MATAMATA COUNTY

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 300, 10 March 1928, Page 12

MATAMATA COUNTY

MEETING OF COUNCIL With the exception of Cr. W. S. Wilson, Matamata, who was granted leave of absence, there was a full attendance of councillors at the monthly meeting of the Matamata County Council which was held yesterday at Tirau, Cr. J. W. Anderson presiding. The fact that no fewer than four deputations waited on the council without notice prompted the engineer to suggest that the council should lay down a policy in regard to receiving same. Were two days’ notice given, he could inspect the roads or bridges in question, and would then be in a position to advis© the council. The matter was mentioned to each deputation in turn, hut no further action was taken. The district engineer advised that the Public Works Department did not intend to hold itself responsible for the maintenance of the PutaruruArapuni Road after April 30 next. The department's traffic to Arapuni had decreased, while tourist traffic had increased to such an extent that it was no longer equitable for the department to maintain the road which it had built. Th© council adopted a recommendation from the Works Committee that the Arapuni-Putarurn-Tepapa Road connecting No. 1 and No. 18 main highways be declared a main highway, and that the Public Works Department should contribute three-tenths of the cost of maintaining the ArapuniPutaruru section until the completion of the hydro-electric works. The fact that thousands of sheep pass through the main business street of Tirau yearly prompted Mr. F. Rose, a prominent business man, to complain strongly against the dust caused, and to ask for a stock route. He held that every other main road was being bituminised with the exception of this important stretch. The council decided to reply that its policy was to put roads first of all where ther© were none before. When this was done other parts would be dealt with and Tirau would be attended to as soon as the overhead bridge over the railway could be gone on with.