THE OPOTIKI NEWS Monday, June 19, 1939. OPOTIKI-TANEATUA HIGHWAY

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 196, 19 June 1939, Page 2

THE OPOTIKI NEWS Monday, June 19, 1939. OPOTIKI-TANEATUA HIGHWAY

Ope tiki residents were rather astonished, when reading the recent report of proceedings at the monthly meetirtg of tiie Opotiki County Council, that Opotiki had to? choose between road and rail, and that if the district held out for the railway it would get neither. However, the suggestion appeared to be rather ridiculous and little credence was given to the impression that Opotiki .had practically had a pistol held’ at its head. Opotiki has as much right to a good road a.s any other part of New Zealand, and in view of the fact that the district has no rail connection, it lias had prior claims to districts which have had rail connection and have also been provided with sealed highways.

Opotiki is only starting to wake up to the tact that through lack of agitation the district has been sadly neglected. Isolated representations have been made at times for better roads blit there lias been no united action in .thee .matter and it is pleasing to see that members of local bodies are realising? at',l as't- that something will have to be done if the district is to get ifjust requirement-,. 'u< * l ' . A lengthy statement appears in to day’s edition. made - by- - the' 'ciisirict member, Mr. A. (I. Hultquist. :■ concerning "the' construction of - the railway to Opotiki. In his statement, Mr. .Hultquist makes it clear tlffrt?-* Government intends going on with the'; construction of the railway from Taileatua toi Opotiki. The "question that is deeply concerning the district is the agitation from Whakatane to have the main highway altered to the Wainui-Ohope route, and in this connection Mr. Hultquist is strongly favouring the new route and since his election lias been working very hard towards this end. 'There is cue thing, however, that Mr. Hultquist inis, overlooked, and that is, the wishes of the district, which is most vitally concerned in the matter of the main highway towards the "Whakatane district. Mr. Hultquist is forgetting that lie is supposed to he the representative of the people, hut so far the question of which route is in the best interests of the district, lias not been placed before the residents of the Opotiki district. Although it is several months since the election, Mr. Hultquist lias not visited the Opotiki district for the purpose of inviting and hearing deputations of any kind. Opotiki has every right to be consulted on the question of the most suitable highway and in this connection Air. Hultquist lias appeared 1 to have deliberately avoided the issue. Probably the fact that Mr. Hultquist is domiciled in Wlmkatane lias bad a good deal tm do with the way in which he has been putting the wishes of the Whakatane people to the fore.

Only recently a well-known Opotiki resident, who has undertaken an extensive motor tour ol‘ the North Island. visited the office oi' the Opotiki News and referred in disgust to the neglect of the Opotiki highways. He pointed out- that practically wherever ho travelled, men were busily engaged making wonderful roads, many ol which were cio.se to the railways. He asked why it was that Opotiki had been so sadly neglected. One reason is obvious, and that is that it has been impossible for the district member fo ask that the Opo-tiki-Taneatua. highway he built up tithe standard! now being enjoyed by other districts, when he has been agitating and doing all in his power to have the highway altered - to. the Wainui route. Mr. Hultquist- has been approached by letter on several occasions to have the present highway properly attended to and even at the annual meeting of the local branch of the Labour Party, members strongly urged that the (Jpotiki-Taneatua highway he attended to and there was no question of any other route being desired.

.\s has previously been pointed out by the Opotiki News, the great hulk of road traffic would still continue to use the Opotiki-Tanontua highway, even were a now road made via Wainui. The agitation from \\ ha kata lie for a new route liaS been with the intention of endeavouring to force tourist traffic through Wlmkatane, and the fact that anyone travelling from Opotiki to Auckland can already san nearly ten miles by travelling by tho White Pine Busli road is studiously ignored. It seems to he preposterous that ono or two hundred thousand pounds should he wastefully expended for no sound reason. One reason ad-

vanced for a new route has been from a .military point of view, but it is obvious that a road built on the coast is practically valueless owing to its vulnerability. In view of Mr. Semple’s statement that lie would hot spend sixpence on the Wainui route, it is hard to understand why lie is now allowing consideration to be given of a route he so roundly condemned. It is to be liopdd that the meeting suggested at last County Council meeting will be arranged at a very early, date, when the question of the main highway should be fully debated and tlio opinion of the Opotiki district placed before the Government. That the "Whakatane businessmen are endeavouring to forestall any agitation from Opotiki is shown by the following extract from last Friday’s issue of tlic .Bay of Plenty ("Whakatane) Beacon): — “For the purpose of getting the opinion of residents, and showing them tm ho united behind the scheme, the Mayor, Mr. B. S. Barry, is calling a meeting of burgesses and county residents in the county chambers on Monday evening (to-night) at 8 o’clock, when the scheme will be fully discussed.

“In view of they advantages which the scheme will offer it is hoped that there; will ho a gqod gathering. A full statement of the position will he made, and an endeavour made to show that the district is united in its request for the highway. If the ;meeting lias this result it will no tdqubt;,strengthen Whakatane’s case "very/greatly.” 'lt is rather amusing to find that • in- the-agitation lor the "Wainui highway, i Wha'katanc people have been ;endear oiM-iug ,lo\point, out; .the .advaii- • tages...thafcgyML~acc£.ue JtoyvthcjJipfliiki districted Aetoa I.lyd have not usually pointed out that. from Opotiki to Auckland. Xrilk be,. shortened. ... The main objection to the WaiiniF route from the Opptiki district point of view is that only a small percentage of the traffic at present using the Opotiki-Taneatua highway would he diverted, and in. the end it would he found that the Government would have no option but to build the present highway up toi a proper standard.,. It stands to reason that two highways will be quite unnecessary, and would be only a scandalous waste/ ol public money.