GREAT SOUTH ROAD.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 237, 9 October 1914, Page 2

GREAT SOUTH ROAD.

Big Meeting at Bombay.

Was Diversion Intended?

(From our Bombay Correspondent.) A meetirjr was called by the Papaj rata Road Board for Saturday evening, October Hi-d, in the Bombay | hall, lo discuss the pruposed diver- : tion of tha Great Soutb road via i Buckland and Tuakau to Pokeno I by the County Council. I There wer<: about 40 present, ini clu"ing the members of the Papa- j rata Road Board and clerk, four j : members of the Maunaaiawhin i Road B.ard, ar.d Messrs Flanagan, | ; Lyons and Wilcrx, members of the County Cruncil. j Mr Thomas, chairman of the | Paparata Road Board, presided. ! The chairman briefly explained the object of the moating he had been 1 asked to call. He said the impression given by the report in the J j "Times" of a meeting held at j Tuakau was that th 3 county was I going to take over the old railway I line, Buckland to Pokeno, and make j it the Main South road arid arterial ' road. He wa? pleased to see the I three members of the County CounI cil present, and would call upon j Mr Flanagan, member for the Drury j riding, to give the meeting ary j information on the subject. Cr Flanagan said the taking over ! of the old railway line had certainly j come before th2 Council, but nothing ! about making it the Main South ! road had been eaid by the Council. I Crs Lyons and Wilcox endorsed Mr ! Flanagan's remarks. Cr Lyons waid his name h:d been i mentioned in connection with the i Pokeno er.d cf the old line. He I thought it would be a very goud i thing to take ovpr the portion on the Pokeno end; they could g-t it ! for £5 per acre and it would give i the Pukenj pecple a gnrd grade road to Pukekohe, but he never m:arit it t> D 3 ss the Great South road. In fact the County Council had nothing to do with which roads should be main arterial roads, according to the new "Local Granti and Subsidies Bill" now before Parliament. A Board of Works would be appointed which could take evidence as to arterial roads and report to Parliament, and the House would say which were to be main arterial roads. When evidence was being taken it would b3 for the Bombay people to keep up their end of the stick, and see that the ! present Great South road should I have a fair show of being the arterial road. One thing was in its i favour; it was eight miles shorter | than through Buckland and Tuakau. | THE DEVIATION CONSIDERED. As this disposed of the diverting business, the question of the deviation of the South road from Mr Ruthertord's to Pokeno hill was then discussed. A longitudinal plan of the propostd deviation was on view at the meeting. Cr Flanagan explained what had been done, and at the last meeting of the Council the engineer had presented his report on the survey made, etc. There was 4 miles 28 chains and the approximate estimate of coat for construction, culverts and fencing was £9500 (plus ccst cf ■ land and compensation tor depreciation of values). Cr Flanagan asked for the views of those present on the deviation. Mr Kutherford suggested that if the money they proposed spending on ths deviation was spent on the present South road in grading and repairs, elc, a very decert road j could ba made. The motor peopl° did not complain of the hills; it was the shockingly had state the road was in knobs ard hollows and lose metal —of which they complained. If they made the deviation tbey would then have two roads to keep up in place of one, — Cr Flanagan said he had for some time been seriously thinking over the things Mr Rutherford now suggested. Mr H. Landon said it was a lot of "tommy rot" wanting another road; put the one they had in order and it would be good enough. Mr A. French Bpoke in the same strain. Mr Thomas, on behalf of several I ratepayers in his district, asked Mr ! Flanagan if, supposing the deviations S were gone on with, they could /lot do I it without monfy, and if the money | were borrowed would the Paparata ! ratepayers be in the rating area? Cr Flanagan replied that he exI peered some of them would be in i the rating area; it would then be ! their privilege to vote for or j against the loan. Mr Thomas thanked Cr Flanagan for his reply. Mr Best said he could not see what benefit another road would be i to any of the ratepayer* in the i Paparata road district, for to make use of the proposed new road they I would have to go a mile and a-half i out ot their way to get on to it at

the nearest point. Finally Mr A. French moved, I and Mr Allison seconded, the following motion: "That the County I Council be asked to Eend their engineer to take levels, etc., on the present South road from Mr Rutherford's to the intersection of 1 the proposed new road on Pokeno hill, and see if most of the hills could not be graded and much improved. Mr Proude asked Mr French to add, "and failing this the County Council be a:-ked to proceed with the deviation.'' Mr French would not agree to the tag. His motion was then put to the meeting, 20 voting for it. Mr Proude then moved the same motrn with the tag added to it, Mr Cooper seconded, and 15 voted for it, so Mr French's motion was considered tarried. Mr Cornthwaite moved, and Mr Thomas seconded, a vote of thanks to the three members of the Council for attending the meeting and giving all the information they could on county matters. Mr Flanagan replied and moved a vote of thanks to the chairman "for keeping them all in order." This compliment was unanimously carried.