The Need For Roads.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7849, 15 June 1905, Page 2

The Need For Roads.

A SUTLER'S APPEAL CIIAIU3EK OF COMMERCE SYUI'ATHY. Mr Joseph McCluggago, of Whangamoiuona, wrote bringing under, the notice of tlu) Turanafci t» Commerce annual waiting this Claims ol the Ohuro Kouu, running from fttraUord, Wfaangaiuomona and 'l'dtu to ttangaroa and Ongjiruu. also of the Stratford- -Ongnrue railway, and ttskid tiie co-operaUon of tue Chamber on'their behalf. This ' was uuwt important inland main road in Taranaki, or, in fact, in tho .North island, be stated, and it served U> immense amount of good grazing country. Auckland business houtus, recognising the immense future of this country were doing business \4O miles inside of the '1 araaaliti bvujuury. This, there/ora, was the eleventh hour in which Taraaaki business men co'iAd avail themselves of iue opportunity to secure what should be tueir trado. The bulk of tho land was taken up by Taranuki settler*' sons, und naturally their sympathies toy with Tarunaki.. They were severely namdicapped by tho warn of the uuiu, Ofaura itoad being completed through the Tangarakau Oorge. Itoo road was formed for dray traffic 66 inMes irom Stratford, then ten miles of a good pack trade on grade ;line iwtuch would not take much to wid<■ll to a ltift roudj), then lo miles of practically only, a pig track, and lastly yti miles of dray road aguiu lo Ongjarue. 'this showed only au

miles of a trade 1Q bo madg Witta ft good rood to connect, Central 'iaranaki wait Auckland and New - Plymouth. This would not be on exIK'uyivo connection. As an iDatanoc of tho importance of this rood ta birmerg In Taraoaki, Mr McCluggage mentioned the ditiorciice in tuo price of cattle in the .WajJtfLtA aai in this prov ncial uistnet, ana sum tho advantage, owing to want of connection, was absolutely l osb t0 iuranaki, Strong Arguments :ij favour o 1 this road were tlio many side roada branching off, and the railway which w fl ß being formad alow tfcto road. Fat lambs, beef and miittm could be sent, to Waiter* and :>ew in live hours as against iwo or si.\ days as at present, ««- wording to weuther. In the Tau/n----rakau distinct it was ostimated mat iliero were noarly 400sguare miles of coal of, he was informed, better quality than Mokau. The lZ conojuded: "Turanaki |jnckbloc<s nave been too long sadly uegloctod. "or many years we have boon endeavour ng to arrouae attention, but un to Uatoly , without avail, I emnot ondcrstand why the pioneers of t*. admirajoJe tounlry have been treat•lU ofty contempt, and left without, outside markets so lomr Ihis short-sighted und dilatory uo£ >.« lViranaki chief townste aslltfh ? ' v^ it as il '» to ihe<4aieof 11,0 country." Mr W, Kerr pointed out that about H*o years ago the matter wus represented to the Government, and a totally inadequate sum was on the estimates. Since then the needs of th« d strict bud ; but * inß toa«J of tho Government keeping up with the assistance had been in an lnvvrso lW°nH tho DtJOd ™ °' wttier». W f® Bunbril W severely from Uw want of a much more vigorous lotiding pdicy than had been Utopt L ®u aovernmcnt - (Applauw.) Ibougti tho railway was completed beyond Ongarue the arterial roads /or a m»? oU i railwa y wore unnk mov od: " That this ahamfojer of Comment strongly urns upon lAe Government tliu^eron^ lion of the Ohura and other arterial 1 roads in tbo district cannot lort« r be dolaywf without paralysing settle- i „ 016 P'ogreas of ' the dj,,. nioudy. mem^lcrs ' «*» carriad unani-

■Mr Morrison moved, and Mr QoldJ water seconded, a thanks lo Mr McCluggage for hrlnir m*the matter urUcfTot^ic^