GOVERNMENT AND COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 14, 25 January 1907, Page 3

GOVERNMENT AND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Position with regard to Roads. Since the formation of the Waitomo County Council there has been a great amount of uncertainty as to the position of the Council, with regard to the roads already formed, and under construction by the Roads department, within the County boundaries. Repeated applications have been made to the Minister of Public Works, requesting enlightment on the subject, in order that the Council could undertake its responsibilities and cany on its works without clashing with the projects and works of the department. All doubts have now been set at rest by the reading, at the last Council meeting, of a letter from the department intimating that the Council was responsible for the construction, and maintainance of all roads within its boundaries. The letter gave rise to considerable discussion and a resolution was passed in favour of arranging a meeting between the Council, the members for the district, and the Minister for Public Works for the purpose of discussing the situation. It was further resolved to approach other County Councils, with the object of obtaining their co-operation and assistance in the matter. The letter from the department stated that from time to time grants might be voted by Parliament for the carrying out of certain works and assisting the Council, but practically declined any responsibility in that direction. The sentiment of the meeting was that under those conditions it was necessary for the Council to have the control of all money so voted, and the right of expending it upon such work as the Council may deem necessary. The resolution passed by the Council, and the subsequent letter from the Council to the Minster for Public Works, and the reply from the "department are given hereunder: —

" That the Waitomo County Council again earnestly request the Government to decide which are the Main Trunk, or Government roads, through this County and inform the Council of their decision, seeing that the Council is powerless to perform the functions for which it was elected until this information is supplied." " To Hon Minister of Public Works —Referring to the above I beg to remind you of previous correspondence on the subject, in which I pointed out: (a) there were several roads running through the County which were Freally colonial roads — partially formed and upon which _ the Roads Department were operating; (b) That even if the Roads Department had not those roads in hand it would not be possible for this County Council to undertake any works on, or responsibility for such roads until their proper construction was completed; (c) That until the Government informed this Council which roads it was determined that the Roads Department should operate on and control it was impossible for the Council to lay out and execute works on the other roads of the County, which are supposed to be under the care and supervision of the Council. You, sir, are fully aware that the needs of this large and important County in roads and bridges are very great and pressing, so that our electors impatiently ask why we are not doing more road making, and our reply must be, that until we know where and upon what the Roads Department are going to operate, we cannot do anything which might intefere with or duplicate the works of the Roads Department. The position is so strained and the needs of many ratepayers so pressing that I venture respectfully to urge upon you an early decision and settlement of this important question. (Signed) D.M. Lusk, Chairman Waitomo C.C." "To Chairman and Councillors of the Waitomo County Council. — I am directed by the Hon, the Minister for Public Works to acknowledge your letter of the 7th instant, forwarding a resolution of your Council, in which it is requested that the Government should define which roads within the Waitomo County are Main Trunk or Government roads, as without such information the Council is unable to perform the functions for which it was elected. In reply, I am instructed to point out that in the absence of any Road Board being constituted within your County, all the roads in the County are County roads, and your Council is responsible for their construction and maintainance by virtue of subsection (a) of section 105, and subsection (a) of section 106 of the Public Works Act, 1905. It is true that the Government is at present constructing road works within your County, and if funds are voted for such purpose from time to time by Parliament, the Government may continue to assist in such works, but its action in so doing does not continue such roads as Government roads or relieve your Council of responsibility, see section 103, subsection lof the Act. The Government does not declare any road or to undertake the permanent maintainance of the same except in very exceptional cases, and it is not proposed, at any rate, at the present time, to declare any road in the Waitomo County to be a Government road.—(Signed) C. W. Hursthouse."