HOROWHENUA NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10297, 4 June 1919, Page 8

HOROWHENUA NOTES

| (From Our Own Correspondent.) • i ' :' '-'.--'■■ OTAKI, : Juno, 3:~i At a. special meeting oi the'Horo : whenua Comity (Council, the chairman (Councillor Monk) congratulated the clerk-for. the lucid report.on financial matters, and said he was pleased to see i the question of rates had been sufficient i to, carry out what had. been' proposed, except in the Te Horo Riding, whore the estimates' had boen slightly exceeded. A year or so ago the council' had thought it impossible to maintain roads unless it went in for machinery. This was secured, and he was satisfied it had proved a good investment. He had'in his mind, . some time ago, a to tar-seal the main road at an •estimated expenditure .of £50,000, but he had decided, after he knew the Minister was taking t hand in such, matters, to shelve the matter. He thought the Minister would bring forward a movtto nationalise the roads, and therefore it might pay the* council to hold.on for a wliilf. Another proposal was the''formation of & memorial road from" Auckland to the Bluff, at a cost of about £SOOO a mile, or a total 'in all of £6,000,000. The question was/ Could the council .a'fford to wait for twelve months to see 'what the Government was going to do? He was cgainst delays as' a rule, but in this ■ instance ho thought it would pay, to wait a little longer. The council, had made no-pro-vision for more machinery in this year's estimates, but he maintained that the machinery was necessary. At. the. same time, he would advise the 'council .to wait a year or so. It might then be procurable at a reasonable price. ' It;was decidea to increase, the clerk's salary.by £l6 13s -id per annum until a rcachea £'lol>.