TE KUITI-MOKAU ROAD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 530, 4 January 1913, Page 5

TE KUITI-MOKAU ROAD.

The Editor.

Sir, —In your report of the meeting of the Waitomo Council held on the 16th December, I notice the council decided to hand back to the Govern meat all moneys in baud, in connection with the main road, and well they might. It is just on fifteen months Since the ratepayers of this district sent a deputation to Wellington, and amoog other matters they were asked to urge upon the Government thq advisability of having any future grants ■pent through the local county council, they were also furnished with a .ru»; irom a reliable .contractor who 9&ndertook, under certain conditions, to metal the remaining portion of the road for the sum of £2BOO- Strange to say, on or about December 6tb, 1911, the Waitomo Council were advised that a sura of £2BOO would be awulable for expenditure. As the dry weather waß going by and nothing was being done, a meeting of \ settlers was held at Pio Pio about the end of the first week-in January, and Mr O'Dwyer explained that though the V above" sum was granted the council had not received- the actual cash, and that the council could not commit themselves until the money wag forth coming. Mr 04)wyer also mentioned that when the money was available the council would take good care that none of it wauli go back to the Government -and with this end in view evidently the council set out to tie up the money, with the following result. Sumetime previous to this a contract had been let at tha thirteen, mile by the Govern men|p»£ the crij9% ing of 3000 yards of but owing to tbe crusher being put of order little or no stone had been crashed. It was. : well on in February, bafore.the couu cil called tenders for any work on this road, and among other contracts tenders were called for the removal of tbe above 3000 yards of stone. Knowing the difficulties under .which the contractor at the crusher was strugand being assured by certain contractors in Te Kuiti thai they would not tender owing to the uncertainty of the metal, a deputation of settlers waited on the chairman and orged him not to trußt to the cru»her for stone, but to put on as manv: teams as possible and cart rubble rock from tbe Pio Pio end as long as the dry weather lasted. This, however, was disregarded, the following week a contract rrinliing into £IOOO was let for the ble neediest to say what happened. weeksdry weather • few a few chains of metal n*t mi anff the contractor departed. :'Tne^crusher has .been idle ever since, : Mos appears the carting , in the country. and wants tii>%nbw bow many carts to *ring there is this? the balance of the metal will be crusbe 1. The next move wai-tb metal what is considered to be thl driest portion of the road in the winter;months from awakino to To Kuiiii proved a/difficult job, r ':«a I the money was beine ./. misappropriated, and was never meant tu bf spent other than between ? Kuiti. However, ---"•'lito-"w#^wi^* er^a hd that portion immtlfmtßWi*Kte\y td bo finished ■•:: tfET^D^ife^i-VAsked the other d£y j 'the council did[not '""nig*" ''tJb^"<3overment.,-; oMMsg wmtract i&time to al-* lew remove the stone - ; lwha^ ;:: '^P^^-' wea^*'": '*^ me ' the -chairmah?» reply watf that it. was not he» is ihls »wful road üßed by from representing a Government valuatioin of r from half to three-quarters//of'-'-a million, which for nine year is costing tbe country £IOO a -month ip mamtenace to make it at alt'Opassable for traffic, and yet the Chairman of -the council considered tnatitjjas! not the council's duty to boetle the Government to crush the stone ana enable them to carry out their contract. - Is it any wonder that the Government hesitated before handing over th'w year's grant after last year's bungle? I will not trespass further on your- space, Mr Editor, other than to state that along with scores Qf others in this district I still think the county council the right and proper body to administer the/exoenditore of these Government grantß, but not the present Waitomo Council. Trusting that you will insert the above, and thanking yon * n anticipa- -\ tion—l am, e|ew,.

R.LIVINGSTON.