The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated "The West Coast Times.” FRIDAY, MARCH 11th, 1921. THE KING’S HIGHWAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated "The West Coast Times.” FRIDAY, MARCH 11th, 1921. THE KING’S HIGHWAY.

lT t) ns ivtvk's sitting of fla* County Cot,mil, one of tli e members. f.Ur Jeffries) criticised the routes adopted lor the southern muin road. Mr Jet 1 lies remarks were very sweeping hut tltev Here general in Uieir application. '1 lie pioneer surveyors wlio laid oil the roads were blamed in particular, but no doubt those officers carried ut l-cir worn avoiding to instructions. In the early days of the Coast the great demand of the people was to open up the country. Our own district, \Vestbind, was a terra incognita, heavily .overed with bush, and intersected with nuirerous streams and river crossings. Ihe forest, in point of fact was impem tradable, and the hardy pioneers made their way into the interior only by tracer, tug rough and dangerous river beds, alter first following the beach route in theii journeying south. Our earliest mollectious of polities in Westland >ver t . in regard to the ever recurring demand for facilities to open up the country. Oifficult and dangerous ;is were the routes along the sea beaches, the people found their way to out-of-the-way plie>y, end settlement taking root, there was the demand to open up the'country so as to get about more freely, and at the same time afford facilities to search for cold in the innermost and more difficult regions tor access. As we have tem.tik ed the beach highway was the route tit common use, and with the insistent demand to upon up the country the request became a political one, and candidates stood or fell according as they could or could not foster a reading policy for the hack country. So this question of inland roads became a Gov- ! eminent policy question, and we‘have a ease in point ready at hand in the , 1 load to Ross which was made entirely i at the demand of the people of the day. I Thi> Ross district was a flourishing cen- | tre in those days, and all round the 1 clock the miners' picks never ceased delving a way underground. But Ross had to get all its supplies by way of th ( , heavy beach road. Waggon teams > l ed regularly from the South Spit to Ra.-s, and a couching service ran daily. Tt was a slow and heavy journey and a road was an early request, the people travelled by the direct’ route of the beach, but they wanted to get more inland and have the intervening country upened up, and so w (1 have the route of ill.' road to Ross as it is to-day. Ihe same ideas were in mind as the road was pushed south. There was the same Chief Surveyor (Mr Mueller) in charge and he carried on the policy which had been demanded by the people. So we )e'v .-> a great inland road pushing its wav smith and covering tip, territory which formerly had been served by way of the beach. As the inland road or tracks were made, travellers soon abandoned the beach highway, where traffiwas held up so often at bluffs and river crossings by the tides. The inland route opened up rhe country, and

settlement began to find its way into th t . baekblocks, sturdy settlers carving homes out of the primeval forest and rearing families who are to-day carrying on the work founded by their torbears who showed such courage and resource in going into the back country, and h e ing the real pioneers they were. There is no blame attachable to those who laid off the routes, because they followed a policy enforced by the popular demand. If ther c is blame it is to be laid at the door of successive Governments which have moved so slowly in the reading of Westland. The country is broke, and necessarily th 0 roads mest pass over difficult and dangerous places. But from the very outset, guaging our opinion by the fine length of road which connected Westland to Canterbury, the King's high way so far as it has gone, has been well and faithfully built. We have good material on the Coast for' roadmaking, and were the labor is put in the surface will he good always. In slippery country, and Westland has its share of it) tracks are difficult to maintain, but they are always heing improved. As far as our roads go. they are good, but we want more of them as also bridges. Giving South Westland her due in regard to roads and bridges and go part of the district will respond more readily to the attention.