MUCH-DISCUSSED ROADWAY.

Shannon News, 15 August 1922, Page 4

MUCH-DISCUSSED ROADWAY.

council to proceed with MATTER.

Major Tatum, of Manakau, wrote the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday to reconsider fee taking of portion of his land for a public road, at the request of Mr R. Bevan. He was puzzled, he said, by the statements made that a bridge estimated to cost £IOOO was required to enable Mr. Bevan to gain access to his section. He called on Mr. Bryant and learned that the inspecting councillors had not been anywhere near the place used by Mr Bevan to get to his land. Mr Bevan already had a good level access, which he had been using for some time past. The formtion of the road and cart track to the ford was mostly over hard shingle land, and was used ail the year round by settlers living at the back of Mr Bevan’s section. A light gig, trap or motor car could be driven without trouble right up to Mr Bevan’s gate. AH present (several were ■ using this road and ford to cart heavy loads of firewood. On Sunday last a number of ratepayers went to> see for themselves whether a bridge costing £IOOO was necessary to give access to Mr Bevan’s land, and surprise was expressed that he should endeavour to force a way through private land when he already had such a good approach to his section: The, writer said he was informed by Mr G. Bevan, who was one of the trustees in the estate, that the right of way and the area fronting the main road were given to Mrs Henry Bevan in exchange for some land at the back, and was for her' sole use. Major Tatum pointed out that any money spent in improving the existing road would be a benefit to the settlers who were now using the same, and made it unnecessary to take his property for road purposes. He was sure neither Mr Bevan or the Council wotild like any of the land close to their dwellings taken compulsorily when a much better road, was already in use. The writer attached a plan of the locality, setting out the present outlet and the proposed one which Mr Bevan was seeking. He would be pleased to show councillors over the routes at any time.

Messrs. Park and Adams, solicitors, Devin, forwarded the memorial which was to be sent on to the GovernorGeneral in connection with the land which it was proposed to take to give Mr Bevan access through Major Tatum’s property and asked that same be executed at Saturday’s meeting. The chairman (Cr. Monk) stated that in company with Cr. Bryant and the Engineer, he inspected the property on Friday. By the route that Mr Bevan was asking for it would only necessitate taking a piece of land a chain wide through an acre of ground to' connect up with the existing right-of-way, but the alternate route suggested by Major Tatum, would not only necessitate a much more lengthy road, about 50 chains, but the erection of a bridge over the Waikawa River. The position, said the chairman, was that when Major Tatum bought the lahd he must have known of the right-of-way to Mr Bevan’s, and the ~Council must give Mr Bevan access. The Council could do that by taking a piece a chain wide through an area of an acre. By the other way the bridge would have to be built at a cost of £IOOO. He could not see any other way out of it. ; Cr. McLeavey: Is there any option? The chairman: No.

Cr. Bryant supported the chairman’s report on the inspection of th« routes. . Cr. Harkness considered there whs only one way of dealing with the matter, and that was by giving Mr Bevan the access to which he was entitled.

On the motion of Cr. McLeavey, seconded by Cr. Harkness, it wss decided that the' memorial re taking land through Major Tatum’s property he signed by the chairman and Cr. Bryant, and sealed with the seal of the Council •