THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, NOV. 22, 1909 THE MAIN ROAD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 210, 22 November 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, NOV. 22, 1909 THE MAIN ROAD.

THE action of the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce in deciding to send a delegate to Wellington for the purpose of urging upon the Government the importance of proceeding with metalling of tbe Te Kuiti-Awakino road is to be commended, and it is to be devoutly hoped the County Council will throw the full weight of its influence in tbe same direction. That surh will be tbe case there can be no doubt, as, whatever the outcome of the agitation, the Council is in the position of hav< ing something to gain, on behalf of tbe settlers, and nothing to lose. In addition, there is the well recognised fact that tbe Councillors individually and collectively have manifested the laudable desire to do everything in their power to further the best interests of tbe whole district. The scheme suggested by tbe Chamber of Commerce should commend iteclf to the Government, inasmuch as it merely requests the empowering of the Council to forestall any Grant which may b<- allocated for the main road, and the

granting of the request would in no j way embarrass the Government or 1 commit it to anything not included in j the Estimates for the ensuing year, j The arguments in favour of having the | road in question made passable in winter are legion, and they have been so ' often advanced in these columns ; that it is hardly necessary to recapitu- ; ate them. However, in additon to the | pressing reasons which led to our advocacy of this road in the past the further important reasons of increasing settlement, and the spread of the dairying industry are now to be added to the already formidable list. The new settlers on the recently opened block of land on the Taranaki side of the Mokau river must use the road for access to their sections, and the fact that the sections are only suitable for dairying on renders it imperative that j facilities must be made for pursuing that industry at the earliest possible j time. The dairy factory at Aria has been running for two seasons under extreme disabilities in the matetr of roads, and the fact that it has been impossible to cart butter from the factory to Te Kuiti this season tells a significant story. The Piopio dairy factory which is to be erected this summer will be opened In September next and unless the road to Te Kuiti is considerably improved during the summer it will be absolutely impossible for the factory to carry on business. Under present conditions,which prevent the carting of butter until the end of November, or the beginning of December it would be necessary to store the output for the first three months of the season. As will be recognised by all thinking people such a position is clearly impossible and a united and strenuous effort should be made to remedy it. At the same time it must be admitted that the case under review is merely a local aspect -of the great roads question, and it behoves our local bodies as representing the settlers of a great unroaded district to have the position with regard to our roads placed on a satisfactory and definate basis. The system of Government grants curtailed or enlarged according to the ideas of the Minister,or according to the exigencies of the tical situation is ridiculous and unsatisfactory, and the importance of the question demands that a definite and statesmanlike scheme should be propounded to settle the matter. The local bodies as representine the settlers and the Government as representing the State are equally interested, and the sooner the liability of each is defined the better will it be for all concerned. That a certain commercial liability exists on the part of each is undeniable, and the task of defining such liability is one to which the best efforts of our representatives may well be turned. The existence of large areas of unrateable Native lands has complicated the problem in the past but with the principle of rating Native lands affirmed even by the Native Minister the question is shorn of the greatest of its complexities and should be dealt with promptly. Concerning the main arterial roads there can be no doubt. The main road serves exactly the same purpose a railway,and should at least be formed and metalled by the Government. With regard to bye-roads ii) new country there should be little difficulty in arriving at an equitable adjustment. Tn urging upon the Government its responsibilities, and in advocating the adoption of a comprehensive and progressive roads policy there should be no cessation of effort on the part of our settlers. The question is vital to our prosperity and regardless of time or season should be advocated.