MAIN ROADS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 294, 15 May 1914, Page 6

MAIN ROADS.

PEESKNT WASTEFUL SYSTEM. MR. 0. K. WILSON INTERVIEWED. I'UKLIC WORKS BOARD ADVOCATED. Mr. ('. K. AVilsitm. member forTaumarumui, wlio is well-known as an enthusiastic advocate of a -vigorous policy of backblocks development, made some interesting observations On the fjiibjeet of roading when he was interviewed by a Dominion reporter. "After all that has been said by myself and others about back-Mocks) roads," said Mr. Wilson, "it seems quite superfluous to repeat that an urgent necessity still exists for a progressive policy in this direction. If a .comprehensive system of 'back-blocks roading had been adopted year 3 ago large sums of money wou'd have been saved and settlement would have been advanced by many years. In travelling through the out-back districts, some practical knowledge is necessary to enable one to realise, the amount of money that 'has been expended ,or [uselessly'sunk without giving any real advantage to anybody. You will find ! roads laid off and pegged, and such money as was available spent on formation, .but that was so little that there was never any possibility of completing the work. What was the tue of pegging off the whole length in such cases? Work is discontinued probably for a couple of years, and then laying off is started again. This procedure has been gone through fire or six times in places where the road is still uncompleted. Also I can point out roads that have' 'been formed and graded as many as four 'times, and the rest of the grant spent on as much metalling as it would eover, the remaining unmetalled portion being in a worse condition for traffic after such formation than before. The next year, after the winter's wear and tear, the j-ond has to be re-formed before ) metalling can proceed, and so on each time there is a grant. Anyone ean sec I the advisability and wonomy of crownling, making and metalling as much permanent roading as the money in hand .would permit. Jn other cases a road is 'laid off through a block. A section ia \ completed, then a gap is left untouched, J another portion completed, and ani other gap untouched, or partly formed, and in some roads there are so many un- . finished gaps that the road is rendered {quite useless. Sometimes!.you will find a (cutting half through, and the work then iabandoned. WEIGHTED LANDS.

"Tlio blocks of' which I speak," said Mr. Wilson, "are Government settlements, and very few people other than the settlers know that when the land was taken up it was weighted 'with so much per acre for the purpow of forming their roads. If this money is wastefully spent it mean* that the settler is i paying interest for that which he does I not get. There are cases in which setI tiers have paid interest for so long as | ten years, and still have nothing 1 but a ! bridle track, and there are settlers who cannot even boast of that for their money. Now the cause of all this dis- ! order is of long standing, and is not I seen at first sight. First there in the [ want of a system, u continuous proi gressive, system. Why should not roadn Ihe made on a system with continuity |like any other (iovernment undertaking l —railways, buildings, etc.? i will give two illustrations. The eost of straightening the llutt railway was estimated at | £IIO,OOO. As the wov'k proceeded it be- , came obvious that it would cost consider'ably more, and £300.000 was needed for its'completion, but for all that (being a railway) the work was pushed on to a finish without a break Observe the difference where a railway is concerned. The main road from WaiUna to Te Kuitt, being the arterial road from Taranaki to' Auckland, and rattled along its full length, has, under the pice-meal system, been over twenty years under construction. Yet at a very short distance from either terminus the rend is still for tlic greater nart of Ihe year useless During these twenty years under the Government grant system u certain amount of money has ibeen spent spasmodically every year, part of each new grant being spent in putting in order the work of the previous year, to say nothing of the large nums spent every winter in 'fascining.' that is. laying bundles of manuka m' the worst mud holes to permit of immediate traffic. In fact, enough money has been spent to .have completed the road if tenders had been called or the work undertaken on a proper system. The road to Ohura and other im]>ortant roads in my district have been treated in the same way. And I repeat again that hail a continuous system ob..a ned the .i-i !< :n.],l havo been completed as motailci highways for the money already spwU. CAUSES OF WASTE

■'Another vital cause of waste is tlii.s: The date at which Fallianicnt passes the appropriations ia altogether too late. Road work done in early sunuii 'V stand*, twice as well as that done in autumn, hut under the present system th<v grants are not available until the end of the session, and work does not start, till well after the new year. .Still another wasteful itenr is the constant pitching and striking and rcpiU-hing and re.striking of camp.-:. For every new grant, however small, a new tamp must be established and new men brought in. Consequently another slice of the giiittl goes in getting things ready for the j»b. Realise that, as settlement goes on (the name system prevailing), the demands for loading tire increasing annually. We are to-day fully five years behindhand in our obligations in' road-making and every additional Woek opened adds an additina! burden. .How is it possible that -any Government should get abreast of it by moans of tin-pot grant*? And of what use will even a ltiilli'on loan be unless we can do something to systcmatise road-making and eliminate the wasterful piece-meal ex|H'nditinv? If -Mr. JVJassey sees lib way to carry out the- proposal to borrow specially ftiV tlii; purpose, the. money eannt possibly bear its full fruit, to the settlers unless a comprehensive schein,. i s first, laid down. Itwill be necessary t „ carefiilly dctciiiiine all over the Dominion |.,.f l)ri . n,,, money is raised which works have moot urgent claim.*, and yet an aeeiirale ••stiinale of the cost „f c.i.-h work. The proposal should | l( . !,i „>.,^1,(. ,|, IW „ „,,„[ Mibmitted to I'arliameut'in r ,,,| ti.me so that the work may be proceeded with. !""'■ towards (Ik | „!' t!„. siminie:' l„,t Hi the early part of the season.

-*. n.A.SSI!.'II!ATI()X IiOAHS). •■•V- iWliKi.l t .'V|.,.il.!i-;?,.-...'- 1-<M,{.T.,,, ( . ( 1 ■iv. ~„n. -until „ proper s , vsl ,,„, is '.''' .' '' u Mi'itc "vlili-nt thiil. the nxid- ■>: )>.iek-l,: w ks will remain !i(|..)t.|.... s |v :in«-:irs. ],, ,|,.t.-i-:nini, l;i how ' ~„„„.;. ■"' '"• -|»'nt. the lirvt movciirlli-. new • der o! tiling mnsl be r!-ls,.i|i,-;;,i,.„. A llDlil'd 01 ("•(Hlllllissioil. SIS-.MJ- 1 f ( f ',, v | os ..,j bodies, must, 1,,. M .|, ~., t „ ( .| ;l^i , fv (| ' |( , developments need' uf dislrv! ; Viroi-d "»S to nr; ; em-y. The work- must 1.complete.!, „, ~,.,1,,,. ~,• m - ( -l-,.,-< !,<-... i„ liiul noun, ami (hut siriiiyhl on w1,!,. 0111 il !>H)|I oilier tllltll I.lm' 5ei15115'.„.,'.,,,,.' sitiile. As work prore ds :t tion will !,.. ticeciSiirv. When ' I'irMi" iiionl lins determined the. amount i.i money for sueh public worth, tlie distribution should be in the. hands of ■> I'ublie Works Board, forwistiiiß v,i two