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Hokitika Guardian, 17 September 1927, Page 2

The divergence of opinion expressed at the recent meeting of the Westland County Council regarding additional road development in South Westland, was rather unusual. One of the standing complaints along the Coast since 1 tlu earliest days was the lack of roacl--1 ing for development purposes. In the earlier days, as was mentioned, recently, the surveyors bad a bent for taking even arterial roads well inland, and since then the desire has been 1 to" shorten routes, and the work is going ahead slowly. There are those who. are desirous of seeing the road distance shortened between Arahura and Tereninknu. There is the demand for a road along the railway line from South Hokitika to Ruatnpu. We have the request of the Member for Westland for a vehicle route along a new line to be opened from Pnringa to Haast. All these proposals forsake existing roads for a fresh line shorter in distance. So with the road to join up the Little Wanganui and the Lower Wataroa districts. It i.s in point of fact an extension of Peterson’s road which was laid off the plans by Commissioner Roberts to be the eventful main South road, for it proposed to cress the Little Wanganui river at a natural bridge site. The new road is essentially a development road in that it opens up a large tract of new country. The largo intervening fiat between the two rivers at the point where the new road is to go is .said, also, to he auriferous. This 1 1 our mind is a special reason for opening up the country. There is room for a considerable goldfield if a find is made, and if attention is drawn to the 1 - cality important developments are possible. It is a well timbered country, and lias unique scenic attractions due to the special setting of the Saltwater Lagoon which figured prominently in the early history >:f the Coast, when the sea beach was the recognised route for passing up and down the Const. The principal difference of opinion in respect to the new road appeared to he regarding the provision of the money. That was settled satisfactorily apparently by not touching funds car-mark-ed already for other works, which will lie prosecuted to completion independent- of the new road. The new route will have some considerable value ns a stock track. Removed as it will bo from the main road motor traffic, it will be appreciated by drovers as a more comfortable lino to travel with stock on foot, and in that respect it must have some value to the settlers because the stock will reach market less knocked about on route. Altogether the proposal appears to lie one worthy of general support. It is not going to lie built in a luirry. It will take time as funds for roads come very slowly nowadays, but it will be a serviceable settlement track with great possibilities and should he pushed ahead as quickly as funds will permit.