CORRESPONDENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 10 September 1927, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

MTU WESTLAND ROADS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir —Be Councillor Donovan s motions at the last meeting of the Westland County Council relating to the transferring cl grants secured for road i outiand ion in the Wat area district. Per medium of your paper I would Tike to draw the attention of ratepayers to Ih? chine matters. Owing to the shortness of time between the notices of niation appearing, and the Council meeting a wire was forwarded on behalf of residents here, to the Council, requesting them to shelve Cr Donovan’,-; motions for one month. This was accordingly done.

(] ) These motions were briefly: That the Council support his motion that a. stock track bo opened lip betwoen ;he Lower Wataroa and Little Wanganui Fiats. (IT) That to finalise ibis scheme two grants ho transferred, one being Wuitangi South Bank Track, metalling grant, and the other Watnrnn Slock Track grant. It seems incredible that nnv ma»

who knows Lhc locality as Cr Donovan does, would endeavour, as a representative of the ratepayers, to have a road made there. Tlie reasons why this road should never he made arc many, hut n few may suffice to give ike general public an idea of the absurdity of the proposition. The proposed route, a distance of eight miles, takes a line from the nov.ii hank of the Wataroa ten miles Inflow the Matainui township, and comes out in tlie lower gorge of the Little Wanganui. All the wav, oxjc opt when nearing its southern ter- | minus, when freehold property is penetrated, the surveyed line runs through dense swamp and poor barren country, climbing at one point to an altitude of 203 feet Quite recently in this locality ten thousand acres were set. aside as a Scenic Deserve, and this tends to show the class of land that would be opened up by tlie proposed road. Furthermore the cost of the scheme would he out of all proportion to any benefits derived from same. £750 is suggested by Cr Donovan as Die initial outlay. Again, the owners of freehold property affected, will require reimbursement, and those freeholders are loudest in their protests against the proposed road. Another point worth considering is that practical! v all the bush has been felled oil tlie lower north side of the Wataroa, which block of country this road would alone serve, and this locality is fast, being converted to sheep runs. And taking sheep through the proposed route is out of the question. The transport of sheep from this area is admirably catered for by motor lorry, a metalled road running right to the southern terminus of the proposed new route with a ferry available on the Wataroa. By this may lie seen liow well these settlers are served considering the location of their properties. An erroneous impression regarding Die proposed route has been created by the .statement that southern drovers would benefit considerably liy the route lint when one remembers a detour of 10 miles is necessary for southern drovers to connect with this road this impression will ho corrected, particularly as Mu' fording risks incurred nro

great. He second motion, transferring nf grants:—ln view of Cr Donovan’s extraordinary attitude concerning grants a special meeting of the Wa’taron branch of the Fanners’ Union wst|s veiled, at which some very strong critcism was levelled at the Councillor. During the course of this fully repre-

sentative. meeting two unanimous resolutions were passed, briefly to the effect that Waitangi south bank vote lie not tampered with and that the Wataroa stock track vote be diverted from the north hank of the Wataroa ;•> the south hank, thereby filling a long felt metalling want, ft is now generally admitted that this vote should not he expended as the motor lorries serve the purpose for which this track was intended.

A third resolution dealing with the road which is the cause of Cr Donovan ondeaouring to have these votes transferred, was also carried unanimously to the effect that it is the opinion of this Union that the expenditure asked for by Cr Donovan for a road between the Lower Wataroa and Little Wanganui flats is altogether unwarranted. Copies of all three resolutions have been forwarded to the Council, so if the scheme is perserved with it is in the face of sternest opposition. T might say in conclusion that the attitude Cr Donovan has assumed in these matters has placed him in an unenviable position so far as local ratepayers are concerned. It is gen orally felt that the Councillor is betraying the trust which the Council electors evidently had in ltim at one time. I am etc., D. DENNEHY. Matainui, Sept-. 9th. 1927.