ROAD OR RAIL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 29, 28 June 1939, Page 5

ROAD OR RAIL

A STATEMENT FROM OPOTIKI BOTH SCHEMES FAVOURED In a letter to the "Opotiki News" Mr T. G. Johnstone, president ol the Opotiki Branch of the New Zealand Labour Party, says that he read with interest the leader' on Monday, June 19th and would like space to comment on it a little. In the first placc the people of Opotiki have not and never had to choose between railway and road as stated in I he County Council meeting, as both are essential and will be constructed as promised. As regards thc Wainui road,- Mr Semple said three years ago that he would not build it the way the settlers wanted it (the old Wainui track), but he would build a road through Ohope and if possible over Ohiwa river; failing that a road would have to be found inland a bit. "Mr A. G. Hultquist, M.P. has always been in favour of that main i\)ad ever since he became member for the district and very many of us are in agreement with him and 1 think it very uncalled for to accuse him of favouring Whakatane because he happens to live there," says Mr Johnstone. ''Everyone knows that he does the best he can for his electorale and has to work for the best results: for instance he worked hard to get the aerodrome in Opotiki a.s he considered it more suitable than Whakatane. <4 You state that a main highway along the coast would be of no use from a military point of view on aci count of its vulnerability. That road would be just as safe as the Waimana road as if attacks came they would be from the air and the Waimana gorge is as vulnerable as .my place. ''Mention was made that the local branch of the Labour Party members strongly urged that the OpotikiTancatua highway be attended to. That is so, but the Labour Party here have always been assured that the Ohope road was going through, and we want to see the Taneatua road made into a good road, which it andoubtedly will be. "In the matter of roads we haveto look at it from a national viewpoint and not just a local one. Mr Semple is out to cut down the travelling distances from the various towns and the surveys already taken between here, and Tauranga will mean a saving of something like thirty miles when the roads arc completed. I think that when a public meeting is called Hon Mr Semple and Mr Hultquist will get a great deal of sup port in Opotiki both for the railway and the Ohope road," concludcs Mr Johnston.