Improvement to South Road.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7894, 9 August 1905, Page 2

Improvement to South Road.

Opesiog Up of Road Advocated. With rcferoncc to tho propos<il to ninko a (loviation to improve tho gradient 0 n too coast rood, the Chairman of the Tnrariaki County Council (Mr Jl. Okcy) ronortc<l at Mon-

li'v's nicotine that ht\ in qotn]>any with Cr. Oniy, Mr J. skinner (onfcjmce.- U> the Council 1 ), and Mr Mm ray, of tho Honda Departing., had mode an inspection of t,'io proposed deviation for South Road. The conclusion they had come to. said lhu Chairman, was that the deviation outlined \va* not a work that the Council could take up. Tho scheme would be ve/y cosily, and the to hj« deriv-

Ed were not, in their op.inion, sufli-,-iciit to warrant the outlay of such i sum. | Cr. Oiyiy said that the scheme. ' which fiamc before the ('ouncil at its i st iviecting, w\\s "most impracticable" for the Council to undertake. Th* ■ loviation would never do at. all, hut some ol the grades on tho present road could be limproved al a reasonable cost. To ro inland into the Koru country would be fmanciul suicide,

Tho Chaii-man said that some letters had appeared in th« press ad voc-itinft* tac Carrington 'Road, but he would point out that this was quite a difiera:i|t route, and could not bone* lit the ratepayers this side of the Stony River. The modified scheme, 1 that would Come up in report, for the benefit of the ratepayers in this * part of tho distr ct. So far as Carrington Road was concerned, however, the Chairman was quite certain that was the road the

Government should put through, as it would open up n flood deal of country and relieve the traffic to ft great extent 011 tho coast road. The. disrict branch of the. Farmers' Union advocated this road, and indicated that thty ayouM not object to rated for n road between New Plymouth and Rahotu. New Plymouth would reap 'the whole benefit of opening up Carrington Road 'between h.«re and Opunake. This was the feeling of the settlers of the district, and he was r-ither surprise! the in a titer had

not been taken up iby the Cltomlber of Commerce. Both the South Koad improvement and this road re'ded to lie carried out ; he considered the first was a matter for the Coui.cil and the

second for the (Jovemment. Cr. (Jr-jy safl ttyat luiny settlorshad taken u,:» land on th ■ distinct | fiudrrslanf-i tluil Cuvrini;ton Roar' vvouM ie !• an arUrial k ad. 'IV (Jo\oinni : -':it iv.'d proken faith with those p.-ojilc and leany of them wen in a destitute condition t;irouijh havi to abandon thtfir holding after years of toil, it was impossible for people to do any good with land without roads, and he asserted, there were p'mces on the track that a "Hyin.r hli'd could net get, Ihrough." FI" considered that the deluded vlct:ms sV nld <Jome forward in a hody tnd protest against the action of the Government in not fulfilling its promise. lie supported the route nlso s on fie grounds advanced by the Chair-

A resolution was carried unnni;i'i,• sly j«)ir,tin>? out the advantages .'f the Kond route for the h'vivy traffic between Opunake, and impressing on th;" Government the urgent. necrtwitv of oper|in< up t ! his rniwl for the reasons onum >rntod. It was ded.led to forward copies of the rcN-ilution 'to tho Taramki Chamber of (.'oimnece, the Eftinolit County Council, the Sew Plymouth lioroui:h Council, and the Pnrihalta Hoad Hoard, asking for their co-operation The O'uirman. mentioned that he understood the Government intended (o spmtl £ISOO on along -.his line, and he hoped th>i* was the faicrun 1 .er (if road . construct ion.

The. Enciti er (Mr. John Skinner) roportvd ; that, ns -instructed by the Ciairman, he h|ad tpikon a survey for a prrntlo on Uoth silk's of tho TapuiUriver on the South Road, with n view to deviating tli« road.

After pointing out, that Jioth these deviations would too crooked for n milS' road. the Engineer said lie hiui decided to recommend cuttinA' down the present mail to a fade <H<ial to that »it the Hcrekawa Hill, Omiita, 'a»'.l tilliiV? 1 111 * )"'V<;r to a h i','ht of fifteen feet. nhove the present, bridge. This work ca<i. be. done without stopping tratlic and, with the tii] Wei, should not cost more* than th« sum estimated to do the work of cutting down the hill and! making tin tunnel, \•)/.., £1200.' These grades would he to those obtaining on the now Carrington Road awl better than many leading out of New Plymouth;

On t\ie motion of the Chairman it was resolved to pet out specifications for cutting tflown the Tapuac Hill on the present road in accordance the engineer's recommendation. This Would bri>ig the grade down to one in lf>, at fi cost of £I2OO. It was decided, also, to K a vo alternative specificatisons for catting dowtj* the road on the Oakura Hill deviatiot'v o* Morris' side. The estimate for this Work was £BOO,