[October 6, 1926 – Auckland Star] The fact that Mt. Albert Road runs through three districts, namely: Onehunga, Mt. Roskill and Mt. Albert, has caused confusion in the minds of the public when corresponding with residents in the road. The Onehunga postal delivery extends from Royal Oak, Onehunga, to the Veterans’ Home and the public school. The Mt. Roskill delivery commences there and goes to the boundary of the district with Mt. Albert. The remainder of the road is served from the Mt. Albert post office.
The question of changing the name of the road from Royal Oak to the far boundary of Mt. Roskill was discussed last night by the Mt. Roskill Road Board. The chairman, Mr. J. J. Preston, thought the confusion in the postal delivery would not be remedied by merely changing the name of the road in Mt. Roskill. He suggested that the name of the road should be retained and called Mt. Albert Road East from Royal Oak to the Veteran’s Home, and Mt. Albert Road West for the remainder. Mr. L. A. Tozer thought a better way would be to number the houses from Royal Oak to the outward boundary. It was finally decided that a deputation, consisting of Messrs A. S. Belcher and K. Brewer, should wait upon the Onehunga postmaster to ask him if he could offer any suggestion on the subject.
PRIMITIVE ROADING
[April 26, 1930 – New Zealand Herald] Severe criticism is being levelled at the condition of the Mt. Albert Road between Epsom and Mt. Albert. On the western end half of the roadway is a main highway under the control of the Mt. Roskill Road Board and the other half an ordinary local body road, under the Mt. Albert Borough Council. The council’s portion has been concreted to half its width and the other half laid in bitumen. The Mt. Roskill side is one half scoria and the balance is grass. Naturally the traffic avoids the gravel and travels exclusively on the Mt. Albert side, involving undue maintenance charges on the borough. Mt. Albert has roped off the bitumen stretch, leaving a strip of concrete on one side and scoria on the other.
The position of the borough is a hard one and probably deserves sympathy, but the principle which allows a main thoroughfare to be roped off to the detriment and inconvenience of road users is an abominable one and should be capable of settlement. If adequate maintenance were adopted by the Mt. Roskill Board the position would be relieved, but except for one or two spasmodic efforts nothing of a serious nature has been attempted. Motorists naturally look to local bodies to give them a reasonable return for the rates and various taxes which they are railed upon to pay and public patience has just about reached breaking point.
The Main Highway Board has power to take over any highway where continued neglect of maintenance has been noted and it appears as if someone has not been pushing matters as strongly as might be possible. Other roads in the Road Board area are in a worse condition if anything and repeated requests from ratepayers have not brought the required relief. It seems to be apparent that the board is incapable of dealing effectively with its roading programme and that some overhaul of its methods is necessary. If, for instance, the overhead expenses of administration could be dispensed with and the district included in Greater Auckland there can be no doubt that ratepayers would secure a better return for their money.