WAIAU VALLEY TELEPHONE.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 14, 2 August 1905, Page 2

WAIAU VALLEY TELEPHONE.

We were glad -to. notice at the lust meeting of the Town Board that they were moving m the above matter. The importance of the development of tourist traffic along this route to Otautau cannot be over-estimated, and the Board should us# every legitimate mean* m. >ita power to ensure that the work will be done along this t u^e m preference to the one via Mossburn. The length of line along both routes is about equal, the advantages, if any, leaning m favour of the Wtfiau route. From a v soenic point of view there is no comparison, the beauty of the Waiau route far surpassing that by Mossburn. At the moment there is probably not enough traffic to warrant a more elaborate coach service than that provided for the ' conveyance of the mails, but the erection of a telephone service, would, we venture to say, treble the traffic the fh'st season, as tourists would unSdubtedly make the round trip m preference to going over one way twice. We would suggest that the Board invite the Postmaster General, Sir Joseph Ward, >s its guest, and take him over the round route, accompanied by the Member for the district and the members of the Board, and thus thoroughly examine the ground .for himself, and ne %re <|uict sure the result will be m favour

of the line being carried along the Waiau Valley. An effort should also be made to get the previous guarantors to renew their undertaking, and if this U done, the most vital objection of the Department to the erection of the line. Tie, the yearly loss of working, would be swept away. The weight of evidence as to which route should be adopted is overwhelmingly m favour of the one leading from this end. •