MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 361, 17 May 1911, Page 5

MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS.

IN THE OHURA VALLEY. SETTLERS WANT ROADS. Tha visit of the Minister of Public Works to the Ohura was an excellent opportunity for settlers to make known their wants, and with few exemptions the subjects discussed by the large number of deputations were in reference to roads and bridges. The number of settlers coming forth in quest of roads in their different parts of the district was truly indicative of the urgent requirements in that direction. From ail ends of the district, the one ambition of those who waited on the Minister was to be blessed with a road.

One of the first deputations to whom the Minister gave audience requested that the official designation of Mangaroa be changed to Ohura. It was pointed out that tha postal name was j already applied to it. The Minister | promised to make representations to the proper quarter. Cu, O'Brien, on behalf of Tokorima settler", asked that a road of from four to five miles be made into a road twelve feet wide. Settlers had i been waiting for ibis road for a period of about six years. At present the matter was more urgent than ever, as settlers wanted access to the proposed new dairy factory. The position was that if they had the road widened they would be able to proceed to Taumarunui over a direct route of 22 miles in place of a circuitous journey of 40 miles as at present, j Hon. Mr McKenize: How many settlers does this road affect? I Cr. O'Brien: About 130 settlers. Hon. Mr McKenize said he was satisfied it wa3 a main road; he recognised that it was due, and that he would go into the matter when he arrived in Wellington. Mr Craig asked that settlers be given the advantages of the road as early as possible. The position was that they only possessed a Bix-foot track to the Wanganui river, which took their produce; owing to the low state of the river caused by the long spell of dry weather, there were settlers who had shorn their sheep last November and the wool was still at the landing. Had the road under discussion been completed, there would have been no necessity for such inconvenience to settlers, as they would have been able to get their produce through to the railway. Another matter which he wished to mention was that during last month the cost of transit by the river between Taumarunui and Okanpae had risen fifty per cent, Recently he had to pay an enormous freightage on sixteen sacks of chair .for that distance. Hon. Mr McKenzie: From what I have seen of your country, you would soon be able to grow chaff of your own. Mr Craig said he thought the Government had regulated the scale of charges for freightage on the river on j account of the State subsidising the j service. ! Mr Jennings, M P., said that he j had received a notification from sett- ! lers regarding the increase of charges, j and had communicated with the j Acting Postmaster-General. It was ; a fact that owing to the Tokirima j road being incomplete settlers' wool was lying at the riverside. The Minister promised that he would do all in his power in the matter. With regard to the Kurarau bridge, the Minister promised the deputation that the matter would be attended to. A number of settlers brought before the Minister the necessity for a cottage hospital. Mr Denison, Secretary of the Medical Association, pointed out that all that was necessary at the present time was a cottage hospital with a certificated nurse. Dr Latehmore pointed out that the district was a very isolated one, and owing to bad roads it was essential that something in the matter should J be done. j In reply to the Minister, Dr Latch- ■ more admitted that he had not gone into the question of cost. Hon. Mr McKenize: It would be impossible to have such an institution properly equipped for a less expenditure than £IOOO a year. A very nice cottage hospital had been erected on the East Coast at Te Puia Hot Springs, and it cost £I2OO a year to run. Mr Denison said that was not the proposal exactly. What they wanted was a qualified nurse and some institution in which very urgent cases could be dealt with. Their district had a radius of 25 miles, and wa3 isolated. Mr Jennings, M.P., suggested that Dr. Valentine be written to,as he was taking a very keen interest in matters of the kind. A qualified nurse had been sent to Uriti recently. The Minister promised to represent the matter to the Minister for Public Health. Cr. W. K. Williams waited on the Minister with regard to permission being granted to enable bullock teams to continue carting on the Ohura road for another month. A petition had already been forwarded, and had been 3igned by some seventy to eighty settlers. There were close on 200 tons of goods at the Ongarue railway station waiting to be carted. Hon. Mr McKenize said that he had noted representations sent on. The position was that if bullocks were going to injure the roads they had to stop. If people did not have more foresight in getting their goods in earlier it was their own fault. It was better that a few should suffer than the whole community. Cr Sandison stated that he did not think it was fair that bullocks should be allowed to continue. One man who had owned a team of bullocks had sold them and had gone in for a light team of horses in order that he could conform with the by-laws. The Minister replied that he did not propose to interfere if the weather was dry, but if the roads were cut up they would certainly have to stop. j Messrs Harnett and Hickman waited I on the Minister regarding the Waite-

f whenua road, and pointed out that it I was the only direct road running to •Te Kuiti. They asked for a substan- ! tiai grant to carry cut the work. | The Minister sain he would have ! the matter looked into. ! Mr G. C. Stevenson, County CbairI man, thanked the Minister for the i very great satisfaction he had given ' them th:it night. The Ohura wa3 | populated with energetic settlers, and ; thier requests were only an indication of the vigorous effects of their bush i settlement. He moved a hearty vote i of thsnk3 to the Minister, which was ! greeted with applause.

i AT MATIERE. | On the following day (Thurday) the | party went on to Matiere, and were I received by a large number of settlers, i and after being entertained at iunch- | eon, the Minister proceeded to receive I deputations. | Cr. Sandison, of the Otangiwai i Riding, said that'at present the only ! outlet that settlers had from that ; district was over a distance of 25 ! miles, whilst if they had the six-foot i track that came out at the "three- | mile" widened, they would be able tn i get to Ongarue by a distance of 12 ! miles. The sum of £4OO would go a I long way towards doing the work, j There was also a part of the six-foot ! track which was not made, and sett- | lers wished that would be urgently j attended to. j Mr Mossman, Niho Niho, waited on the Minister as regards the Niho Niho bridge, and asked that a new structure be erected, as the present one was not fit to cope with the traffic. He also asked that the main stock route to Aria be made. It was impassable during winter months. A loan of over £2OOO would be necessary. The Minister said that he could see no reason why settlers would be unable to get a £ for £ subsidy. There was one thing, however, as far as he could understand the road was on par with the Waitewhena road, and he could not encourage the making of roads that ran parallel with the railway. They would only be competing with the railway. Settlers wanted to get their stock to the Main Trunk line, and once there they could get them j where they liked. It was nothing to j drive stock eight or nine miles in a I round-about way. Mr Hunt made reference to the importance of the main road. There wa3 a very big traffic, as all the goods for the Ohura came over it. The | importance of the district was recently I acknowledged by the Railway Departi ment, inasmuch as they had recently appointed a statiomnaster and enlarged the goods shed. He also con- ! gratulated the Minister on his sound | judgment as regards starting the railI way construction at Ongarue end, and bringing it through Matiere to Mangaroa. ! The Minister said he recognised the importance of main roads, and especially in that district. The work at the Ongarue end would be gone on with> as he had previously seated, and when that work started it would be necessary to gc-t the road in good order for the Government's own work. Ke promised to give the representations full consideration. Mr J. H. Lyons made reference to the stock track from Taumarunui. If they had the direct road made they would cut off 22 miles. It was very trying to get stock into the Ohura at present, moat of which stock was brought all the way from Feilding. The Minister said he did not see why it should be made. He wanted to know why the stock could not be sent by rail to Ongarue. Mr Lyons also mentioned that a cemetery reserve of five acres had recently been gazetted, and they had no roa'd through other than prviate property. The Minister advised Mr Lyons to communicate with the Lands Department. Mr Jennings, M.P., mentioned that it had been brought before his notice that some settlers had tendered cheques to the Lands Department in payment for rent, but the Department refused acceptance. He said it was impossible for settlers in the back-blocks to always have on band the cash wherewith to procure a Post Office order. The Minister said it was a most extraordinary thing, as he had never known the Government to refuse money yet. He would have the matter enquired into.