The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1919. RANGITIKEI ROADING PROPOSALS.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 September 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1919. RANGITIKEI ROADING PROPOSALS.

With which is incorporated "The Taihape Post and Waimarino News."

The Taihape Chamber of Commerce again devoted an evening to discussing the proposed Taihape-Napier Road, when Mr W. Doole gave details of the route, settlement, and productive value of the areas the road would traverse. Mr Doole has a good road past his homestead, which is almost on the hanks of the Rangitikei, so that, while he may be thinking of the immensely increased value the metalling of the road to Mangaohane and' the bridging of the river would give to the whole 'country between 'iiaihape and Napier, he could not be accused of personal interest in so far as he might want the road for better communication with town and railway than he already hasi There are many thousands of bales of wool coming each year, to say nothing of meat, from the area settlers have suggested might be specially rated to provide the money for the work required. Even ten years ago Government saw the 'necessity for this road that settlers are agitating for to-day; and a sum was placed on the Estimates for the bridge; rightly or wrongly it is said that the bridge did not materialise because the settlers could not agree as lo its location, The Government voted money to have the approaches to the river made to give easy .access to the bridge site; on the Hawke’s Bay side the approach was made, but the money was not, lifted'by the Eangitikei County Council, it is said, because the Council was of opinion the bridge estimate would not cover the cost of its erection, but no one is likely to be misled by any such statement. What happened gives colour to the rumour that the bridge wa s never built because personal selfishness entered into the question. We mention this incident merely to make clear what men lose, what the -whole 'district loses, •and what the whole country loses, in increased production from stupid persistence in selfishness. The Government, ton years .ago, had boon convinced that settlement warranted the bridging of the Rangitikei between Pukeokahu and Mangaohane, and it will, we arc sure, be an easy matter for settlers of to-day to convince the Government that the budge is now over ton times more urgently needed in the interests of ! the country than it was then. No one knows the land such a road would tap better than Mr Doole, and ho says that the Mangaohane land that would be served is amongst the most fertile in New Zealand. The consensus of opinion of men who are frequently through and over the land is that Tiinahanga: could easily be made to produce thrice what it produces at present, and Timahanga is State-owned land. For want of reading Ngamatoa, for instance, has to muster over some 200,000 acres of land; it must be apparent that when land pays to farm wool under suclT conditions, the value of the product must be largely eaten up in costs. Ten years ago the men on the eastern bank of the river had hopes raised of easier access to market; for ten years they have worked in almost complete isolation from the rest of mankind, and now hopes are once more raised by the prospect of help from sottler 9 on the Pukeokahu side, who are willing to be rated up to two-thirds the cost of reading and bridging, if the Government will furnish the other third. It will be understood that a very large area, on the eastern bank of the Rangitikei has been, or is. being, transferred from the Hawke’s Bey County to the Eangitikei County because all traffic in connection therewith is over the Rangitikei County roads, the risks of fording a very dangerous river having to be taken. By its intention to creel a bridge ten years

ago, Government has manifested its conviction that this highway is essential in the best interests of settlement and production. There is ample evidence that this [‘Tlaihape-Nap|ier road would render land on the route in ! Hawke ’s Bay and in Rangitikei of immensely greater value. It is admitted that Government would, by monetary assistance given to the settlers largely be recouped in revaluations doubling the rateable value, whil© settlers’ interests would easily become twice what they are in their present isolation from markets. It is known that several settlers would at once commence to divide their lands, and mak 9 them available for other settlers, helping to relieve the settlement and more production difficulty with which Government and the country is faced. The owners of Hawke’s Bay properties hav© signified their desire in writing to be included in a rating area that the proposed road would benefit, thus showing how much more urgently necessary is the road to settlerg on this side of the river. Men afflicted with land hunger, including a hundred or more returned soldiers in Taihape alone, are casting longing glances on the land which many of them have worked on, and which they know would be given a value much above the average by the construction of roads thereto. Government realised the necessity of bridging the Rangitikei and voted money from the Public Works Fund, but the work has become so urgent that settlers now desire to rate themselves and have it done at once, asking only for a reasonable subsidisation of their contributions and efforts. No surer indication can be given of the value of any road as an aid to increased production than the readiness of settlers to rate themselves for so great a work; and roads made under such conditions have invariably developed into the country’s most valuable assets. With the inclusion of Hawke’s Bay territory that is being added to the Erewhon Riding the valuation of that riding will be nearly £700,000. isolated as much as it at present is, but its rateable value would be doubled with the completion of the road and bridge as hitherto proposed. We would, however, suggest that the Riding will be worthy of very much more attention than the formation of what is known as the “'Lower Road.” A much bigger scheme is thought" advisable as it would throw open a much larger area of good land to closer settlement and hugely increased production. To properly road the great Erewhon Riding, now valued at £700,000 for rating purposes, the proposed lower read should be continued on through Mangaohane, and thence back to Moawhango. Government would doubtlessly subsidise such a road liberally, as the subsidy would be recouped by increased valuations. It is estimated that a rate of less than a penny in the pound, with, the Government subsidy, would be ample to have the riding thoroughly roaded, including two bridges over .the Rangitikei River five miles apart, while such public works are possible settlers are urged fo consider this larger scheme. By combining the two schemes the cost would be comparatively less and isolated patches of such roads as Coinford’s and the Pokaka Road could oe included in the metalling. The position is that an immense tract of country, much of it State owned, is only producing a fraction of what it is capable of producing, and is only valued at a fraction of what its value would bo with commousense and busi-ness-like reading. Government'cannot avoid its responsibilities without repudiating its promises to the Maori peoples who gave a large tract of Owhaoko country to the State for soldier settlement purposes. The Minister who received the gift promised the Maoris that the river should bo bridged giving access to the land. Such an undertaking is easily understandable from the fact that the Government had previously put money on the Estimates long before the Maori land inducement was possible. Government land will benefit very largely, and this taken into consideration v.-ith the unchallengeable facts that such a reading scheme would double present valuations; would treble the volume of production; would bo a great aid to closer settlement, and would open up a much-needed arterial road from Napier, across Hawke’s Bay, to the Main Trunk railway at Taib.cpo. the attitude the Government should take is obvious. Settlers will best consult their interests in acting promptly, and we confidentially hope they will thoroughly go into the larger proposition because we are confident the producing capacity of the district : more than warrants the larger reading , scheme.