BACK COUNTRY SETTLERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 May 1938, Page 8

BACK COUNTRY SETTLERS

BETTER ROAD ACCESS WANTED. PETITIONS TO FEATHERSTON COUNTY. The question of giving improved road access to back country settlers was considered., at today’s meeting of the Featherston County Council. Petitions asking that provision be made for all-weather roads to the Tuturumuri Settlement and White Rock were received. Reference was made by the settlers concerned to the difficulties and hardships experienced during the winter when the roads were impassable for weeks at a time. Councillors agreed that improved access was very necessary and desirable. Councillor I; McLeod said that the trouble at Tuturumuri was that when the Lands Department cut up the settlement no survey or provision for roads was made. An endeavour was now being made to foist the matter on to the council which would have to pay the Lands Department for any land taken for road improvement. It would be an awkward job now, but would have been comparatively easy in the first place.

Referring to the White Rock road petition, the chairman, Mr Q. Donald, said it was a question of whether the council should not endeavour to secure a grant and bridge the streams on the road, as the land was bound to come on to the market sooner or later. It would probably cost up to £6OOO to construct two of the bridges. It was eventually decided that Mr Donald, Councillors McLeod, and A. B. Martin, together with a number of settlers interview the Ministers of Public Works and Lands with a view to obtaining, if possible, monetary asistance towards providing better road access to back-block settlers.