TOKOROA.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 31, 15 May 1924, Page 3

TOKOROA.

THE PROGRESS LEAGUE. The Tokoroa Progress League ’.ic'd its monthly meeting last Tliui lay evening. Eight members were j.re sent, Mr. C. P. Lock presiding. Mr. K. S. Cox, councillor for the riding, was also present. LOCAL ROADS. Discussion on roading* matters arose out of reference to them in the reading of the last meeting’s minutes. Mr. Cox at some length went into a statement of the council policy on points that affected local interests. With respect to the selection and gazetting of the main highways Mr. Cox said that the roads to be gazetted in the Matamata county were the Cambridge-Tirau-Mamaku road and the main road running south from Waharoa through Matamata, Tirau, Putaruru and through practically the whole length of the Tokoroa riding. There would also be short lengths of main highways both in the Te Poi and Maungatautari ridings. Tokoroa was, he said, particularly lucky in that it would have some 20 miles of main highway. This would mean that all money spent in metalling this 20 miles of road would be entitled to a £ for £ subsidy from the Main Highways Board and also to a third of the cost of upkeep. There was already a loan of £3OOO authorised for the metalling of the first portion of this road, starting from the Putaruru end of the riding. The ratepayers of the county would shortly be asked to authorise a loan of £IOO,OOO to be spent over the whole county. If this loan was carried a further £3OOO would be available for the Putaruru to Tokoroa road, thus making £6OOO of local money. This, with the highways subsidy of £ for £, would make a total of £12,000. It was estimated that the cost of laying down a road that would satisfy the standard of the Highways Board would be approximately £2OOO a mile. Thus the £12,000 possibly available for Tokoroa’s length of main highway should metal and tar or bitumen seal a six-miles lengt-h of road possibly from Putaruru to the Ngutuwera stream or even further. The foundation of the i oad would be a bed of local rock, over which would be a facing of hard blue metal, the latter to be again sealed as stated, i f the county authorised the £IOO,OOO loan the laying of the local rock should be done not later than next sum mer. Much pleasure at the prospect of this was expressed by those present. Some discussion followed with respect to the system of carrying oiU maintenance work on local roads. It would seem the present system of letting* the work by contract was not altogether favoured by the county’s engineer. Mr. Cox said that the suggestion for future work was that all main road grading bo done by the 1 ractor and the county men. The grading of side roads could be let by contract as required. It was further suggested that a permanent surfaceman for the two .ridings, Putaruru a:nd Tokoroa, be stationed at Lichfield, this man to have the responsibility of road conditions. His dutj 7 would be to see to all culverts and water outlets and at such time and points as extra labour was required he to have the authority to engage it even to the letting of minor contracts.

One member of the league pointed out that much time and labour had been wasted during late rains by culverts that were totally too small lo carry the flood water. Mr. Cox stated that already it had been arranged to replace these with ones of larger diameter. The pipes taken out could be used to put in entirely new culverts where required. LOCAL RAILWAY MATTERS. A letter was read from Mr. H. W. Bullock, member of the PutaruruTaur c> Railway Board, in contradiction to the rumoured suggestion that a rate should bo struck over all ratepayers of the railway area. As no such rumour had so far spread in Tokoroa, and as the intention to strike such a rate was also denied by two other members of the board present, Messrs. Cox and Campbell, Hie letter was received without lengthy discussion. The meeting, however, look exception to Mr. F. G. Dalziell’s letter as published in the Putaruru Press of May 8, in which he infers that Hie Putaruru-Taupo Railway Board as constituted did not represent the settlers. On the motion of Mr. J. Price, seconded by Mr. J. Stringer, it was decided that the league’s secretary be asked to write to the Press contradicting this suggestion and staling that the board as *«t present constituted was the free and voluntary choice of the settlors and in it they had continued confidence as representing their interests. Mr. Cox, supported by Mr. Campbell, made a statement of the present position. Progress, he admitted, had been slow, but he did not think that this was the fault of the board. The (Continued in Next Column.)

meeting* to be held on the 14th inst., at which the timber owners, including the T.T.T. Company, w ere to meet the board, should advance the position a long way. The timber owners themselves had now practically come to an agreement on the ways and means of defraying the board’s expenses and guaranteeing the cost of the purchase of the railway or construction of a new line if so decided.