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Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1920, Page 2

The steady volume of traffic on the overland route just now r warrants some attention on the part of the authorities to the improvement of the transport service. The coaches are proving inadequate in ’ number to cop© with the passenger and mails traffic. It was suggested at the meeting of the Progress League this week that the branch should support the efforts at Greymouth to get traction provided through the Otira tunnel as soon as possible. If the rails could be linked up, tho electric motors could relievo the coaches of the mails and luggage and probably of some of the passengers. The traffic on the route is growing quite beyond the resources of the coach traffic, which owing to the near approach of the completion of the tunnel must be limited, of necessity, as the contractors could not be expected to add largely to their plant at this eleventh hour. Such being the case the Government should step in and devise means to lessen the congestion. The position arising is something of an object lesson as to the abnormal growth of traffic which will result from an improved means of direct communication between the East and West Coasts in passengers alone. It frequently happens that the Public Works Department takes up the matter of facilitating transport before a. line is handed over to the Railway Department. At special seasons of the year this will be necessary so far as tho Otira traffic is concerned. It will be some time after the interior tunnel works ar© completed before the outside work will be in proper working order, but all the time tho passenger traffic will l>e growing too. It is therefore necessary for the authorities to set about devising some plan' of notion to relieve the congestion, and the suggestion now made is a timely one and should be followed up vigorously. At Tuesday night’s meeting the local branch of tho Progress League on a. suggestion from South Westland, showed a friendly disposition to tile proposed timber development at Jackson Bay. Some particulars of this large project have appeared in print already, and it will be recalled that a development scheme on a large scale is purposed if the requisite timber rights can bo obtained. Unfortunately the rights are directed or rather controlled by the Forestry Department which is not very anxious apparently to grant any timber cutting rights in that remote locality. As in Southland, so here the people might well complain of the delay of the Forestry Department in disclosing its policy in regard to the utilisation of territory which otherwise will he waste. Tf industry were permitted a fhrge area could be operated on, and a permanent settlement provided for. The Forest impolicy appears to be largely of a negative character, except so far as organising a large and costly Department. Public opinion should assort itself in reward to the position when the Government as a whole will be brought to a. sense of what is at stake. The financial stringency now being experienced and the difficulties ahead, call for all the reproductive and industrial development it is possible to create by legitimate means. That being so there is every reason why outside capital for the opening up of the south country should be encouraged rather tlinn blocked or other wise hampered. Westland folk who have faith in their district should wake 'up and see to it that a centralised Department is not going to bo permitted to negative development here on a large scalo without such a protest as will awaken the people of the Dominion to the lengths which mis-government can go in some matters.