ROADS FROM WHAKATAKI TO CASTLEPOINT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1351, 12 April 1883, Page 2

ROADS FROM WHAKATAKI TO CASTLEPOINT.

[TO THE EDITOR WAIRABAPA :i DAn,Y''.J

Sin,—Kindly allow me; space,',to. make some remarks on the rival lines ( of- road from WJiakataki/to' Cashpoint. ut The' ! County' Council 1 having decided upon which line to construct a ; road," 'it may 'seem' siperfiif-' ous to make further comments, audi would not do bo but the question must come before the ratepayers, when a poll is taken for works under the Roads and Bridges A at, and it is desirable to show on what grounds support is given in favor of the line nearest the coast, i.e., Browne's line. The formation of a road to avoid the beach, near-Castle-point is no new business, Bo'/ar feck as 1878-79 tie Highway Board-de-cided to form the road via Browne's line in preference to' Bairds (nowcallled Ashcroft's), and doubtless the question received proper attention-then. : ■' '■''■■ j In dealing with thissubject it must be ' distinctly borne in mind that Parliaraent has declared the road, from Mastertonto Waimata ; a"Main line of road,". and : this road to be ; of. -any. advantage to the settlers north of Whakataki, travellers to Napier, and the residents at Whakataki, must pass down the valley of the Whakataki. to its mouth. lii locating roads it.is, always desirable to place them insuch'a position as will meet the'reqiiirementsi of all sections of the community as far as possible, having due regard; to ;cost ko, and in supporting Browne's line I have this object in view. ; i ■

I will now give my idea respecting Ashcroft's line which is claimed to be the shortest to Tenia in point' of distance. After travelling over.it I came to the conclusion that it was not a desirable line »to form' a road'on, from'the fact of a very considerable, height having to be ascended, its passing over country of- a very steep character, so • steep (that • great, cafe ; had tobe . exercised to walk along it, country that it wpuldibe; both expensive to construct and maintain a road on, : Any advantage that might be gained in actual distance would be more than outweighed by the length of hill to be • travelled, necessitating greater tear and nothing.of the fatigue of the animals. Even the level portions of this line would be expehsive- toiniake, (the land, being' very: wet and swampy. Metal could be obtained with ease on some portions, but on the Whakataki side of the saddle where the road jis; locatedion" a' cold,'wet; sunless "hiltaidtf sonW-diffi-culty would be experienced. The enormous cost of maintenance (an item apparently .not calculated. on by advo-, cates of this road) alone would almost' condemn its use, when there is an alternative.in a better lino. Imagine | a road made for a considerable distance along a hill-side all but perpendicular, with cuttings.haying walls from,4pffc., ■to 70ft. high, in several placespatsihg' huge moving slips, exposed to every breath' of nor'-west' wind, which'will bring down tons of debris, and liable to slip'more and more as the adjacent country becomes denuded of vegetation, and some faint idea may bo gained of this route.

: Browne's line passes oyer ..qiiitej a different class of country, The surveyed ' line can ,be : . followed ; on horse-back with little, or no difficulty from beginning to end, while with slight exceptions it presents a 1 warm'; dry. aspect. Metal is obtainable at either end, although lovers of the rival route would lead the public to suppose it would have to be hauled from one end; along the whole length of the line, instead of half way only, The cost of maintenance of this line would be slight compared with the other, for. the slips would be both few and of less tude, while the flat country is"much sounder. Corapensatjon"is put.down, as; a bar #';Broyme's!-line; 'and' the 5 infej'ence to be drawn from Mr Rogers' letter published in, the Daily yester-day-is: that no compensation ■will,'be; 'demanded on Ashcroft's line. In ■|e.cember, .1878, Mr Johnston questitoed the right of the;Highw.ay*Board' tb^ttis ■' line, considering freehold, and from a number of letters TO^teniiabbnt^that'date' , it , :vmay'ibe'' ''gathered that the owner of the,lai{d' intoresfe'd; intended to' claiin compeni3ation, If compensation has to i.beiipaid it; is; but'.' reasonable to, suppose, the 'amount will be lineithan Browned, consequent upon greaiter length, 'laiid;taken, greater amount;iof 'sever* ance,;;and greater cost, arid length,of fencing on very rough ground. of the > <x»t.^iite , or may-riot be correct, - ; Such as.it is I, 'will Make use argument. It amounts to the respecta-

ble sum 0fL5,996. Given Ashcroft's linemade. The other cannot'be done without, for the; Whakataki settlers : , and the people to the north must have: . access to Castlepoint. I know: Mr Rogers is too'unselfish to msli these; settlers to travel along a brrid leach . from Whakataki to Castlepoint, or : : turn inland'md theadmn Ashcrofi's line. What will be the consequence then if Ashcroft's line is made ia * this—the, otherline must also,be made, the two'..costing, Rogers, L 5.995, i'.j., ;the ratepayers" must bear an, extra burden of some 13,000 ; to,suit thocaprice of a/few not ; L3,000,"ij raised under the Roadp and Bridges Construction; Act,,wouldmean ( .- acharge ; 6f somel ,L7o''peri annttin.6nS I the distriot, Would the ratepayers . who desire this road euro to bear this tax? I may point out that if any par'ticular section of Ashcroft's line,"there w,ill be no difficulty'.irilgetting itionstructedlfts- 1 XX • district road, provided those, who worr . it will allow-,themselves;toW rated'.'for'the expen^tur^^anl'lhe/f. questionable luxuryjofi travelling j over ,i another -mountain' to Tinui • or : \ Masterton.\' : : ; . :: ''"'. ? j ;;;s .; ;; i ; .' ?,< •.f-jj Mr Rogers'wates jubilant'over niy " remark f' that it.does notfollowrthat the opinion of an Engineer should be always final," lamgladtohave.made ■a. convert, for when,: that gentleman::'... circulated r arid .obtained : signatyVea 'to ~ 'hi3 petitibrt he'evidently thought'Mr|V Ashcroft's opinion should be final:'and,T:' unquestionable. * ; < . :, ,;■,!.-.•;.-;' In conclusion I ask ; Mr ;Rogera not': to say it is • an : .untruth: that he' not walk along, the. line of;';roadjioti; advocates. TJntil the feat.is performed^? my statement is correct, ,: I .welcome :1; ' the .agitation';relative to tlieae m^[i and trust it may .lead; toigopd I cannot accept Mr Rogers' challenge to walk along Asbcroft'silme/ had:, enough-of it,= andl: /trust! Rogers will not endanger, \m life inlH the performance of acrobatic feats on it, but that he may long be spared to take a disinterested part in public matters and that the road,he,does n0t.n0w..., approve of, when made will bring much ' grist to his own particular mill. Yours, Ac., Thomas Mackay, lea, 10th April.