ROADING THE DISTRICT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 649, 7 March 1914, Page 5

ROADING THE DISTRICT.

KAWA SETTLERS' SCHEME

PROGRESS OP SETTLEMENT.

LOAN FOR METALLING

"One of the moat thriving and proroiaing districts in the Kins Country" is * term which may justly he applied to the Kawa district. It it not many years since the name of Kawa was chiefly associated with that grant expanse of swamp lying between Te Awamutu and Otorobangu. A few years ago the major portion of the •Wimp, which carrier « good deal of flax, was leased from th«i native owner) by a European, and tinco that time much of tho country bordering the swamp has coma into European occupation. The earlier settlers, however, who were in cho district b«fjHta the swamp wa.-i don It with formed the vanguard of the movement of settler:! from the Waikato to the King Country. Theae are situated on the oa:ittirn slide of the railway and tho farma which extend right through to the Puniu river at Kihikihi are in a wM advanced utagu of improvement On tha Waikato aide of the railway th-i aottlemont ia more recant, but aorao vary fine country has been acquired by Europeans, and settlement is rapidly proceeding. According to geographical position Kawa ia the natural outlet on tho railway for the district lying directly between thw Main Trunk and Kawhia. Hitherto access to tho railway has been cut olf owing to .tho Waipa river, lying about live miles from the station to the west, being unbridged. KAWA BRIDGti. However, a bridge is now being constructed over the stream by the Waitnmo County Council, and when it is finished the direct road opening up a splendid stretch of good country will be open for'traffic. Messrs Scott and Forsyth, the contractors for the brdge, have pushed the work well ahead this season,and the whole of the piles have now been driven. The length of the bridge hi uhout :M0 feet and'tha estimated co'.ii of the work is about JMf.OO. With the completion of the bridgo in Might tho pro gresßive aettlt'rti of tho district are inaugurating a movement with the object of metalling ttui road westward from the railway. MEETING OK SETTLERS.

On Thursday a mooting of sattlerH was held at the eromnory for tha purpone of diuciiHding thts msitulMng question. About twenty at'.ttlerii wore preaont and Mctiaru A. Scholey, chairman, and P. Moris, ciurk, of the Waitomo County Council, attended. Mr W. McAdam wad votad to the chair and explains! that uevoral reading tichimuiti hud b<';m disuased, «uch u« ni*)t)»HiiHV itom ibo railway to the bridge, or mtwly taking in hand the metalling of portions of the road. The aHHiMtuneo of thti local body had bmtn invulwd in orthir to gdt full information r-ngurdin;.; a iichmnu. Xh« County otliciala advocaUda geivurnl etdujuio which would provide \ motal for a dhtiamrj of tors or ekivon mil<n and distribute tho responsibility equitably on all ih.,> noUlura who wore btiintf Herv«jd by tha iroad. A scheme aimilar to that dovi.-iod for the Otovva aettlarti wan coiidid<ir<)d to bo the most aultanln. l'tsi;i iiivulviu tho Mtublitihinjr of two tineciul rating sroaa with the proportieJ which 2«r*i diractly aerved by tbu nwtal contributing twothlrilri of thii noi-d.iJiiry rato, whilo an outer urta,th.n roadd of which will require to ba rtuitaUm) at iiomu future date, will contribute onu-third of tho ruin. On Lho uiotioi? i)f Mr Nicholas a«comK'd by Mr Harvey, it was decided that tho ratupayorn prison c support a general itchwiw of installing to tunbrace all thotw tit«tt!..T't having community of inttirti.it with Kawa. facilitating tsik work. The inattt-r of tin' work put in hand at mi I'aely data wa;i diseußHOd. Thu import-men of thiti fanture wa« timphaaiaad arid in odor to facilitate tlw work. It was resolved that a muhsidy bo applied for, but that i!u) Council Ivti .author bad to proceed with thu otponditura of tho loan niomiy irrwtmoctivo of tho subsidy as moo a;i tho monav wan available Tho erttimaUd coot of thu project is £7OOO. The County chairman promised that th« emginoor would visit tbu district to inajwcl: and report on the metal reaourciiH at an ourly date. On tho motion of JVL-ssru McAdam and Palmor a haarty vota of thanks waa accorded thu County roprosentatlVOH for thftir atndataiicii, and the meeting concluded.