STRATFORD DISTRICT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 199, 27 September 1909, Page 3

STRATFORD DISTRICT.

ITS llEy UII{E.\IEX Is. DEPUTATION WAITS OX HON R ■McKENZIK. The Hon. R. McKenzie, who was in the Stratford district on Friday and Saturday, was waited on l,y a deputation desirous of bringing under his notice certain public matters of local importutice, 1

The first rcouest preferred was for the Ministers assistance towards the speedier spelling uy for settlement of the \\ hakailiuwaka and Taumatahoe blocks.

The Hon. R. McKenzie, in reply, said that although lie fully sympathised with the struggles of the settlers, lie did not see how the obtaining of the grant of £ISOO asked for by .Mr. Marchant was going to belli the further back settlers a great deal. As far as he could judge fioin what had been said the l'oad would cost something like JLIOOO a mile—a rather expensive undertaking, and while it v.-.'.s tile Government's intention to give every settler a road to his holding as so..n .is possible, it could not command ail unlimited amount v- money for the purpose. All he could promise was that i:e would lirst obtain a renort from the Survey Department, and then if he found he could do anything me deputation might depend on his assistance towards getting tiie grant of £1.30(1, as the County Council's ellort to contribute a like amount showed the settlers desired to help themselves. If it «ere found that the road would benefit the Lands Department, valuable assistance might be obtained through a eontributi<ii from that Department. As soon as lie went back to Wellington he would have a report on the matter prepared. The deputation next urged the desirability of a different Saturday timetable on. the lluiroa-Stratford railway, wli::h, th ( . deputation claimed, "was tt present useless to dairy farming settlers along the line, on' account of the inconvenient time-table.

The Minister considered it rather unnecessary to thrash this matter out at the present time, as a further section of the line would probably be opened at an early date. Th c present service had no doubt been arranged to suit men working on the line, and experience all over Xew Zealand had shown t!:at settlers did not patronise a railway in preference to driving when the distance to ■be covered was less tba n twenty miles. I Personally he had nothing to do with such matters, but on his return would j place the deputation's representations before the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Railways.

Mr. (i. A. Marehant then gave some particulars in regard to the deplorable state of the road over the Strathmore Saddle, and requested that the Government make a grant towards either the cost of metalling this piece of road or of driving a tunnel through the hill. Mr. Mclvenzie undertook to have inquiries made concerning the matter, but pointed out that settlers further out would naturally receive more sympatjy I ban those who were alongside a railway line, lie would, however, have re|iort made, and, as the piece which required .metalliii!; was only about a mile in length, would admit that it should be done, though he could not promise anything substantial.

Mr."Trimble, on behalf of the Moa Road Board, requested some assistance towards the cost of keeping up the Lepper and Eginont roads, which, it was claimed, were considerably damaged through tourist traffic to Mount Egmont. Mr. Trimble frankly admitted that he did not consider his case a strong one—an opinion with which the Minister entirely concurred.

A further request preferred bv Mr. Trimbl e was for some assistance towards the completion of metalling on Lincoln. Richmond and York Roads, a loan of £3300 raised for the purpose havinp lieen insufficient to complete it. Tin cost of completion was estimated at

£9OO. The Minister agreed that it was rather luird on those settlers who lmd contributed towards the raising the loan without having been fully benefited thereby. He thought that those settlers who had received full benefit from the

loan might help those wha had not done so. He would have the matter reported on and laid before Cabinet, and perhaps a t for £ subsidy towards the completion of this work might be granted.