ROADING THE BACKBLOCKS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 28 March 1907, Page 2

ROADING THE BACKBLOCKS

INTERVIEW WITH Tllli ACTIXU- / PREMIER. THE OHUKA ROAD, Thu Acting-Premier, the lion. W. Hall-Jones, was interviewed by the Wellington "Post" on Monday segardi'ig the propsal to hand the Ohnra road over to the Stratford County Council for maintenance. Mr Hall-Jones said:— ''l am sure there, is some misapprehension with regard to the actual position. Since, taking over the control of the Roads Department 1 have consistently endeavored to improve tile position of the back-block settler, m.l with this object in view, unless there are very exceptional circumstances, when a road is formed by the Department it is handed over to the local authority to maintain; that is, to

maintain in the condition in which it has been handed over. The posit ion in regard to the Ohnra road is as follows; —J-'rom Stratford to a distance of l(i miles 10 chains has already been bunded over to the county for maintenance; fijoni 10 miles II) chains to 22 miles i-

In process of being banded over. Al! this portion (22 miles) is either metal led or under a contract to be me;ailed: Then from 38 miles 0 ehirns to 44 mile: 8 chains, as a continuous piece of me

tailed road, will bo ready to hand over to the county by the end of this month. Whangnmomona Village is 'n this length at about 41'/, mile. peg. During the last two years moalling contracts have been lot amounting to ,e:i4S<i lil's 9(1. The unnietallcd' portion of the road is all at, the present 'time in good fair order. Willi road works in hand in the

back-blocks throughout the colony,'' continued the Minister, "(he sum available for each work is not large and permits of only a limited amount of work, either formation or metalling, to be done each year. Now the question asserts itself whether in addition to form iug a road, and in some cases niotiillhi" or assisting in metalling it, is it, the

duty of the State to maintain the formation when once it is completed? It U right to leave this work of iniiinlemine,to the local authority which is collecting rates from the settlers in the locality. In the particular ease of the Oliura load—and 1 wish to make a point of this—there is no unoccupied Crown laud adjoining the road, uor is there any native land. Thus the whole of the' land

adjoining the road is paying rates lo ihe local authority. The local authority has i'ov real's been collecting rales from the settlers oil the Olnmi load, but have spent none of (bat money on the portion of tile road which it is proposed to hand over for maintenance. "Wince taking charge of the I'oads Department I have frequently discussed (.bis matter with"the County Councils and settlers, ancf eventually all have admitted that (he course I am taking is tiic right one, as it enables the mailing of bock-blocks to be carried out more expeditiously than under the, old system. It is Hot right that (lie taxpayers throughout the colony should have to maintain roads which have been once formed, such as that new refi'rrcd to. If the maintenance of formed roads by lh> (iovernment became a general practice there would be a protest from end of the colony lo the other against the heavy expenditure. My experience with ii county not far from Startford County, and in my opinion one of the best managed counties in the colony, has been that they are always willing and desirous of taking over formed r,oads, and they do the metalling largely by raising loans under the Loans to Local Bodies Act, together with what assistance J am able to render them. The result is that the progress made within that county during the last two or thro-i years has been most satisfactory. The outstanding advantage in handing over to the local authority for maintenance a road which has been formed is (bat it enables any moneys which may be voted from time to time by Parliament to be expended on further formation ii'.d metalling instead of going in maintenance of opened roads —a duty clearly belonging to the local authority collecting the rates. J am sure that the good people of Stratford when they understand the position will recognise that the course I am taking is one which is in the best interest of the back-block settler and the progress of their district."