ROADING RANGITOTO.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 190, 13 August 1925, Page 13

ROADING RANGITOTO.

DOMAIN BOARD'S ACTIVITIiTj. THE PRISON MADE ROADWAY. j I The Works Committee of the Devon- j port Borouirh (.'oiim-il. which nUo otti-j ciates as tiie Eagitoto Islnml Domain Board, reported last night that the proposal to form a mail to the sumrhii ot the island was shortly to he carried int.. effei't. Mr. J. H. Hawkins. Cuntroller'reneral ot Prisons, had met the commit- ' tee. ami had explains! that hi- Depart- I ment was prepare.l to proceed with the | work at mice, on the understanding that that Domain Board would provide trans- | port for men and store-, housing tor the men ami tools for the work. The engineer to the board. Mr. A. T. ' (triffirhs. submitted plans for four ml-j lapsible hutments, to housi* fourteen j men. while the Mayor reported that the Devonport Ferry Company had ajrveed to transport men and all requisites to j the island free o f rharge. The enpineer'- i plans were approved and thanks was expressed to the Ferry Company for j their ponei-ou- action. The Mayor explained in rc-plr to lms- ' tile criticism of the project, which had j declared the s.-heme to 'he a waste of public money, that the facts were apparently not understood. The island was j vested by the Crown in the Domain ''■ Board about fifteen years ago as a public ' reserve, and the board had the right to lease camping sites, from which it re-I ceived an annual rental of £4 each. It also levied a penny nix on all ferry tickets, and to date from all sources, it had a credit balance of nearly £1000. It was, however, a definite and stipu- | lated condition of the Domain Board"- j control of the island, that all moneys I to it* credit had to be spent in imnro'v- I in? the reserve, v, hich Mr. Lamont declared was not only an appendage of; Devon port, but a national asset ! value. The Domain Board had erected i a. kir.sk on the island and formed a track to the top to enable vNitora to eujov its incomparable view. Tlipy h.id also ! recently made a track to Idlinptmi Bay ! and a contract for improvinjr the child- I rea - s playoround was now m liaii.l. With the assistance ~f M,,. Government through the agency of tlio PrisonsDepartment, they now hoped to construct a roadway ul.in-i tlu> foreshore! tor about five mile-;, which should then spiral to the summir. This would im- | mensely enhance the accessibility of the i island, and must redound to the financial j rredit of the board in the provision of further campin v - sites and in more μ-i-. tors by the ferry. The plans, for the first mile of the i work were not ready and every care : would be taken t<. conserve t lie' native | bush and natural feature- ~f ti, ls unique scenic asset. [ Mr. Lamont emphatically declared that ' the thanks of the whole community ! were due to Sir James Parr for hh cordial reception of the Domain Board's scheme for the development of Rangitoto. and on his motion, which was unanimously supported by th* council a formal vote of thanks was ordere.il to bu transmitted to the Minister.