ROADING THE DISTRICT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 634, 14 January 1914, Page 5

ROADING THE DISTRICT.

MEETING AT ARIA

| COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES ATTEND. METALLING SCHEMES DISCUSSED. Settlers in the Aria district have always shown a pronounced desire for progressive measures in respect to roading. Situated between twenty and thirty miles from the railway at Te Kuiti the district embraces some of the finest country within the Rohe Potae and much good work has been accomplished by the settlers since the land was thrown open for settlement about a decade ago. The majority of the sections range from 200 to 400 acres in area and the land in moat instances ia eminently suitable for dairying. A factory has been established in the district for some years and is being carried on successfully under the co-operatve system. In order to work their holdings to advantage it i 3 essential that the roads serving the district should be metalled ami several schemes are under consideration to that end. About t<vo years ago the settlers in the Totoro "and Rotopotaka ditrict raised a special loan of £3500 which was subsidised by the Government to the extent of £ for £ and much good work has been accomplished with the muney so raised. The settlers on the Kie Kie, Kumara and Paraheka roads have taken the preliminary steps to raise a loan of £7500 to carry out metalling work on the roads mentioned, and in connection with this and other matters the county chairman, Mr A. Scholes, and the clerk, Mr P. Mora, paid a visit to Aria this week.

The settlers were apprised of the visit and a meeting was held in Mr Kilgour's boarding house yesterday at noon. Mr N. McKenzie was voted to the chair.

The chairman and clerk of the County Council were introduced by Mr P. D. Smyth, councillor for the riding. Mr Smyth said if the bigger scheme which had been promoted was carried the business of the meeting would be easy, and he trusted this scheme would be adopted. Mr Scholes expressed pleasure at being able to come and meet the settlers. The council was anxious to do all in its power to further any measures for the good of any locality and the settlers could rely upon every assistance being rendered to them Personally he favoured big schemes as long as they were practicable and the settlers had to remember it was nearly impossible to promote any scheme which gave exactly the same advantage to all concerned. They had to do the best they could, and he hoped by meeting and going into detail they would be able to arrange a satisfactory proposal. He thought by getting a £ for £ subsidy the settlers were getting as much as they could hope for. and the opportunity should not be allowed to slip.

Mr Mora, after going into the rolls, announced that sufficient signatures had been obtained to carry the big scheme which was to borrow £7500 for the purpose of forming, widenng, culverting, and metalling the Kie Kie, Kumara and Paraheka roads?. A subsidy of £2OOO bad been granted for the Kie Kie road and there was an amount of £3500 which had been granted in excess on the Aria 'oan. An application was being made to have this subsidy transferred to the new loan, and he thought it should be granted. The balance of the subsidy would probably be granted. The rate under the old valuation would be 215-16 d in the £, but this would be materially reduced under the new valuation.

The chairman explained that it was possible to borrow this year by carrying out the preliminaries for the whole amount, and this would enable them touiiil B e the subsidy which had been granted. The Kumara road wis holding up the district, and it was imperative _ that some work should be done on it be fore winter. Concerning the matter of allocating the loan the settlersj were prepared to leave that to the council. Mr Parkes said he understood there was an amount of about £l5O in the hands of the Public Works Department for the Kumara road, and it was decided that enquiries concerning the matter should be made. Mr Holloway drew attention to the state of Wallace's hill road, which had been metalled, but was getting worn through. Mr Smyth said there was provision in the Aria loan to do some work on the road in question, and this would probably meet the case. ARIAPIO PIO ROAD. Reference was made to the necessity of taking steps to have the road from Aria to Pio Pio metalled. Several of those present expressed the opinion that the Government should do the work. Mr Mora said he had heard the Prime Minister state that he was in favour of the Government taking over the main road i. He had subsequently heard the Hon. Mr Bell state that the Government would be guided in the matter by the decision of the Counties Conference. A motion against the Government taking over the main roads was carried by the conference, and he did not think there was much chance of the Aria road being taken over. He pointed out that the road would probably be metalled for about £4BOO If the Government granted a £ for £ subsidy this would mean a loan by the settlers of £2400, the interest and sinking fund on which would only amount to about £l3O a year. The settlers were losing far more than this amount every year by not having the road metalled. On the motion of Messrs Smyth and Parkes it was decided unanimously to request the County clerk to draw up a Bhceme and outline suitable special

rating areas with the objective of having a loan raised for the purpose. The meeting then closed with a hearty vote of thanks to Messrs Scholes and Mora for attending.