The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1912. SOLUTION OF A PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 208, 1 March 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 1912. SOLUTION OF A PROBLEM.

In the maintenance of the main arterial roads the local authorities of Taranaki are faced with an exceedingly difficult problem. Take, for example, the Main South road between New Plymouth and Opunake. Every year eees more money Spent upon its maintenance, and every year sees it in a worse condition than before, until at present the county councils are faced with an expenditure truly appalling in extent to put the road in decent condition. The situation would not be so bad if this expenditure would provide a permanent road surface and that the cost would be the last cost. But experience has shown that the roads have a very short life, and must be renewed every five or six years. The wear and tear is becoming greater year by year. It is the inevitable result of closer and better farming. More goods are required by the greater number of people on the lands; the use of fertilisers is growing; the products from the land are increasing, and are likely to increase still more with eo many factories turning from the manufacture of butter to the more profitable product of cheese. What is the case on this side of the mountain is the case on the other side; indeed, the problem is more acute there, for the land as a whole is better and consequently more closely settled. What is to be the ultimate outcome? Can the lands affected bear heavier and heavier imposts for road maintenance? There surely must soon come a time when the strain will reach the breaking point. We have always held the opinion, and given voice to it in these columns, that relief from this growing burden is'to be found not in continually investing in more road metal, but in a system of light tramways over the present roadi and bridges. Re-metalling is but a palliative, and an expensive one at that. We are pleased to notice that Councillor McAllum, of the Taranaki County Council, is interesting himself in the matter. He'suggests a scheme of electric traction between here and Opunake.J* It is a bold scheme certainly, but when all the facts are studied it will be found not nearly so formidable as it may appear at first glance. We would like to see the scheme embrace the country between New Plymouth and Hawera or Eltham, . but the southern people have been discussing the subject for so long without acting that it would be inadvisable to await aetion on their part before proceeding with what is of immediate concern to us. Cr. McAllum thinks that the necessary power eould probably be obtained from Bell's Falls and the watercourses in that vicinity. This opinion is held by others who have an intimate knowledge of the locality. One gentle-

ma* who has made a study of the subject assures us that enough power could be generated from these falls, with the contiguous waters diverted to them, as would supply electricity for the whole of Taranaki. This, however, is a matter for experts. We do not know the cost of laying the rails, but if the sidetracks and present bridges are utilised the cost should not be above £2OOO a mile. Assuming this to be the case, the total cost would be in the proximity of £30,000, added to which would be the ccst of generating the power. Petrol, of course, could be used instead of electricity, and this would reduce the capita' cost. Petrol-driven cars of a new design are said to be working successfully in England, and before long full information regarding their operations will be in the hands of the local Borough Council, who, in anticipation of establishing tramways in the town, cabled for them a short time ago. When one considers that the Egmont County Council alone are talking of raising a special loan of £40,000 to repair or renew the road, it will be seen that the financing of a scheme of tramways is quite within the realms of practicability. The Taranaki County Council, even with its toll-gate, will, with the present wear and tear of its portion of the road, soon be faced with the question that now confronts its neighbor. Apart from the necessity for action on the part of the local bodies concerned to put the road in something like permanent order, there is the consideration that if electricity could be successfully and economically generated from the mountain falls, a good deal of revenue could be derived from the sale of current to the dairy factories and private people along the line of route. As Cr. McAllum states, if the county councils interested will appoint committees the whole matter could be threshed out, and if favorable to it expert opinion obtained as to its practicability. We trust Cr. McAllum will keep pegging away until the councils take action in the desired direction.