BACKBLOCK ROADS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 589, 30 July 1913, Page 5

BACKBLOCK ROADS.

KING COUNTRY DEPUTATION

RECOMMENDATIONS BY LOCAL BODIES ASSOCIATION.

Wellington, Monday. The difficulties under which the residents of the backblocks labour in re gard to means of communication were placed before the Prime Minister (the Hon. W. F. Massey), the Minister for Native Affairs (Hon. W. H. Herries), and the Minister for Public Works (Hon. W. Fraser) this evening by a deputation from the Backblocks Association, which was repesented by Major Lusk and Mr A. Schoies. The association repesents the people of the counties of Waitomo, Clifton, Kawhia, Awakino, Ohura, Kaitieke, Whangamomona. and portions of the counties of Raglan and West Taupo. In the Absence of Mr C. K. Wilson, M.P. for Taumarunui, Mr R. W. Smith, member for W 7 aimarino, introduced the deputation. Major Lusk, in referring to the question of roading said that there was a need of a geoneral scheme in this matter, with greater powers for the local bodies. The association was also of opinion that the Government should take over the maintenance of at least one arterial road through each county. The main road between the Auckland and Taranaki provinces was an instance of the arterial roads for which the local bodies should not be responsible, as it was a national highway. The position in regard to native lands also presented a serious difficulty. The local bodies, as a rule, received no rates from native land's, yet they were often being called upon to construct roads through large blocks of native lands. Something, he urged, should be done to make native lands responsible for a fair share of the cost of the reading of such lands. He also urged that local bodies should have power to define special rating areas, and to raise loans without taking polls.

GRADING SCHEME SUGGESTED. Mr Scholes, chairman of the Waitomo County Counicl and president of the Eackblocks Association, endorsed the remarks of Major Lusk as to needs the for greater assistance to local bodies in regard to roading. He urged that each county in co-opera-tion with the Government should fprmulate a general scheme, which •vould be better than doing the work in the present piecemeal fashion. MR MAS3EY IN REPLY.

The Prime Minister, in replying, , said that it was part of the policy of the Government to open up the back- ; blocks and assist the settlers there, , and it had been doing almost all that •was possible with the mean 3 at its disposal to carry out that policy. Last , year.under the heading of roads alone, J the sum of £103,168 had been provided , for the King Country, or, roughly, speaking, the Taumarunui electorate. This sum was not yet all expended. In , many cases there had been a scarcity ] of labour, and in other cases the local ; bodies, when asked to undertake the works, had been unable for various reasons to do so. This, he believed, had happened in the case of the Wai- : tomo Couniy Council. Mr Scholes: In one case. Mr Massey, continuing, said that the roading of native lands was a serious problem. He did not agree with the deputation that people taking up native lands should have the same claim to" consideration in regard to roading as those taking up Crown lands. While he agreed that the Government should do all that was possible to aßsist those going on native lands acquired from the owners, he thought that those going on Crown lands should have the preference. As to rating of native land?, he anticipated that this difficulty would be largely removed by a Bill which was ■>-now in preparation. MAIN ARTERIAL ROADS. In regard to the upkeep of the main roads, Mr Massey said that he agreed that roads such as that between Taranaki and Auckland shor.ld be taken over by the Governmnet, but some representatives of local bodies held a contrary opinion. In regard to loans for roads, he said that the stringency in the money market had created a difficulty. Ther-3 was, however, he pointed out, an existing provision for setting apart a special sum for the roading of the backblocks at low rates of interest. A sum of £500,000 had been so set apart not long ago. He was inclined to agree with the suggestion that a special loan should be -aised for roading the out-districts, a'nd he would place the mutter before the Cabinet. He was not committing the Cabinet, but he believed that it would agree to it. He regarded the suggestion that local bodies should have power to raise loans without taking a poll as a dangerous proposal, but he promised to look into the matter The Government, he added, •aid be introducing a Bill in a day or o which would largely assist local Sies in the raising of loans for deopment purposes. PREFERENCE TO THE BACKBLOCKS. The Hon. W, Fraser said that the Government was trying to do its best for the backblocks, and ample proot of this was to be found in the fact that the Taumarunui electorate last year as wanted one-fifth of the whole amount allocated for roading in the Dominion. From March, 1912. till June, 1913, there had been either spent or autho- *" rised in that district alone for roads So less a sum than £106,000. He was ouite convinced that this was why it had been granted double the amount granted to any other district in the Dominion. Mr Scholes: It is a new distnet. M ,. praser: I know that, but there are other districts you know which consider themselves back blocks. He So pointed out that the sums which were placed on the Estimates m one vearwere not supposed to be all exnfinded by March 31st. but were in£s3 to last until the following Senterober or October. As to he %£s£* the roading of native

lands, he agreed with Mr Masßey that the settlers taking up Crown landa should have the preference. People acquiring lands from the natives must expect to have difficulties until those who bought from the Crown had their roads made. As to a general scheme of roading, he said that until that was devised they must go on with the present system although they might not altogether approve of it. They could not do everything at once.