KARAKA

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 387, 28 June 1918, Page 1

KARAKA

THE ROADING SCHEME EXPLAINED BY MR J. 8. MONTGOMERIE Mr J. S Montgomerie, County Councillor for the Mauku Riding, addressed a meeting of ratepayers at the Karaka school on Saturday last on the Franklin County Council's proposed Karaka-Waiau roading scheme. The attendance numbered about fifteen, Mr J. Batty being voted to the chair. Mr Montg merie said the sum of £27,000 which it was proposed to borrow had been secured subject to the approval cf the ratepayers The rate of interest would be per cent exclusive of sinking fund. The expendi ure would be spread over five year*, vix , £7OOO the first year and £SOOO a year for the remainder of the period Tin loan would be secured on a special rating area, comprising part of Karaka and part of Waiau. The valuation of the Waiau portion was, approximately, £177,000, and of the Karaka portion £219,000. The scheme of the late Council, which would have given Waiau a much greater length of roads than Karaka, had been altered. Under the present scheme Waiau would have only the two main roads, about 15 miles altogether, while Karaka would have about 16£ miles, It was proposed to grade and metal from the Hingaia bridge to the Waiau wharf, from Waiau to Patu mahoe and from the Te Hihi school to the Karaka school, the WaiauPapakura and Waiau-Drury roads being linked np from Benton's corner to Costar's corner. The Drury-Waiuku road would be done from the Mauku Bridge to the Karaka school. It depended miinly on the Engineer where work would be started, but the speaker was pretty sure that it would be at Papa kuraand Waiau ends, whe:e the roads were ready for metalling, and at the Patumahoe end, where forming would have to be done. Speaking of Karaka, Mr Montgomerie stated that he did not think the settlers realised how good the land was. He had seen land at Mangere not so good as the paddock adjoining the Karaka school sold for £7O an acre, That was in consequence of the good roads about Mangere and the resultant motor traffic. Land was much cheaper in Karaka than in any other district as well situated entirely because of the bad roads. During the discussion that followed Mr Batty asked if £13,500 could not be allotted to each district, or £15,000 to Karaka and £12,000 to Waiau, which it was pointed out would be about the fair proportion. He trusted Mr Montgomerie, but Mr Montgomerie might not always be their representative, and he would like some security against Waiau getting an undue share to the detriment of the roads at the Karaka side.

Mr Haslip and Mr H. Glasson made some remarks to the same effect.

Mr Yates, on the contrary, said that from his experience on the Mt Eden Borough Council it would be a mistake to allocate the money in this way. The result would probably be that some roads would have more than was required, so that there would be an unfinished gap left in some other road.

Mr Lane, of Ambury's Ltd, was for accepting the scheme as it stood. Mr Montgomerie, in reply to the chairman and others, said that allocating the money to each district would be impracticable. If it could be done, his hearers would be worse off lhau under the present scheme. It was misleading to talk of the Karaka district, the Mauku district and so on, as they had been abolished and merged in the County. It was impossible to give absolute justice to everyone concerned, as was instanced by the case of a ratepayer living near the town and cf a road extending away into the baekblocks The pr< sent scheme, lie thought, was us near perfection as any that cnild be devised. With regard to metal, Mr Montgomerie thought that as far as the Papakura end was concerned it would have to bo brought by rail. The cost, including carting and spreading, he estimated at about I 0 !>d a yard. The Engineer would inspect the shingle at Kidd's Beach and other places along the harbour. Shirgle, Mr Motitgomeiie, thought, could be iM'd in iio proii'ably than metnl in ptr:s distant fr in the railway.

Various <|ii" t '.; i < wem answered and the ur-H i.aicd with i. hearty vot • of ;;i .s.l-:- to Mr MontgO'lU ii' I'). ill-. I'i I. I SH

DISTRICT NEWS.