EGMONT ROAD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 131, 21 October 1912, Page 7

EGMONT ROAD.

,N0 GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. It will be remembered that the state of the Egmont Road, the main route to the new Mountain Hostelry, came in for, very adverse comment from some of those who attempted to negotiate it 'by motor car" on the occasion of the recent visit of the Governor. The Moa Road Board had made representations to the Government for assistance in the matter, and at Saturday'!; meeting a letter was read from the Hon. Eraser, Minister of Public Works, as follows"Referring to the representations made by you at the instance of settlers, who urge that a grant should be provided for Lepper and Upper Egmont Roads, I have to state that a report has now been received from the Resident Road Engineer from which it* appears that the damage done to these roads by tourist traffic is quite immaterial compared with that caused bv the timber and dairy traffic. The Resident Road Engineer is of opinion that compared -with settlers on numerous other roads in the bacii blocks the settlers on r-lie Lepper and Upper Egmont Roads are well situated, and that the work of maintenance, is properly one which should be attended to by the local )>ody, 1 regrat that I am unable to favourably consider the application." Mr. Trimble considered that 'before being regarded as tourists people required to'live at the North Pole or some other remote spot. No person who lived about here was regarded as a tourist. He thought that the best way to obtain toll from those responsible for the damage done to the road by the motor traffic to the Mountain would be for the Board to request the North Mountain House Committee to raiise their toll rate. Mr. Williams remarked that it was stated that the milk traffic and not the motors did ihe damage. , He, however, pointed put that , on the recent visit of the Governor the motor cars just seooped up the holes, which the traps went through 'Without any trouble. It was, he said, the motor traffic and not the milk traffic that did the damage. On the motion of Messrs. Williams and Collingwood, it was resolved that the North" Egmont Hostelry Committee be asked to°raise their toll, the extra revenue raised to be allocated for maintainin"- the Egmont South Road outside of tlie° gate.