ROADING THE DISTRICT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 479, 3 July 1912, Page 6

ROADING THE DISTRICT.

SCHEME TO CONSIDER. A BUSINESS PROPOSITION. NO. IV.

Assuming that all the arguments against the metalling scheme from the point of view of its fairness and equity, and the svstem of valuation to have been satisfactorily answered there remains oris objection which has been advanced by more than one settler, and Which meritsa little attention. It is held by some that no road could carry the enormous amount of traffic which has to be borne by the road to Pio Pio, and that in place of raising a loan for the road it is desirable to agitate fora railway. Nothing can be said against applying fora railway, and it .is to be hoped the agitation will be strenuous and persistent. A little reflection, however, should convince people that before a railway agitation can be brought to a successful issue much traffic mußt go over the road; and the wisdom of early action should be apparent. Moreover, in arriving at an estimate of what- amount of traffic the road would stand it is hardly fair to base such estimate upon past experiences. It is thoroughly well known that the treatment the road has bad, both from the point of view of metalling and maintenance, has not given it a chance. Any scheme propounded by the settlers would naturally provide for exceptional treatment of the road as far as Pio Pio. It Would require to be metalled to a greater breadth and depth than the other roads which do not carry so much traffic, and provision for thoroughly maintaining the road would require to be made. With all due deference to those who consider the road will not carry the traffic engineering opinion will not support their contention. Admitted that if the same methods are pursued in future as have been the case in the past the road will not carry half the traffic for any length of time. It is to be sincerely hoped, however; that in the planning of such an important work, and in the preserving, of such work when it is ; accomplished, a sufficiently large conception of the work will exist to make the road a monument to the public spirit and broadmindedness Of our settlers. Such an opportunity of laying the foundation of the prosperity of a fine district is rarely afforded,and it is to be hoped the responsibility will be accepted arid carried out with a full realisation of what the work means to the dis-, trict, and to the country at large. ' Sufficient has been said on the various points that; have been raised in connection with the proposal as it affects the various sections interested. To sum up the proposal from a business point of view, the following iB a synopsis of the scheme which should merit consideration: —

Metalling: It is proposed to metal the road from Te Kuiti to a point ip the Awakino County beyond Ma hoe nui, as well as the Aria road; the Mangaotaki road, and the whole or portion of the by roads within the special rating area. The exact' portion of'metalling to be done .on various by roads will presumably be agreed upon .by the settlers concerned or by representatives /on a committee to be appointed. The approximate distance of roads to be metalled is 80 miles. Cost: The cost of the work calculated at £BOO per mile would be £64,000. The area to be included in the special rating area would be the whole of the land, served by the Te Kuiti - Awakino road or by roads therefrom. The exact boundaries would; !of course be determined by a representative committee. Valuation: The valuation of the district included in a special rating area, which has been approximated to include the districts of Te Kuiti to Pio Pio, Te Mapara, Pukearuhe. Mairoa (to junction of Mairoa special rating area) Aria, Paemako, Mangaotaki, and Mahoenui is about £490,000, taking the capital value as a basis. Assuming that a £ for £ subsidy is granted for the loan by the Government an amount of £32,000 would require to 'be raised by the settlers. In order to meet interest and sinking fund' on this amount at the present rate of interest a rate of less than one penny in the £ would be sufficient, or to be exact 13-16ths of a penny would be required. Assuming that the ratepayers decided to rata on the unimproved value for the purposes of the loan the rate could be readily calculated on the unimproved value, which is £342,000. Approximately, the rate on the unimproved value would be lid. This, on the face of it is an absurdly low rate to pay for a good road and if the settlers do not combine to further such a scheme to the utmost they will be missing an opportunity which is granted to few. Qf this valuation the greater proportion exists in Awa!iino the amount of that county's contribution in round figures being about £300,000, capital value

Roll: The roll contains the whole of the. ratable properties, both European and native, in the districts mentioned, the number aggregating five hundred and twenty-nine. Two special loans already '-exist within the proposed area. In order to include every portion of the district in the big scheme it would be advisable for these existing loans to be absorbed. There could hardly be any objection to this by the settlers who have rated themselves for the small loans, as the rate they vould be called upon to pay in the larger .scheme would be just about half as. much as in the big proposal. The difference between a three farthing rate and a rate of nearly twopence, as in the caße in the Pukearuhe loan? IB Very striking, and is calculated to make those who have to pay consider the matter deeply. The loan raised by the Aria settlers is bearing a rate of 2|d in the £, and the difference in this case is even mora striking. The more the matter is cOnßidered from a buaineßestandpolnt, the more it should appeal t£ the eettlera.