THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 1909. A ROADS POLICY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 213, 2 December 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 1909. A ROADS POLICY.

AT the present time every backblock district in the Dominion ia anxiously awaiting a declartaion by the Government of a definite policy with regard to the great roads question. The reorganisation scheme of the Government resulted in the transferring of the Roads Department to the Minister of Public Works, and the consequent wipi:.,r oui of the special organisaiie:. v.-iil.-h :..:-,-ro!!c'i the r-vpr-rvlitiirf '•" i ri'.i h "-.--. '•''• .have h>. ;...!oM thnt ;:• ;'rnr,ts '.viil ho to Iho hea!

horiie?, and presumably a workable ?ysiem is to be established in order to ;-ive effect to such a policy. With the reorganisation scheme in gen era! mere can be found little fault, as was plainly stated by the Prirr." Mir.tr.'-r. the civil service v.-a? <•.-.•< r':>i;r ar/: the cost of admini.si.erir.fc* the •• ar:<,us departments was more ihar. tr." ces of the country c<«uld lour, 'i ;.<• new scheme as it affects the ro;-.':.-: questfbn however, is of vital i merest to the backblocks and it is to be hoped the change will prove as economical and beneficial a3 was predicted. There is no disguising the fact that at present there appears little prospect of much work being accomplished during this summer, and we are once more free to contemplate the disadvantage of a policy which makes no definite provision for such an important factor i in the country's progress as roads. Politicians may point to the past and present a formidable array of figures to demonstrate that much money has been devoted to road construction, but the fact remains that at the first experience of financial tightness the road j works are suspended and no scheme J for future operations is apparently entertained. The nearest approach to a definite scheme was the undertaking by the Prime Minister last year to earmark a million pounds for expenditure in four years on backblock roads. Allowing that the first instalment of that sum was spent last year, it is practically impossible for the second year's allocation to be expended before the end of next March. Needless to remark the position is of the greatest importance to our settlers. A great and sparsely settled district wherein Crown lands are dotted among native owned areas, and where the settlement exists chiefly at a considerable distance from the railway, the King Country must have a conmprehensive road system in order to progress. As yet even our main roads have but a mile or two of metal, while in the farthest out localities our settlers have to be content with six foot tracks and worse. In winter the conditions are awful and it becomes a positive danger for people to travel on many of the so-called roads, while the carting of goods or driving of stock is an impossibility. The contention of the Government that the system of expending road grants through the local bodies will be an improvement upon the old method may be sound, but the verity of the statement can only be proved by making complete and definite provision for the carrying of every road to a certain stage of construction, such scheme to include the metalling of the main roads. ______________