THE MAIN SOUTH ROAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 211, 5 March 1912, Page 7

THE MAIN SOUTH ROAD.

THE ELECTRIFICATION SCHEME. TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL MAKES A MOVE. Since it was outlined recently in the Dai.y News, the proposal to electrify the Alain South road has attracted considerable attention, and is now assuming definite shape. Yesterday it was advanced another st t >p by the Taranaki County Council, which passed the following resolution on the motion of Cr. D. McAllum who is standing sponsor to the scheme.— Ihat this council take the initiative in collecting such information as will enable it to arrive at some resolution as to the best method of coping with the increasing traffic on the Main South road ~-(l) by appointing the chairmaa and Crs. fetevens, Andrews and McAllum delegates of this council; (2) by inviting the co-operation of the Egmont and Waitaate West County Councils by appointing delegates; and (3) that these delegates meet in conference at the earliest possible date and at such place as may be agreed upon to discuss the traction i question, and if a suitable scheme should be evolved the same shall immediately I be reported to each council, and on con- i firmation the necessary steps be taken to give effect to it." | Prior to moving his resolution, Cr. McAllum gave councillors a comprehensive sketch of the proposition, touching upon a number of features not contained m his recent interview in this paper. Ine question, he remarked, was of the greatest importance to ratepayers not only of Taranaki, but also to those of the Egmont and Waimate West Counti' •-' ' He added that the problem of keep" • the Main South road open for tra' and in a passable state of repair h exercised the ingenuity of numerous councillors as well as others outside of the council. Each year saw an increased quantity of metal (this year no less than 2000 yards) placed on the roads; each year the ratepayers had to dip deeper into their pockets to provide the "needful, and each year the county found the funds at its disposal were inadequate to cope with the growing traffic. How was the council going to face the position? I

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. Cr. McAllum then quoted figures to show that even with the expenditure of £45,000 the road would be just as bad as ever in six or seven years' time. "I estimate," he said, "the wear of metal on the road to be about one cubic inch per annum. Now one cubic inch of metal on a 16ft. wide track equals 3y 4 cubic yards per chain, which work* out at 260 'cubic yards per mile, and this calculated over the mileage of the two ridings (18 miles 30 chains) means a loss of 4777% cubic yards each year, but as a matter of fact , the two ridings are getting 5500 cubic yards of metal laid down this'year to ! replace the loss, or«part of' the'loss of metal by wear, and that means a little over 1% cubic inches, or an annual expenditure of £2250, taking as an average : cost 8s- per cubic'yard for'the boulders, crushing, spreading, rolling and water cart If a further £2250 was expended on the road I question much if the road would be as good as it should be because of the traffic, which is increasing by leaps and bounds and which m accounted for by the better class of farming now obtaining and the consequent greater productivity of the soil. Jn the very near future, inside of twelve ihonths I hear, the harbor at Moturoa will be ready to berth the Home liners', and the traffic along the coast will be further augmented. • Therefore, gentlemen,' I dropped all idea of raising a loan for regradiTm -** -(.tailing as utterly out of the qmstion!" !

Continuing, he added that the E»mont Council is up against the same problem as the Taranaki County Council. KAILS NOT ROAD METAL. . ' . The only true solution of tie vexed question was rails and not road metal. A light railway would meet the position, but the Government gave no encouragement to such relief. It would.not build a railway itself nor allow private enterprise to do so. After suggesting "Why not get the Egmont and Waimate West Councils to co-operate with this council," Cr. McAJlum emphasised., thai there* were great possibilities in such a scheme, the principal of which would be the taking of the heavy traffic off the road, the providing of a regular service three or four times a day for passengers and mails, the supplying of motive power to the factories, milking sheds, and other industries, lighting by electricity for the ratepayers. To his mind very probably such a service would provide a sufficiency of revenue not only to pay interest and sinking fund maintenance and upkeep, but a profit which could be devoted to the keeping in repair of the Main road, thus relieving the ratepayers of a great part of the burden they now bear. "ITS AMBITIOUS. BUT IT IS COMMON SENSE!" "The scheme which I am propounding," added the speaker, "is ambitious; t, may I Bay very ambitious, but I am thoroughly convinced it is common sense. It will require money, much money, but I feel sure it will ultimately be of great financial benefit to the ratepayers. My idea is to lay a 2ft 6in rail track alongside the metalled road between Manaia, Opunake, and New Plymouth, a distance of approximately 57 miles, and procure the power at Bell's Falls by installing an electric generating plant. Bell's Falls is practically in the centre of the district, being about, as the crow flies, 20 miles from Manaia, 16 miles from Opunake, and 17 miles from New Plymouth. The fall of water is about 60ft, and ther.e is a good constant supply, which could generate an effective h.p. of 1500. However, this supply could be greatly, augmented by the building of a dam just above the falls, thus damming the water back over some hundreds of acres of swampy land. Below the falls on the south side of the river there are several acres of level land suitable for the erection of buildings for generating plant. £3500 PER MILE. "Taking the reports of similar schemes as a guide, I should think that £3500 per mile would about fill the bill, but of course this would have to bo gone into by an expert, if agreed to by the councils, so that a thoroughly competent and reliable report could be furnished. However, in the meantime, such figures as I have been able to collect will have to suffice, and please remember these figures are only approximte, but they include everything, that is, generating plant, cables for conveying current, a 2ft 6in guage track, and sidings, passenger , freight and live stock cars. The following is the proposed route and estimated cost, at £3500 per mile:—New Plymouth Post Office, via Devon street, to Bailey road, Imile 60 chains, £6125; Bailey road to Puniho road, 18 miles 10 chains. £63,437; loop to freezing works, via Barrett road, 60 chains, £2625; Puniho road to Rahotu factory, 9 miles 20 chains, £52,375; Rahotu factory to Daonui factory, 4 miles 60 chains, £10,625; Oaomii factory to Opunake, 4 miles 00 chains, £16,625; Opunake to joundary Waimate West County, 10 niles 20 chains. £35,875; boundary Wainate West to Manaia, 7 miles 20 chains, £25,375; engineering and contingencies, £10.938; total, £210,000." "The old adage (continued Cr. McAlum) says 'nothing venture nothing have.' ire we going to venture that we may lave? The principal difficulty is the inerest and sinking fund on the estimated" apital required, amounting to £10,500 ler annum, and for which we would ] lave to pledge our lands and the revenue ■*

of the enterprise. Could we do this? The interest and sinking fund required for the Taranaki portion of the scheme— I would give the figures for the whole of the districts affected only I have not got the capital valuations at my disposal, therefore take Taranaki as an examplewould amount to £3281, for which wo (would be required to pledge our lands to I the extent of 1 13-16 din the £. I say | we could do this, for I am firmly of the I opinion it would be more economical to | do so and have a permanent good done for j the district than to borrow £45,000, at ! the least, on which we would have to pay a special rate of iy 4 d in the £ for a period of 36 years to re-grade and metal the road, and in six years' time be up against the same problem we are trying to eludkate to-day. So, to use a homely simile, it is wiser to spend two shillings in one sum, and get some permanent result, than to spend twenty-four pennies at intervals and get no 'forrader.' By spending the two shillings .you earn a revenue to help repay the loan and improve the value of your lands, but by spending the twenty-four pennies at intervals you get deeper and deeper in the i financial mire, and the value of your lands thereby greatly depreciates. NO ESTIMATE OF REVENUE.

I have been unable to arrive at an i estimate as to the earnings of the enter- , prise because of the short time at mv disposal sinee the notice of motion was ( given The merchants of New Plymouth i sel their merchandise f.o.b. in the town, and therefore we have had to communieate with the various storekeepers along the coast as well as the factories, and uZ \ fe ? v T re P lles have so far come- to hand, but I am quite satisfied, if the Egmont and Waimate Counties fall in with the scheme, the revenue will be a freight, the factories are requirinff of coal, now that fire W °n 11 ??, ttmg , a scarce commodity." Cr. McAlhim then went on to move ki» motion, as already recorded

THE DISCUSSION. Pending investigation ty the committee, councillors refrained from discussing the scheme to any extent. It met with a very favorable reception, several members touching on its possibilities. U. late took the local Chamber of Commerce to task for not having moved m the matter. According to him, it had been blind to its own interests in not taking the initiative in the construction of a light railway line in South Taranaki. BolrdT mber: m&t about the Harbor Cr. McAllum, however, rejoined: "We are the people who have to keep the roads, and we have to look after them!" Inat .in his opinion, was the crux of the question. , ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE QUESTION.

PHE TRANSPORT WAGGON TRAFFIC In view.of the stress laid by Cr HcAJlum, on the excessive cost of the ipkeep of the Main South road, it is inXvw! *£ not s two COD ™unication ß rnich the Council received on the subect yesterday. In reply to the Council the secretary (Mr. H. Baily) of the .oast Transport Company, wrote string that the toll now proposed by the ounty was not in accordance with the arrangement agreed upon by the two >arties, and, further, that the draft tgreement for which he had written Council on two occasions had not 'et_ been submitted to him. Mr. Bailv eviewed the pasf; negotiations at length, md concluded by requesting to be at >nce supphed with a draft of the agreements as. arranged and, further, that he Council at once proceed to adverse the ; schedule rate of toll of 5s for *ch engine and 3s 6d for each trailer. Keportmg on the effect of the steam notor traffic upon the Main South road, • • hMm that lie had examined as far as Punilio, and •e was of the opinion that the .'wear -nd tear caused to the metalled road >y the two steam motors now in use ipon the South, road is greater than L V M y other traffic,, exceptng only the heavy traction engines vhich occasionally were seen. Mv t that S6Veral PO'Mons'oi Je road ] lad fro to two letntus or. pulverised metal, on the 'Urface at the present time, and whilst ie did not suggest this was all due to notors lie had never seen' so' much when ■here,-was practically only horse traffic. Joubtless the manufacture of cheese had wsed a much larger volume of traffic luring the last year or so, but whatevei ne cause it was obvious that the traffic rasmcreasiiig, and would in all prob itulity «ontinue to increase. He there he > Jiat, whilst the steam motors were mon 'evere on the road than the waggons is existing, the general increase in al Jlasses cf traffic must be principally re sponsible for the increased cost of main fcenance. The metal largely used on th, bouth road was very soft, and not wel suited for a road which had to carry th< whole traffic for a large area unservcc by a railway. - Without discussing the matter, Cr Andrews moved that Mr. Baily's lette should by on the table. The moti Ol was seconded by Cr. McAllum, who sau the Council had been treated with con tempt. The motion was carried unan mously.

Arising out of the engineer's report, Cr Andrews said that the Council now had the whip over the Transport ComwVv th ! Sh , ape of ihe t0 ». «">d the best thing to do was to keep it there, S f'l s TT,° f Cr ' McAllura the gist of Mr. Sladden's report was that extensive damage had been done to the roads, but the difficulty was to prove it. The matter was not further discussed