King Country Chronicle Wednesday, April 1st, 1914 UNFINISHED ROADS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 656, 1 April 1914, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Wednesday, April Ist, 1914 UNFINISHED ROADS.

Instances continue to crop up showing the utter inadequacy of the roading facilities necessary ,tc provide the settlers of the district with proper means of working thpir holdings to the best advantage. The necessity forced upon settlers, who have taken ap native lands, of providing their iwn means of access irrespective of any general scheme of reading, and

the policy pursued by the Government of roading Grown land irrespective of the manner in which the roading affects native-owned land in the vicinity cannot fail to produce anomalies, and reduce the roading of the district to anything but a comprehensive and satisfactory 6ystem. The failure of the Government to realise that the throwing open of unroaded native land in close proximity to Crown land woud result in chaos as far as roading was concerned is difficult to understand. The fact that special roading conditions attach to the opening of Crown lands for settlement indicates clearly that "the roadI ing necessity is recognised, and that it is in the interests of the State to make proper provision to this end. Unfortunately, every country district and every town centre where native and Crown-owned lands exist suffer through this lack of roading. Te Kuiti is sadly hampered and checked in its progress in consequence of inefficient road connections with the surrounding localities. To the south the road outlet exists as far as the Waited Valley, a distance of about three miles, while Fuketutu, Kopaki, and other settlers are hemmed in on all sides for lack of a decent road outlet. To the north, similar conditions exist the roading ending abruptly at Te Kumi. To the east, the conditions are too well known to require expla nation, and the cost to the settlers of any improvement is bound to be a substantial burden. The only Bide of the town to which regular outlets are furnished is the west, and even in this direction much is required to be done before conditions will be anything like satisfactory. After many years of persistent agitation the connection be'tween Oparure and Waitomo, which will open up much good country and shorten the journey between Te Kuiti and the Caves by five or six miles, has been commenced. This road will also shorten the journey to Te Kuiti of tbe Marokopa settlers very considerably and be a boon to the district. An indication of the manner in which the settlers are forced to obtain access is furnished by the fact that the settlers behind Oparure to the west have had to survey a road to a blind end, while this road if carried through would constitute one of the chief arterial thoroughfares between Te Kuiti and the coast. A glance at the plan is sufficient to carry conviction that the numerous half-completed, or blind roads, will require to be brought into a general scheme in the interests of the Dominion at large. It is high time the matter was thoroughly realised by the Government and stepa taken to achieve such a desirable object. .