ADVICE TO MOTORISTS.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 128, 15 April 1926, Page 4

ADVICE TO MOTORISTS.

USE OF SIDE ROADS. Stick to the Main Road. 1 At the monthly meeting- of the Matamata County Council the engineer (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald) presented the following- report:— “ Various metalling works are nearing- completion. Leaman and Stuart completed the Putaruru-Lichfield length of No. 19 main hig-hway this week, and Walsh has made good progress south of Lichfield. Scahill completed the northern two miles of Waotu main road and will continue the work for a further mile providing the weather permits. Middleton metalled about 40 chains of Huihuitaha road and is now doing similar work on the lower end of back Lichfield road, after which he will metal a further length of Huihuitaha. Graham surfaced about a mile of the old Kaimai road, with local shingle. “ The county trucks completed the surfacing of the southern end of Rangitanuku and are now doing similar work at Waiomo. Kinnear moved Mk from Hinuera to Tirau during the j* early part of March, and Gardiner moved from Okoroire to Matamata this week end, with the exception of about half a mile at Hinuera. No. IS -*'■ main hig-hway has continuous metal from Tirau to the northern county boundary. Kinnear is metalling now the Tirau-Okoroire road, which should be completed in about ten days time after which he will move to Matamata for metalling Station road. Gardiner will g-o on with the metalling of Mangawhero road. “ The Wairere Quarry Co. and Piako County Council continue with the metalling- of Matamata-Gordon main l road, which has now a gap of under ' 15 miles.

“ The widening out of Waiomo main road is completed, and the contractors have left. Hahood and- Co. did further metalling at Maungatautari. Hart and Brown are still surfacing Okauia road. Repairs to the Tirau end of the Cambridge road will be undertaken in about ten days time. The Wehr grader worked through Karapiro and Maungatautari ridings, reshaped Horahora main road and is now at Hinuera.

“ The remainder of the county plant is engaged on the various construction works throughout the county. “ During the closing days of March the. Public Works Department paid £5374 grant moneys, bringing the total for the year up to £6089. The amount expended direct by the department was £276, making the g-ross total for the county £6365. The county’s allocation was about £6300. The whole of the claims for subsidy on main highway expenditure have not yet been met; during March £4OOO was paid on account of a claim of £4700 on capital account, and £492 was paid on account, of a claim for £1320 for maintenance. Earlier :n the financial year £855 was raid on capital account a?d £530 for maintenance.

“ The date of this meeting, falling as it does, so closely upon the close of the month and the Easter holidays, has not permitted a detailed compilation of last month’s activities and the foregoing- notes are unavoidably lacking- in detail. It can, however, now be predicted that for the coming winter there will be ‘all weather’ roads from the county boundary near Atiamuri, through Tokoi-na, Lichfield, Putaruru, Tirau, Hinuera, and Matamata to the Waharoa and Gordon boundaries and branch from that artery out to most of the important settlements of the county. Some 23 miles of earth roads have been metalled since Christmas, and it is most earnestly hoped that everyone concerned will co-operate in preserving- the new surfaces by refraining- from the unnecessary employment of motor car chains and the bringing on to these roads of sledges, harrows and other illegal vehicles.

“ Th e rapidly-increasing volume of motor traffic is making it a matter of increasing- difficulty to keep the water hound surfaces in reasonable order, and this will be most marked during the period between the stages of constructing metal foundations and putting on bitumen surfaces. The most marked increase in winter traffic will probably occur from Putaruru southwards as the result of increased tourist traffic to Wairakei and Taupo, and. the afforestation activities in the Tokoroa and Mangaiti areas. I Probably the only large settlement in the count;.- which will still have really bad reading- conditions this winter will be Waotu. I would here mention the fact that automobile associations are very strongly encouraging motor traffic to deviate from the beaten track and explore many side roads which happen to afford through communication. This policy is having- a serious effect upon some of the side roads, and those re-

sponsible do not seem to realise that whilst counties are putting forward special efforts to maintain the arterial roads in a state to carry long- distance traffic .the by-roads are kept in order primarily for very essential local traffic, and will seldom stand up to the effects of sudden popularity with the travelling- public. We are finding- considerable sums of money to bring- arterial roads up to the requirements of the travelling- public and as these roads improve, the traffic will further increase but, if the improvement of ingress and egress from the county is going- to result in our little private roads being- ruined a very serious state of affairs has to be considered. “ I propose reporting, next month, in more detail upon the whole season’s work.” Cr. S. H. Judd gave instances of where the diversion of motor traffic from the main road had cut up secondary roads in Maungatautari and Karapiro. The clerk was instructed to write to the Auckland Automobile Association on the matter.