HEAVY TRAFFIC.
UPKEEP OF OTAKI GORGE ROAD. The question of upkeep of the Otaki Gorge Road, which is used for the carting of timber from a sawmill, was brought before the Horowhenua County Council by Mr. H. Hewitt, who waited on that body on Saturday. Mr. Hewitt stated that he was not the owner of' the mill, but he had purchased certain land and made an arrangement for milling on a royalty basis. Mr. Barnes, who was running the mill, had had one man, and most of the time two men, engaged in maintaining the road, and it was now in better condition than before he commenced operations, although he had done some heavy carting over it. The mill was cutting timber, said Mr. Hewitt, and he did not want to see any possibility of their being blocked from carting timber out.
The chairman (Cr. Monk): I suppose you don't know what the upkeep is likely to be with the cartage of timber on it.
Mr. Hewitt: I have no idea at pre sent.
The chairman: There is a very awkward position to handle. I have some figures here which are rather StartlingTaking all the land beyond the Waihoanga bridge, the general rate collected is only £96 12s Id a year. We have to take some of that for administration; the Otaki Gorge in the past has not contributed anything to administration —the better roads have been contributing to Otaki Gorge. If the road is going to cost three or four hundred a year f.or upkeep to carry a mill lorry, the money has to come from somewhere. We hesitate to ask settlers outside the Gorge area to contribute to the upkeep of a road from which they get no benefit.
Mr. Hewitt said lie did not seriously anticipate that the Council would maintain the road; but what he wanted was an assurance that the Council would not adopt any unreasonable attitude in regard to the carting of the timber. The mill would have to maintain the road. The chairman: It has always been a drag on the balance of the riding. While we can keep the contribution the same as to-day, we have no hope of increasing it, because at the present time it costs us more than we get out of it. You want an undertaking that we will not stop the carting-.. That will depend on the state the road is in.
Mr. Hewitt: The road "will go on improving if the metal is kept on it. If the Council-will keep its end up we will not decrease what we have done up to the present. -
It was left to the chairman, Crs. Jensen and the engineer-(Mr. Anderson) to meet those interested in the road and report to the Council.
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Shannon News, 20 May 1927, Page 4
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463HEAVY TRAFFIC. Shannon News, 20 May 1927, Page 4
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