HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 19 October 1926, Page 1

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

OFFER of land, for extension. At Saturday ’s meeting of the Horowhenua County Council the Hon. .ha. Newman waited on the Council seeking the furtherance of the proposal for the extension of the Waitarere Koad to the beach, north of Hokio. Tlio Hon. Mr. Newman said he represented five, property owners—-Messrs Park, Best, McDonald, Bartholomew and himself —interested in the matter. It was not a question of cuttiug up the land for closer settlement and their coming to the local body and asking that the land be roaded. The speaker’s property was two of the original Maori sections which he bought ten years ago in order to control a drain which ran from the swamp to the sea. There was ho question of subdivision at all. dhc only access the speaker' had to this 1200 acres, on which the rates were £7O a year, was Dy a right-of-way, 50 links wide, through Mr. McDonald s, over the sand hills v and by an undesirable route. The five owners of the land had expressed their willingness to give the land as a free gift for a level road from -%i present Wjaitarere Road to the beach, giving access to these two sections instead of by the present right-of-way. They asked the Council to accept dedication of the land. They were giving the land from a business point of view. The speaker wanted better access and Mr, McDonald wanted to get rid of the right'-of-way which cut his property in two. He was willing to give a strip along his boundary in its place. This laud was grass country which should never be ploughed. He had top-dressed it heavily last year and it carried a sward of grass that would take all the traffic there for thirty years to come. To turn the land up would be absolute folly. If the settlers interested desired to sub-divide, they would have to form a special rating district and come to the Council and ask them to go on with the work. He considered the Government should contribute as there had been a road to the beach there ever since white. «men came to this district. Or. Catley: Not a legal road. Mr. Newman: No. We ask the Council to accept the gift of the land. They wanted nothing further. The speaker wanted to start milking on the sections and he had no road to get his milk out. The Public Works Act (section 1.16) when it was desired to cut up -land for closer, settlement, required the formation and metalling of the road, but ’in his opinion this did not apply because there was no question of sub-division. The chairman: Is there any particular section of the Act under which we can take the land apart from section 136. •Mr. Newman: I understand it is at the cliscretion of the Council. It is mfder this discretionary power that wo ask you to take the dedication of the land. The chairman said there were certain things that should he investigated in regard to the Council’s position. They hacl to see under which particular section of the Public Works Act they could accept the dedication. He moved that the matter be referred to the Finance Committee for investigation and report to the Council at next meeting. Ho had been oyer the route of the road and while perhaps he was not quite so optimistic as Mr. Newman as to the amount of traffic it would carry, it would possibly carry all tlie traffic there for some years. ; If the Council' were willing to accept dedication of a portion, it should by all means accept it right to the beach. He was not prepared to commit himself further at present. In the course of further discussion, the v chairman said that before the Council could, accept dedication, they had to make a declaration that -it was a properly formed and metalled road. He wanted to investigate that aspect of it.-

Mr. Newman said dedications liad been accepted without that condition.

The matter was then referred to the Finance Committee enquiry.