The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24. THE OHURA ROAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 24 April 1907, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24. THE OHURA ROAD.

With feeling of the greatest satisfaction wo voiituio to believe, Crown settlers .unl ratepayers in the Whamtaniomomi .iistriet, ami, indeed, throughout the whole of the back country, learned v«-s----tenhiy of the intentions'of the .Minister for Public' Works regarding the Olmra road. From Ihe outset we strongly protested against the perpetration ill .my such injustice as was believed to be ill coiiteiii|ilalion liy (he Minister. Mr. llall-,ioncs lias now mot the district in a fair and reasonable spirit, and as the County Council may he relied on to keep the Acting-I'reniior to the levins 'if his bargain, the settlers should have Utile reason to regret that the misunderstandiiig occurred. The principal point on which n clear statement was wanted was the Covcrnment's intention regarding the metalling of the umnetallcd portion's of the road, a distance-, exclusive of I lie Saddle, of ahont eleven miles of the distance between Stratford and Whangainoinoiia. Nothing could be clearer than the .Minister's pronouncement that he never had the slightest intention of saddling the scMl'ers and the euiinlv with that obligation. His requirements regarding maintenance, brielly put. are

that the County Council should relieve the Department of the ■•tinkering" work of maintaining the unmelalled portion, with the obje-t iliat all mom v w.icd for tin? road in future shall be wholly expended in pushing on with the metalUm: until the metalled ends have been joined up. The Council has also been assured that should the burden, through unforeseen circumstances, become ton heavy, the Government will assist by subsidy to the extent of C for .€. The. Ministers undertaking to continue to maintain the dreaded "Whanga Saddle" relieves the Council of a burden which it viewed with the gravest apprehension. The Council, of course, assumes control of the metalled portion of the road, not previously under their charge, forthwith; and to that no exception can be taken. On the Minister's general statement regarding his mailing policy we entirely agree, provided he proves his sincerity by action, and in view of the business-like manner in which lie discussed the matter with the Councillors we have little reason to doubt that the immediate work of proceeding with the metalling will be allowed to lag. It is essential, however, that the rate of progression must be accelerated, and we trust that the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones will have his forces niartialled ready for vigorous work with tin: opening of next season's nietallin.-; weather. The matter is entirely in his hands, and as the report of the proceedings indicated, settlers may, almost with confidence, look forward to an earlier linking up by macadam road of Stratford ami W'hangainouioiu. than a few weeks ago they dared hope. And (hat it is so, we believe, the ratepayers have in no sn.ail measure to be thankful lo the businesslike spirit in which their representatives met the Minister.