THE RECENT FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 May 1916, Page 6

THE RECENT FATALITY.

THAT DANGEROUS CORNER. In connection with the recent motor fatality on the Junction road and the Statement that the Taranaki County Council had endeavored to secure some land with the object of easing the corner, which had long been recognised as dangerous, but were unable to complete negotiations with the owner, as the price asked was considered too high, Mf. Arthur Marsh, owner of the land in question, detailed the negotiations to a News representative. He stated that about eleven months ago, just after there had been a collision at the same corner between a motor car and motor cycle, he was interviewed by the chairman of the County Council (Mr. Brown), Cr. Norton and the newly appointed engineer (Mr. Fisher). He' was told that the Council wns desirous of improving the corner by cutting it back 20ft and running out a distance of a chain each side, and he was asked what he would require for the necessary land. He replied, £4. The chairman considered the work could not be done, as the cost of the land, including survey and transfer, would be too high. Cr. Norton asked him if he was prepared to sell at valuation. He replied in the negative. He heard .afterwards that it was reported he asked at the rate of £4OO per acre for the land. If so, that meant its area was estimated by the Council at one hundredth part of an acre, which, at valuation, would mean about 2s. It meant, he said, considerable loss to him by the destruction oL at least two chains of live hedge, which would not he replaced though the Council had undertaken to fence the land. He considers that the land was well worth £4, seeing lit was two chain of frontage and moreover, the expenditure of that £4 should not have prevented the Council from doing a work that they considered necessary at a dangerous corner whon they had since undertaken the expenditure of a considerable sum in levelling the Mountain road beyond Tnglewood, which was a work that could easily have been held over until other more necessary works had been completed. Moreover, the erection of warning posts might easily have been undertaken by the Council. Statements had been made outside, that through asking an exortant price and thus preventing the work being undertaken, he was practically responsible for the fatality, and he wished to emphasise the fact that the price asked was only £4.