The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1927. ACCESS AND DEVELOPMENT.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1927. ACCESS AND DEVELOPMENT.

Tins Wataroa folk, judging by a letter from the President of the local Farmers’ Union, are still somewhat opposed to the opening up of the promising strip of country at present quite isolated lying between the Lower Wataroa and Lower Little Wanganui rivers. In this attitude they are at variance with their brother settlers at InterWanganui at whose request we understand, the survey of the new roads was undertaken. Since then the survey has been completed, and the report is highly satisfactory indicating a good road route, and hearing out the original opinion of the late Chief Surveyor Roberts as to the value of the road line as first suggested by him. It is to he regretted the Wataroa folk still find occasion to grumble seeing that the County Council met their wishes in the matter by varying the proposal so that road vot<&'involved at Waitangi were not to he affected. The new road will he of special service as a stock route—that is beyond question—and it will open up a tract of country at present impenetrable. It is excellently placed to open up the country. From .lit. Hercules road to the sea beach is about twelve miles wide, and the surveyed line is fixed about equi-distant lietween the two points so that for development purposes it is situated admirably. The new road cannot affect the existence of the main south road. That is there and as our correspondent very fairly points out, through the consistent advocacy of this paper the rivers and creeks have been bridged, and the road is of excellent service. It Is not intended of course that the new road should supersede the main road, hut

should ho supplementary and adjunctive. We have mentioned about the strip of country twelve miles wide to be opened up, and the correspondent considers this area does not require reading. Has he thought of the Wataroa district, which is less than four miles wide, possessing parallel roads, Dr as a County Councillor put it the Dther day at the meeting, the Flat is a fraught-board of roads ! There the lettlers have ample roading facilities, n fact more roads than they are usng, yet the same well served settlers hrough the medium of their farmers’ crunch, would deny access to their ellow settlers at Lower Wataroa, who lave no road access at all. Reference s made to the want of a bridge, hut it the outset there were unbridsed ivers on the mnin South road, but time issisted to overcome the difficulty. At iresent the settlers involved at Lower Vatnroa have neither bridge nor road o reach their holdings, so that half a oaf by wav of a road would at least >e acceptable to the back block setlers affected. FYom whatever angle he matter is regarded it appears to is to be reasonable to advocate tbe pening up of the country and tbe g-anting of facilities to those on tbe and or likely to go on the land, wherey they may have a chance to succeed s settlers. As to the matter of railray extension into South Westland, his paper advocated the work to the imit. The back files contained article ftcr article. Unfortunately tbe late fr Massey’s Government turned the rorit down, an 4 thp present Prime

Minister, as Minister of Railways also vetoed the work, and stated the road would be improved instead as a feeder of the railway terminus. Jll the face of that declaration of policy, by a Government with such a sweeping majority, it. will be futile to persist in tin agitation for the railway. At the same time .Air Seddon’s advocacy is by no means out of place. Changes of Government are not impossible nor improbable, and when conditions are at all favourable advocacy at the right time will be taken up as keenly as heretofore by this paper. The Bold Head road was objected to at a time when the railway was being advocated, and there was a prospect of the latter coming to pass Indeed, we know that one of the acts of the present Aleniber for Westland was to have the railway extension authorised by statute and a vote secured. The authorisation still stands, but the vote was dropped by the Government which refused to go on with the work. Our southern readers may rely on this paper, watching the general public interests closely, and being alert to the needs and necessities of the south regarding roads and other forms of access, and an opportunity will never be lost to advocate in season what is considered best for the district under all the circumstances.