King Country Chronicle WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1912. THE MAIN ROAD MUDDLE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 467, 22 May 1912, Page 4

King Country Chronicle WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1912. THE MAIN ROAD MUDDLE.

_ Eleven years ago the Government began the metalling of To Kuiti-Awa-kino road. At the present time them is altogether a distance of about nmo miles of mefa! lai i from To Kuitr Much of that porfnm a< ih- ;,):.;; ie- ■ quires re-mo(.nllimi. even that which ! was laid only lam year requiring a ' considerable amount, of repairing. There is a siitiicicmi, rvw, of money voted to metal two, or at the onlsiue, p three miles more. Possibly a sun: of money will be fen mi en (his year's Estimates <o metal a. furihor mimer > so. This will briii;: the metal nearly . |as far as Fio Fio. Pe ii iioli-i that I in orJer to have work exi'mden to

Pio Fio by the end of next summm there will require to be mora thai double the amount, c-onc than ha: been done in any previous season

At the best, it will probably take two years from now io r. aeh Pio Pio, i'y that time the first five or six miles of the road will he pvactica.lly impassable, while much of tho remainder will be in almost a had a slntc. A mooting of settlors two weeks ago at Pio Pio aflirmed the principle of metalling the road by special loan and subsidy, and appointed a committee to go into details and propound a scheme to be placed before the ratepayers later. Yesterday a considerable number of ratepayers interested in the road met at Tio Pio, and passed a resolution to the effect that the Government, should keep on metalling the road, as it was a main alter;;*! thoroughfare. An amendment, smo-esting that the whole matter should he held over pending the receipt of a report from the committee appointed by the previous meeting was negatived. As matters stand there is every prospect of the road being of little use to anybody by the time the argument is finished. The first, live miles of road has already been handed over to the county council by the Government, and the handing over of the remainder may he expected at. any time. The portion handed over to (lie county is in urgent, need of extensive work, and only a ro-ve-metalling scheme will he of any permanent, benefit, to it. In view of the foregoing facts the wisdom of tho resolution passed by yesterday's m.'eting is hard to discern. An objectionable spirit of antagonism to (he previous meeting was evident yesterday, and the settlers only require in matetain the same attitude in order to lind themselve? confronted with a much more difficult- problem (ban a( present, exists. Uowl-vc- 1111 welcome it may be the fact, cannot he •.■oinvsh d thai the settlers will require (o undo; Jake the burden of the road in (In i'ear future- -already (hey are directly responsible for the first fee miles. What possitde evil they eouid see in i awaiting a report, from a committee ■ -legally appointed or otherwise- we fail to understand. The ron.l problem in this district is too important, a matter to be lightly dealt with, ami resolutions which have the effect, ol retarding action merely savour of the ostrich-like method of burying the head in the sand in the hope of evading an enemy. The greatest, enemy to the. settler is mud, and until the conquest of the mod is completed pro-

be only dreamt of in an ideal future. In formulating a scheme for the metalling of the road in question, or any other road, tho first consideration is an equitable adjustment of respon- ; pihility. Admittedly a aomewbsff complex qu<d inn, tho common aenae

course te adopt is to appoint a committee representative of the different rii.si rids ami interests affected, for the purpose o{ d inlying the question in all its aspects. If the members of such a commit toe cannot formulate a workable scheme which will be acceptable to the majority, they deßerve to go without a road. In view of the fact that the appointing of the committco at the firßt meeting was somewhat hurriedly accomplished we would suggest that when the report from that committee is received delegates from the whole of the districts interested be appointed to consider the. report, and suggest such amendments as may be deemed just. Action is urgently necessary in the interests of all and calm consideration of the whole pusition must bring with it the realisation that a problem exists which it is necessary to solve. No hardship can possibly accrue from the careful collection of factß and Ideas and we trust that a reconsideration of the resolution passed at yesterday's meeting will convince those responsible for it that better results eould hava been achieved.