ALTERNATIVE COASTAL ROUTE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 36, 1 April 1942, Page 4

ALTERNATIVE COASTAL ROUTE

Sir—Residents of this part of the Bay of Plenty will appreciate your help in assisting to break the seal tn the road bottle neck at the upper Wairaana River, so as to allow the local people and Gisborne to help each other in case of an emergency. At present the only route is via the beach, where a length Ctf seven miles, between Waiotahi bridge and Opotiki town, would be easily within: the range of a light warship operating only a mile out from the beach. Between 15 and 20 years back, the question of completing the Waimana Road was well to the fore, but at that time we were asking for a connection between the Bay of Plenty and Waikaremoana electric power station, so as to ensure a continuous supply of power in case of a breakdown elsewhere. I enclose a newspaper cutting which gives a report of a meeting of the Bay of Plenty Development League held on 23rd August, 1927, when it dealt with this question and probably a reprint of part of it might interest your readers. . After £70,000 had been expended under the Public Works Department plans, Rotorua claimed that a road between Rotorua and Hawke's Bay via Lake Waikaremoana would be of moire benefit for tourists and succeeded in getting the work diverted and large sums, probably hundreds of thousands, Avere expended in making and widening the road to the lake. There is no evidence that the latter road will ever be used for farm production purposes, but no matter what Government is in power, help towards production for Empire building takes second place to supplying gratification or pleasure for tourists including foreigners collecting information. Something of the large sum spent up the Waimana River, could be retrieved, by making the short connecting link between the two dead ends of the inland roads, instead of allowing the formation to deteriorate nnd bridges built of Australian hardwood to rot. It must be noted that the present suggestion is not in any way connected with the original scheme of making a connection with the power station, but to make use of the present formed roads for war emergency purposes. Yours etc., ROBT, BLACK.