could be much easier rectified in a personal chat than by correspondence.

One point he would like to bring before the board, said Cr. Corbett, was. the deJay in paying the subsidy. This affected the county considerably, .and it was not quite a fair thing to ask the council to have to provide, extra finance when the subsidy was overdue.

A member of the board said that all claims were, paid as they came in, and it was the county’s own 'fault if a subsidy wfts outstanding. Just before leaving Wellington he had seen a claim from .the council dating back to June, 1924. This should not be. Mr Corbett said that he was not aware that the claims h,ad not been forwarded, and was, pretty positive that they had been sent in every three months, as wag required by the board.

Subsequently the -member found that he had made a mistake: in the name of the county, and on reference to his papers agreed that claims, by the Ohinemuri County Council were regular, and the most complete of all the counties. He promised to have the matter looked into.

- The chairman then brought up the matter of the unmetalled portion of the roM between Tirohia and Waitoki. He said th.at the road passed, through native country which, was poor, and consequently there were no rates coming in with which to do anything to the road. The ro'ad badly required metalling, but the, council was powerless to do anything unless its 'received a big increase of subsidy. The upkeep df roads had increased very considerably. On a four-mile stretch, on the Paeroa-Waihi road the. maintenance in 1915-16 was £lO6 9s, and in 1925-26 £313 14s 9d.

Mr Wynyard suggested .that the council should grade the road fairly often, and this would keep it in good condition.

Another member suggested putting the proposition in writing before the, board, so that it could be discussed. Cr. Corbett said thait before the coming into operation of the Main Highways Act the Waihi Borough Council contributed to the cost of the upkeep of portion of the Paeroa-Waihi road. The Act, however, did away with this, and he considered that it was not a fair position. ■ A member of the board said that they would find in the /Act that the coptributions, were' payable. Or.-Robinson, county representative on the Highways Council, said that after taking a purvey of the whole of the board’s area he thought that thq No. 2 group was very modest in putting' forward its claims. In forming this opinion he was backed up by other members of the District Council. Hq was of the opinion that the southern districts got all they could. Cr. Johnstone said that Cr. Corbett had dealt with all the matters affecting the county, but he would like to express his. opinion .that motorists did not pay enough towards the upkeep. If motorists paid double the amount' they would not, even then, be paying too much. He knew .this had nothing to do with the, boajrd, and was .a matter for Parliament to deal with.

The chairman of the board, Mr McKenzie, thanked the council for meeting them. It was the board’s desire to see every local body and get its views. He agreed that the requests of the Ohinemuri County Council were very, modest. It was a pleasure going through the country to see the way locaj bodies were fulfilling their part of the work and carrying the additional burden. Mr Jull said that if the council put an application into the board for assistance 'for metalling the portion of th- Paeroa-Te Aroha road it would be carefully considered. It was their aim to have all the roads linked up where possible.

Mi’ Wynyard, in replying particulairly to the remarks of Mr Johnstone, said that Parliament was indebted to the Automobile Association for the part it ha z d taken and advice given when the matter was before the House. The amount contributed already by motorists was considerable. Mr Corbett, thankqd the members of the board for having given the councillors an opportunity of meeting them. , ‘