A GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 646, 25 February 1914, Page 4

A GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBILITY.

A matter of considerable importance to this district and of intimate concern to the Waitomo settlerß is the maintenanca of the road leading from the Hangatiki railway atation to the Waitomo Caveß. The road has been metalled by special loan for which the settlers within a special rating area are liable. The amount of the loan was subsidised £ for £ bv the Government in the same manner as were numerous other loans in the district. It is safe to assume that considerably more than fifty per cent, of the traffic which passes over the road is in the form of tourist traffic to the Caves, from which the Government derives the whole of the revenue. Apart from the tourist traffic the maintenance on the road would be very light, while the life of the road would be infinitely longer thaw is likely to be the case under existing conditions. Moreover, the increase in the tourist traffic is vastly in excess of the increase due to settlement,and the settlers are saddled with a heavy responsibility for a work from which they are receiving only a small proportion of the benefit.lt may be argued that the road was a necessity to the settlers,and that substantial a?Biptance was given by the Government in the form of subsidy. While admitting both contentions it may be pointed out that the necessity to the settler® w as less than the necessity to the profitable administration of the Government asset in the shape of the tourist attraction, and that the subsidy

granted to the settlers was no greater than the assistance given to other aettlera for roads on which no tourißt traffic is carried. Th 3 settlers in applying to the Government for assistance in maintaining the road have a perfectly sound case to urg«, and it is to be hoped no effort will be spared to induce the authorities to accept their fair Bhare of a responsibility which will undoubtedly be an unjuat burden on those progressive settlers who care engaged in the great work of bringing into production the hitherto unproductive areas which are a burden alike to the district and to the State.