RAIL AND ROAD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 200, 16 August 1940, Page 5

RAIL AND ROAD

: OPOTIKI CONTENTIONS ""HIGHWAY BUILDING A SHOCK3NG WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY" As . observed elsewhere im these columns, every question has at least two sides, and ?f the leading article in Wednessissue of the "Opotiki r JKfews" is any indication there is another side to the Solidly supported idea of a new main highway down the East Coast. As will be seen, the article, which is reproduced, "treats the proposition with un.'Compromising hostility. It states, inter alia, "If the popular tion of Opotiki and -were in the ten thousands, then a shorter highway might be necessary, but until that day ar ves there does not appear the slightest justification two highways between the two towns." It could be suggested, in answer, that the respective populations might well Teach the figure quoted if ai modern, first-class main highway were constructed. "The article reads:— No greater argument in favour of 'the reconstruction of the existing 'State Highway between Opotilci and "Whakatane could have beep given than the words used by the Hon. "R. Semple, Minister of Public Works, when he stated at Whaka"tane last week, that "The question was to build a road which gave the greatest service and greatest' convenience to the largest section of •ithe community." Cinderella District. This is the very argument that "has been consistently put forward by the Opotiki News when advocating the building of an up-to-date road between Opotiki and Tane--atua. It has been contended that the Opotiki district has been very 'badly treated in the way of attention to the State highway between "Whakatane and Gisborne, in view •of the fact that Opotiki County is vone of the few districts that has no rail connection. Residents who have 'travelled to ether districts have "watched up-to-date roads being con structed alongside railways while 'Opotiki district has been provided with neither railway nor a decent ~road. The Whakatane district has 'called itself the Cinderella of New Zealand. Yet anyone visiting the "Whakatane County and travelling over miles of tar-sealed highways •can only express wonder that any such claim can be made. Gisborne has also laid claim to being a Cinderella district, and anyone travelling between Gisborne and Napier < can realise that there is some justification for this claim as far as road communication is concerned. But here again a splendid railway ■"Is being provided, half of which is -already in use. One reason why the Opotiki-Taneatua State highway has been neglected is that the through ■traffic is not very great as compared with some other highways. The traffic on the road however, Is very considerable, being considerably higher than some districts .with a fairly high through traffic Tate. i ■ . Travelling the Road. Traffic from the eastern end oi T the Bay of Plenty is not southward to Gisborne," but northward to the Waikato and Auckland. For this reason the question of an improved highway between Opotiki and Wha katane is one that concerns Opotiki far more than it does Whakatane, -as very little Whakatane traffic comes over this road, while the •Op* v *ki traffic passing from Opothe Whakatane district is considerable in volume. The question of a shorter route to Whakatane is one that does not •concern Opotiki very much as nearly all Opotiki and Gisborne traffic goes beyond the Whakatane district, and travellers now nearly all miss out Whakatane borough by travelling the short cut from Taneatua to Awakeri, thus saving some eight miles on the present journey •to Rotorua. "A Shocking Waste." It has already been clearly pointed out by the Opotiki News that the existing Slate highway will always carry the bulk of traffic and even were another highway built it would carry very little traffic and would only be a needless luxury to suit the convenience of tourists who might be pleased to have a shorter route between Opotiki and Whakatane. If the population of •(Continued at foot of next column,)

Opotiki and Whakatane were in the ten thousands then a sliortei highway might be necessary, hut until that day arrives there does not appear to be the slightest justification for two highways between the two towns. The Opotiki News has stated previously that the build ing of another highway along the Coast would be a shocking waste of public money, but if such a work were undertaken during the progress of the Avar, it would be worse still. The Defence Business. To build a new highway through a town is contrary to all modern practice, whilst to suggest that a coastal highway would be of much use from a military point of view is equally foolish,, as it is against military strategy. To be of menace to New Zealand an enemy would have to control the seas surrounding the Dominion and a coastal highway would have little use from a military point of view unless it could be defended by the' heaviest type of naval guns. It is hard to imagine a dozen or two big guns ranged along the coast between Whakatane and Opotiki. It can be stated with, every con- 1 fidence that the residents of Opotiki have not had the" slightest iftv tention of pressing for the con-' struction of the Taneatua-Opotiki railway during the period of the war, but is relying on the promise of the Labour Government that the extension of the Main East Coast Railway will be honoured.