HOROWHENUA COUNTY

Shannon News, 16 September 1927, Page 1

HOROWHENUA COUNTY

FOREST 3LAKES ROAD.

PROPOSED EXTENSION BEFORE THE COUNCIL.

At the- meeting of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday, a letter was received from Messrs Harper, Atmoro and Thomson, solicitors, on behalf of -Messrs M. and F. S. Simcox, making formal application under section 11 of the Public Works Act, 1908, for the Council to take over as a road an extension of Forest Lakes road, which was necessary to give access to Mr. M. Simcox'.s land--leased to Mr. Jepson. The chairman said that before the Council could agree to this, they should refer back to the solicitors the question of whetiher their clients were prepared to bring this road up to a standard as regards 'formation and metalling that would meet the requirements of the 1 Council. If they were prepared to do that, he did not see any reason why the Council should hesitate to take the road over.

The chairman's suggestion was agreed to. Mr. Selwyn Simcox wrote with reference to a gate on Forest Lakes road. He stated that there was a road 20 chains in length, with a gate at the end of it, opening into his property. This gate had been broken down bystock several times, and he wanted it removed to the top of the hill, foui 1 or live chains from the main county road.

The chairman stated that the gate was at the end of a county road. If the Council were going to take over a further section of the road, they could not have a gate there at all. The Council would have to fence the road, and the gate would have to be shifted to the end.

On the chairman's motion, it was de- ; cided to advise Mr. Simcox to hold the matter over' until the Council knew what action is going to be taken in regard/to the extension of the road. [An Isolated £eKsler; i Trtansport by Sledge for Fifteen Years. Mr. J. Rasmussen (Mayimorn) sent in a letter to the County Council, and also waited on the meeting on Saturday, to press his request for financial assistance for the improvement of the road to his property. The chairman stated that Mr. Ras : mussen came to him and asked for authority to clear a slip on his road, and the chairman told him to go ahead with the work. Afterwards he asked to have the water-tables cleared, ana the chairman instructed him to put in a week's wtork. Apparently Mr. Rasmussen had -done that, and be should be paid 12/6 a day —the current wage for surfacemen—for 12 days' labour on the road. "In future anybody authorised by me to do work had better put in their accounts more promptly," the chairman added. "This has arisen because Mr. Rastmussen owes £22 16s a for rates and has been sued." Mr. Rasmussen came into the meeting subsequently and asked the Council what they were going to do about the road, as he was paying rates. The chairman informed him that the Council had decided to pay him for 12 days' work. The applicant said his road was now -washed,' away, and owing to an accident to himself he was unable to do anything to it at present. If he did not get an outlet, he would have to walk off his place, like his next door neighbour. The dhairrhan: "He had a good road."

Mr. Rasmussen: "Yes, he was dissatisfied with the place. I have over. £3OOO on my property, but have taken practically nothing oft' it because I can get nothing out." The chairman explained that Mr. Rasmussen took up a farm which was 79 chains back from a formed road. He asked the speaker whether the Council were going to give him a road, and the chairman replied that he could not ask tho other rate payers to do this, but if Mr. Rasmussen could form a special rating district by getting other farmers to come in, the Council could assist them. This course proved imposs'iible because there was nobody to go in with him.. Mr. Rasmussen then decided to make the road himself, the Council contributing. He had spent, perhaps, £250 and the Council had contributed £IOO, which, tho chairman thought, was quite a fair contribution. The Council were not justified in spending more than the rates off the land—£4 15s 3d a year—.on this 79 chains' of road, and the speaker had told him this. There was a dedicated road there; it was a mountain road, winding round a hill, and it was a difficult road to maintain. The whole of the land in that neighbourhood was saddled with ten shillings an acre to make those roads, but not Mr. Rasmussen's, because it was native land.

Mr. Rasmussen said that for 15 years he had been packing with a sledge, and' he had stacks of posts and battens which were depreciating because he could, not get them out. The chairman: -I don't know what it is going to cost to give you an outlet. We have much more than spent the rates you have paid or are likely to pay for 20 years. This is a matter for your individual effort, and there is no other "way out of it. Mr. Rasmussen: If I can't get any way to my place, then I must do the same as the rest—roll up the swag and walk. • After Mr. Rasmussen had left, the Council Tesolved that no action be taken in regard to his application for further assistance.