A MINISTER’S PROMISE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 96, 26 April 1915, Page 7

A MINISTER’S PROMISE.

THE WASPUKU BR! OGE. POSITION OF THE STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL. ROADS AND THEIR MAINTENANCE. THE GOVERNMENT REBUKED. At Wednesday’s meeting ol the Stratford County Council a letter was received from the Minister of Public Works with regard to the proposed toll-gate on Mountain Road. He stated that the application had received careful consideration, but the Government was averse to authorising any additional toll-gates to be erected except as a last resource and where no other reasonable means of raising money for the upkeep of the road could he devised. Under these circumstances. therefore, if the Council still desired to erect the toll, the Government proposed that before any final decision was come to, the whole matter should be referred to a commission. To this end the Minister asked to be informed what local authorities were interested in the. upkeep of the road and what proportion of the cost of maintaining same should, in the Council’s opinion, bo borne respectively by such local authorities in the event of the Government not seeing its way to obtain the authorisation of the toll. A letter was also received Irotn the Under-Secretary tor Public Works, Mr H. J. H. Blow, stating that the Governor had appointed a commission to inquire into the matter under Section 109 of the Public Works Act, 1908, when it would be possible ior the Council or other local bodies to show that instead of an apportionment of the cost of maintaining the road, as provided by that section, it would suit the local bodies better if a toll were set up, and if it was clearly proved that such would be in the interests of the district, the commissioner would no doubt report accordingly. He asked that the Council supply the necessary information asked for by the Ministei of Public Works, in order that the local authorities whose traffic uses the road may he notified of the appointment of the commissioner and he prepared, when the commission sits, to adduce the necessary evidence in support of their view of tit© matter.

After discussion, a committee consisting of the Chairman (Cr. Hathaway), Crs. Anderson, Christoffel, and Walter was appointed to draft the information required by the Government.

The committee met at the Council office on Saturday morning.

The Chairman explained the object of the meeting, and asked the committee to give the matter their closest attention, as it was one of great importance to the County. Cr. Chris toff el said that every adjoining County except Whangamomona had got a toll gate. He pointed out that anyone taking fat stock to Waitara and wanting to keep clear of the traffic had to take it by a road where ho had to pay toll—and on a mudroad at that. The fact of the matter was that such a thing forced people on to the most frequented road between New Plymouth and Wanganui, simply to avoid a toll. That was absolutely unfair. Yet the Stratford Council had to carry the whole of the fat stock traffic, as well as the motor and other vehicular traffic on its main road. / The Chairman pointed out that if they took the best road to Opunako and Manaia they had to pay toll. Cr. Christoffel admitted that people would not object to pay toll on the main road provided the Council could put down tarred roads or have them in good order out of the money derived from the revenue from the tolls. Cr. Christoffel referred to the fact that motor locomotion had come to stay and provision should be made for it. The money derived from the toil would enable the Council to treat the road for the benefit of that traffic. It would he a saving to all parties. The Chairman agreed it would be a saving to the motor traffic. Taking the tar-sealed roads of Kltham County, the wear and tear on tho tyros was practically nothing. Cr. Christoffel said the saving applied also in the case of the farmer with his gig. The establishment of a toll would give the Council a certain amount of extra revenue, which would enable them to make a decided improvement in the state of the road, but it was admitted by all that they could not do so under the present circumstances without some further increase in their revenue. Cr. Anderson, in answer to the Chairman as to the effect of the establishment of a toll on the Eltham i Hoad, explained that before the toll j the rates on his property of 100 acres > amounted to £l2; the year following the toll it was reduced to £6 12s, and for three years it had been £6; that was on laud worth £22 per acre. Last j year the rate was raised to £l2, but :t I

«-as stated the reason r bat the money was to he accumulated to provide the cost of re-faoing the road. He admitted he would rather pay the extra amount for the sake of having good roads. He gave details showing the advantage of tar-sealed roads in his own business and also pointed out the saving to the dairy companies in the same locality, If, he said, they were going to penalise their own people to provide good roads, it was only to be expected that outsiders should contribute something. It could not be denied that the extra cost was picked up by the saving in wear and tear.

The Chairman stated that as far as the suggested toll at Waipahu was concerned, it would a fleet only two suppliers to the factory.

Cr. Audersoir said it would pay to subsidise the two suppliers ; he did not know whether it was legal or not, but it would didyjie i'aii 1 .. The Chairman said he believed the dairy factory was prepared to do that.

Cr. Christolfel said a similar arrangement prevailed in Hawora.

Cr. Anderson, speaking on the main question, said Stratford County carried tin* whole traffic right throughout from Wellington to New’ Plymouth, but it \va§ hardly fair that only two ridings should be affected by the toll.

The Engineer said there was 5* miles of road from tne Waipnkn boundary to Flint Road on the north side and 34 miles on the south to the El-

tham boundary. To reinstate the road to 16ft in width in macadam would cost about £6OOO.

Referring to the life of‘the ordinary main road, it was pointed out that rt piece of road between Mid'liirst and the Piakau stream, which was put down only two years ago, already had been attended to. Cr. Christoffel went on to remark that the settlers used the road little compared to the general public, yet immediately they went outside their own neighbourhood into other counties they could use the roads free. “We have been sold all along,” he said. “We should have got some cheap money 7 and re-constructed our main roads.” The Chairman; That would he hardly fair unless we did ail the roads.

Cr. Christoffel: If you place the main roads in good order, you will then he in a position to get other good roads.

The Chairman: If we had a loan would they get them then? Cr. Christoffel; “I think so.” The Chairman said the ridings were only answerable for themselves. Cr, Christoffel remarked that the Council’s engineers had for 10 years been trying not to stint any portion of the district.

The Chairman to the Engineer: What do you consider would be the cost ol making a road in the old style and one in the new, suitable to carry the increased traffic? In my opinion the main road is not wide enough in places.

The Engineer admitted that was so. ( r. Cliristoffol said the •cost would ho between £SOO and £OOO per mile, and he asked: “How can you do that out of revenue?”

'The s Engineer said a tar-macadam load W on Id cost three tildes as much as a tar-sealed one.

Ci. Chl’istolfel ■ said !(h6 ■ had more laith in a tar-macadam road, but that could only be done out of loan money ; it could not bo done out of receipts from the toil or ordinary revenue. He referred to the tar-macadam in the main street in Eltham borough, where it had stood for 12 or 14 years practically without any expense of maintenance compared, to the ordinary road. Cr. Christoffel considered even 12-loot of tar-macadam in the centre would do.

Cr. Walter favored partial tar-ma-cadarn, something between that and tar-sealed.

Cr. Christoffel said tar-sealed would be a waste of money.

Die Engineer explained some experiments which he had carried out at Manaia in view ol loan proposals for road construction. He was authorised to try three or four different methods. First, he put down seven chains. Ho scarified the old road and rolled it and put on three inches of clean metal and tarred it thoroughly; then he rolled it and put a final coating of sand and tar again; there was practically three inches of asphalt, 16ft. wide, which cost £3 16s per chain. The second experiment covered 30 chains. He procured some Trinidad pitch from Wanganui, and, using this in conjunction with a percentage of tar, made a tar-sealed road at a,cost of 19s 6d per chain. Thirdly, he put down two or. three chains with Restar and also Soltai. The Eltham engineer supervised the construction of the Restar, but c,w■nK to the workmen’s mistake, they treated only one chain with 80 gallons of Restar, instead of two, and of course that was not a good test, and was proportionately dearer, making it nearly as expensive as tar-macadam. It was pointed out that in the first experiment two subsequent coatings of tar cost 15s per chain each. The Engineer said the coatings had to be renewed at intervals so as to preserve tbe surface. He considered that was the trouble with the Eltham road—it had been allowed to wear down bolore receiving a coating.

| Some rnemOe; - considered that if coatings had to he put on regularly the cost would be very heavy, but Cr. Christolfel pointed out that even it it were done every two or three years at a cost of £OO per mile it would be cheap maintenance. It was very much cheaper than the present style. The coatings were an absolute saving ol the metal laid down during the formation of the road. The discussion was continued alter lunch on general lines. Mr J. 13. Hine, M.P., attended during the afternoon, and in reply to an inquiry as to the procedure the Council should take, said that he did not see that the Council could do much except provide the evidence asked for by the Minister. After that they should put their case before the Commissioner. He considered it was a waste ol time to send a commissioner. Mr Hine warned them not to put too much faith in any rumisos about a motor-tax Bill being passed. Cr. Christoffel ; The motor-tax will j not assist ns. Mr Mine said it was always a handle for the Minister to burke the question. He also said that the Council should 1 stress the point with the Minister ’that they wanted a good road. Mr 'Hine, prior to- withdrawing, said he j w ould be at the Council’s service wheIther at Wellington or before the commiissioner.

In connection with the charges, the Chairman said that the Stratford

County’s schedule was more reasonable than tlie adjoining counties’ charges. People who found Stratford a goon market town would not bo sorry to pay the toll. It would mean very little difference to the town.

| Cr. AnderSon said there was no toll gate on the main road from Wellington, which might explain the opposition to the scheme.

j At the conclusion of the meeting, the following resolution, on the motion

of Cr. Christoffel, seconded by Cr. Anderson, was carried: “That the Minister for Public Works be informed that as the road on which the toll gate is proposed to be erected is practically carrying the whole of the through traffic between New Plymouth, Napier, Wellington, Wanganui, and Palmerston North districts, the Council consider it would be no use to expect any contributions from the neighbour-

ing local bodies, and does not see the necessity for a special commission, hut is prepared to tender evidence in support of the Council’s request for a toll gate.”

It was also decided that a letter, of which the following is a draft, he sent .to the Minister of Public Works :—“On (Minister for Public Works) met Cr. Christoffel and the Chairman and led them to believe that when the Council j had submitted a schedule of tolls the Government would have no objection Ito the erection of the toll gate by the Council. The schedule of tolls was posted to the Minister on 22nd June, j 1914, but this Council received no reply up till July loth raising any objections to the schedule. Cr. T. K. Anderson was appointed on July 15th to wait on the Minister, which he did on July IBtlT, and the result of the meeting was that the Minister said [that the Government was introducing a Motor Tax Pill, and if the Act did not pass the House, no objection would be raised to the toll gate. In anticipation of the extra revenue, the Coun[cil had increased the expenditure on the road.”