THE OPOTIKI NEWS Friday, March, 10, 1939. OPOTIKI-TANEATUA HIGHWAY

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 156, 10 March 1939, Page 2

THE OPOTIKI NEWS Friday, March, 10, 1939. OPOTIKI-TANEATUA HIGHWAY

Opotiki and other users of the main highway between Opotiki and Tancatua railhead! will welcome the steps being taken by the Opotiki County Council in ' an endeavour to have an .improvement made in the condition of the highway between these two places. Since the highway was taken over by the Main. Highways Board very little, apart from ordinary maintenance, has beCn done on the road, and the condition of the highway for a Jong time has been in a deplorable state. The • surface for some time has been such , that it has been, a dangerous' undertaking to drive a. light car over the rough surface. Opotiki residents who have visited outside districts speak with disgust of the roads in the Opotiki district and consider that some of the works now being undertaken on other highways are quite unnecessary compared with work that should he done on the Opotiki-Taneatua highway. 8 Complaints have also been made that tlie district highways have received special attention before Visits by members of the Highways Board or engineers and that these members re-* ceive an entirely erroneous idta of the usual state of the surface of Opotiki roads. It is an indisputable fact that the loads are especially cared for when inspections are to be made, hut those in charge certainly do not have this work done with the deliberate intention of misleading those locking over the highways! Controlling authorities have always everywhere made an attempt to have the reads in a presentable condition for inspection and this was always done even when the Opotiki County Council had control of the upkeep of the district highways. Unfortunately this “window dressing” has had the effect of hindering improvements to the highways and it is certain that if members ef the Highways Board were to make an unexpected; visit to- the district they would receive a big surprise when they realise what the district has had to put up with for a long time. , It has to be admitted that the road is a particularly difficult one to keep in order, especially in the summer months, when many thousands of head of sheep and cattle use the highway and pulverise the surface continuously. One of the chief drawbacks of the road is its narrowness. This makes it practical}- impossible to dodge the countless potholes tiiat are usually in evidence. The alignment of the road is very bad in many places but nothing appears to be done in making any noticeable improvements. It is a peculiar state*,of affairs that other districts with rail connection have been provided with a first-class highway but Opotiki lias neither. With the exception of .two short pieces of sealing, totalling about a mile, the Opotiki highways are all of gravel formation and sealing is conspicuous by its absence. In the Whakatane County a. fair amount of sealing work is being undertaken this year but there lias been no indication as yet that Opotiki, which unlike the Whakatane district, lias no rail connection. is to receive its just share of sealed roads. It might be. said in defence, that a large sum of money is being spent on the new coastal highway, but it lias to bo remembered that this road is considered to 'be a scenic, highway and it has always been contended that it should have been constructed by the. State. The undertaking lias been quite beyond the resources of. the Opotiki County, which spent a large sum in an endeavour to give a scattered area some sort of access. It is possible that tlie idea, sponsored wholly by ’Whakatane borough people, to have a new highway constructed between Whakatane and Opotiki via the Wainui district, lias been a good deal responsible for the apparent neglect of the present ljjghway. The suggested Wainui highway has never been advocated by’the Wliakat'ane or Opotiki County Councils. Nearly all Whakatane traffic travels in the direction of Auckland and apart from tourist traffic such a road: would he of no benefit to Whakatane district. The highway between Opotiki and Whakatane is one that mainly concerns the Opotiki and Waimana district and neither of these places has ever advocated a change in the highway. The route of the suggested highway via Wainui was roundly condemned by the Minister of Public Works, who stated lie would not spend sixpence on it. It is surprising to learn that until

recently surveyors were at work near. Whakatane going into the matte,r of a new route andl it is about time the public of Opotiki was taken into the confidence' of the Department and told just what i.s going on. Opotiki, which is vitally, concerned, 1 is entitled to know. Opotiki people are'not opposed to settlers in the " Wainui having a good access'road but they are certainly opposed to a highway being constructed which will be of little benefit to traffic .travelling westwards from Opotiki. It is to he hoped that Mr. Hultquist, member for the district, will take up the matter of improvements to the highway between Opotiki , and Taneatua and that, something will be done about permanent improvements of "'an early date.