THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. SATURDAY, JAN. 15, 1910 A NEW ROADS POLICY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 225, 15 January 1910, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. SATURDAY, JAN. 15, 1910 A NEW ROADS POLICY.

THE letter received by the Waitomo County Council from the Public Works Department in connection with the metalling of the Te Kuiti-Awakino road, whieh is published in another column, is likely to prove a historymaking epistle as regards this district. For cool audacity, and a brazen disregard of Ministerial responsibility, the letter is striking evidence of the unsympathetic s attitude adopted throughout by Mr McKenzie where North Island roads are concerned. When .submitted to analysis it will be seen the letter has'.not even the merit of a good faith, and the ridiculous offer of a £ for £ subsidy is not genuine. Assuming the correctness of the Departmental figures the amount o F £1632 is available out of the vote on the Estimates for the road. If this amount is only to be granted as a subsidy for an equal amount expended by the Council, when does the Minister expect the subsidy to be called upon? Anyone with a knowledge of County Council finance knows that a special work such as that in question can only be carried on by loan money. It is manifest therefore that to raise a £I6OO loan for the work, if such an outrageous proposal was entertained, would involve negotiations with the Government which would not be completed until mid-winter. Obviously, the letter is a barefaced attempt on the part of the Minister to evade an urgent responsibility and to place the onus on the County Council. Such an unheard of proceeding is calculated to arouse among the settlers a feeling of profound contempt for those who employ such methods, and indignation throughout the district will be widespread. During the whole course of the negotiations which have been conducted by the settlers and County Council with the Minister nothing was said about the vote being merely a subsidy, and the endeavours made to hava the work started have been made in the natural belief that the money voted was to be expended by the Government as in previous years. If any change had been contemplated it was the manifest duty of the Minister to make known the new proposal i to the people affected. To the first deputation of settlers the Minister stated ,the expending of the vote would be'entrusted to the )

County Council, and the sending of specifications of the work for Government approval was advised. To the second deputation, which consisted of Mr .Boddie, accompanied by Messrs Greenslade M.P. andMcCardle M.L.C., the Minister tacitly agreed to three miles of metalling being undertaken, and it was arranged that specifications for the work should be drawn up by the County Engineer, and forwarded to the Department for approval. Mr Boddie. at the same time informed the Minister that he was authorised by t he Waitomo Council to suggest that in order to save time, and push ahead with such an urgent work, the Council would start the work immediately and carry it on, providing the Department would indemnify the Council out of any vote granted by Parliament for the road. Still not a word regarding subsidy ! The specifications were immediately sent to the Minister who acknowledged receipt thereof, and stated that they had been sent on to the Engineer for final approval. Again the matter of subsidy was unheard of! Finally, when as much time as possible had been wasted, and a straight out obligation had to be faced, the Minister caused to be sent the ridiculous, and impossible, proposal contained in the letter referred to. How Mr McKenzie expects the Council to raise money to have any work done this season it would be interesting to learn. Why McKenzie expects the Council to raise money for the work this season, or any other season, would be of even greater interest to know. The question involved is of the highest importance to the settlers, and to the Government. The road is the main arterial thoroughfare between Auckland and Taranaki, and is in constant use (when passable) by residents of each province. It is of equal importance to, and carries as much traffic as does any branch railroad in_ the country. The responsibility of the Government in regard to the completion of the road is fully as great as would be the responsibility attaching to the completion of a branch railroad. Without metal the road is in exactly the same position as if a railroad had been made and the rails had not been laid. The position is intolerable, and there is apparently no hope of a remedy as long as the conduct of affairs remains in the present hands. It is known the Government coffers are not overflowing at present, and people generally were prepared for an allround curtailing of expenditure. Had the money available for the road been expended by the Department, and had the Minister shown a desire to provide reasonably for such an urgent work, little would have been heard in complaint. Unfortunately, anything is possible for an unsympathetic Minister whose interests lie in the South, and the barefaced attempt to evade a just responsibility, and at the same time shoulder the settlers with' an iniquitous burden, will not soon be forgotten.