MOUNT EGMONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1916, Page 2

MOUNT EGMONT.

ANMJAL MEETING OF MOUNTAIN CLUB. (From Our Kaponga Correspondent.) The annual meeting of the Kgmont Mountain Club was held a t Kaponga on Monday evening, Mr. A. C. YVaugh presiding. The report stated, inter alia, that with with the generous assistance of Profesor L. Cockayne, F.R.S., a . valuable pamphlet had been issued descriptive of the seeuic beauties of the mountain, both physical and natural, and the advantages from a tourist, naturalist and sportsmen's point of view, together with a most interesting educative sketch of the flora and fauna of the mountain, also giving particulars of the means of getting to Dawson Falls. Copies had been forwarded to the tourist ollices I throughout New Zealand, Australia, America and Great Britain, also to advertising and shipping companies. As ai result letters of enquiry had been re-' ceived, including one from the Alpine Club, London, the leading and most influential institution of its kind in existence. A large party of tourists, consisting of members of the Royal Geographical Society, also eminent geologists and, naturalists decided to include Dawson Falls in their itinerary, but owing to the war they had to postpone their visit. One regrettable feature was the lack of sullicient accommodation at the hostel, quite a number of visitors at a time not, being able to secure accommodation when needed. The Club sought to rectify this. Early in the season a comprehensive scheme was drawn up, embracing an up-to-date ferroconcrete hostel, or, as an alternative, extensive alterations and additions to the present building in wood and iron, but owing to insuflicient encouragement from the National I'ark Hoard, any scheme for increasing the accommodation was found impracticable. The Club was supporting the erection of an Alpine bell on Fantham's Peak, the continuous swaying of which would minimise danger and loss of life. Various members of the Club had donated linger-guide posts to be. erected at intervals from the scrub line to Fantham's Peak. The executive gave an outline of their plans for next season. Increased accommodation, the need of providing passing places at various points on the track, the establishment of telephone communication from the gate to the hostel, approaching the Stratford County Council with a view to improving the dip on the road adjacent to the old mill site. It was resolved to ask the Government Tourist Department to include Mt. Egniont on their advertising posters, also to write to the Automobile Association re having a telephone erected at the gates. The election of officers resulted as follows:—Patron, His lixeellency the Governor; resident, Mr, A. 11. Guy; vicepiniilents, Dr. Cockayne, Dr. Thompson, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, .Messrs 11. Brown, R. Anderson, Newton King, C. A. Wil kinson, M.P., lion. M. Myers; secretary and treasurer, Mr. 11. .1. G. Allen; auditor, Mr. J. Bennie; executive, Messrs Priestley, .Wangh, Fearon, Lyall, Davis and the secretary.