OUR ROADS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 118, 5 October 1912, Page 8

OUR ROADS.

MOTOR PARTY'S EXPERIENCE. The prophecy in Wednesday's News that the Yioe-Regal party would experience som® of the discomforts -of Taranaki's bad roads en route to the opening «l the new Mountain House \va* amply fulfilled yesterday. A numbei of cars set out, and all went well until Egmont Village was left in the wake, and the cars, with His Excellency in the van, were abreast of Mr. Olsen's property. Here the trouble began. A string of deep ruts and mud-holes- lay fairly ia the track of the motorists. It was bump, bump, bump! and then a fullstop. A momentary -delay, and the caravan again commenced to carefully pick its way forward-. The road was truly awful, for all the world like a slice of the old Whanga Saddle or the roadless North. Several autos with the help of the lusty shoulders of a number of settlers successfully ran the gauntlet, and were soon bowling over -a good hardsurfaced road, for the bad' patch was not very extensive. Others were less fortunate. The steering-gear of -one car went amiss while the ■vehicle' was investigating the muddy depths of a particularly healthy-sized) hole. A few seconds later another motor gave up the ghost with some internal complaint or the other. Fearful of the consequences, the driver of a third would not tackle the proposition. Ahead he saw a «ea of mud-holes; behind lay New Plymouth, and comfort. One last, long lingering thought of the banquet at the hostel, so near and yet so far away, and lie and his freight regretfully turned tail and made for home. Meanwhile, one of the two stranded parties unlisted the services of Mr. George and his waggon, and made slower but surer progress, eventually calling a halt at the Kaimiro Post Office. Here they waited for four hours for help, which never came, from the more successful, or rather lucky motorists who reached the mountain. Eventually the party succeeded in getting a buggy in- which to return to town, which they Teached after seven o'clock. The other disabled car effected repairs and resumed ite journey. Its occupants, however, were under an unlucky star. Two miles up the mountain track the ear again came to a sudden halt, blocking all traffic for several hours. Of the journey itself, His Excellency and many others, who made the trip will carry lively recollections, long after all memories of the function proper have passed away. "If Egmont Village does not get a Government subsidy for its road after the rough handling of the Vice-Regal party," remarked one farmer, "we will give up hoping. For us it has been a great stroke of luck. Nothing I better could have happened. Our only regret is that the. Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Road Board were not there to gain a finst-class knowledge of the disgraceful condition of the roads. It is not that we do not pay for better . roads. I myself am paying in the f on the capital value in special rates to maintain the bog in question."

Another settler remarked that after this perhaps the Tourist Department oar the Mountain House authorities would contribute something to the road of which they made use.

Approached by a News reporter, a member of the Mountain House ComI raittee was very wrath about the condition of the road, which, he sought to explain, was no fault of that body. He added: that on Tuesday last three memibers of the committee interviewed a member of the Moa lload Board and asked if something could be done to temporarily repair the worst patches o-f the road. They stated that if the Board could undertake the work the committee would bear the expense. In reply they were given an 'assurance that the particularly bad spots would be repaired by Friday. Judge their surprise, then, on traversing the road yesterday to find it practically impassable, not a hand's turn having been done on it. It would not have been so bad, commented the committeman if the boles iliad been filled up with even a few fascines.