WAITANGURU.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 694, 15 August 1914, Page 6

WAITANGURU.

Own Correspondent. In the local hall on Saturday, August Bth, a meeting of ell those interested in the making of a road trough the Mangaohae Gorge wag held. £here was a good attendance. Those present being * two representatives from Kawhia —Messrs W. Shaw and E. H. Schnackenberg. Mr Were was voted to the chair. Much lively interest was evinced at the meeting and a thoiough discussion ensued. It is worthy of Bpecial notice at this juncture of the vigorous enthusiasm which the settlers in this and adjacent districts are displaying in their endeavours to make practicable extensive metalling schemes they have in hand. With regard to Waitanguru the success of their application to the Government for the money required for the metalling of the Pungarehu road from Mairoa to Jthe factory of two milea of the Maire road, is assured. It now only remains for th 3 metal to be put on. Mr Inness' gang are at present busy getting metal in readiness for the crushing plants at the Mairoa end. Mr Tarry's men are at present engaged in formation work on the Maire road. Mr Tarry was out here early last week and expects to commence operations at this end as soon a 3 possible. The Pungarehu road joins at the factory the Mahoenui-Kawhia road, which leads through the Mangaohae gorge. The Mangaotaki scheme which is to metal 23 miles of this main road from Pio Pio to here, is a most important one, and one which we nops will meet wjth crowned success, Within the vicinity of Marokona there are several metalling schemes mooted, and with all this metalling completed there will remain but eight miles between Pio Pio and Lemon Point, or the Kawhia harbour, unmetalled, arid a six foot track constitutes five miles of this. Anyone who are in any way acquainted with the present surroundings in these parts, will ba enabled to gasp to a very lare extent the immense value, this will be firstly to the respective districts individually, and secondly Bud as of equal importance collectively, for this work will offer much better facilities and inducements for the production and exportation p,| wool and butter, and will sec as feeding mediums to the main road to the Kawhia harbour. The Gorge road has a very easy grade, the easiest in the district; and if this road can be made fit for vehicular traffic enough metal can be obtained in the gorge to metal it. If this project can be moulded into working order, and the scheme completed, we shall have a splendid road of an exceptionally easy grad9 throughout t from Pio Pio to the harbour, the main and cheapest outlet for all produce from these districts. To substantiate this, we must consider that the districts this road now serves are from 126 to 140 mileß from the nearest port, namely, Auckland. This means that produce has to be carted to Te Kuiti, rsiled to Auckland, and plaeed on board ship there. This large amount of handling essentially is conducive to high freiaht charges. With this gorge road opened, and clear access obtainable to the harbour, it means but a very short time before settlers, instead of sending their produce and obtaining their goods a distance of 126 miles, will preferably chose to adopt the shorter route via the Mahoenui-Kawhia road to the harhour, a distance of only 26 to 30 miles. The representatives from Kawhia from whom much valuable information was obtained, pointed out that with increased trade freights would be brought down to one half. Kawhia harbour, as many people know, is a safe harbour and offers sufficient depth of water to accommodate any of the Home liners which call in at the Waitara roadstead. It is therefore obvious that it requires but sufficient patronage to induce such vessels to call in at Kawhia a ,- .d to convey the produce of our, and all other thriving districts surrounding the harbour, direct to the Home markets. At the ilosa of the meeting a hearty vote of thanks for their attendance at the meeting, ,and their valuable information, was accorded to Messrs Shaw and Schnackenberg. A similar vote of thanks to Mr Were as chairman, terminated tho meeting.