A NEW ROAD TO WESTLAND

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21118, 20 March 1934, Page 10

A NEW ROAD TO WESTLAND

Amitri Pass Route RAPID ADVANCE ON COAST CONFLICTING INTERESTS OF TOWNS Attention has so often been called jn Canterbury recently to the Lewis Pass road that interest in other routes to the est *s dull. On the "Weft Coast, however, there is a very live preoccupation with the alternative route over the Amur! Pas?, some miles nearer to Arthurs Pass along the divide, and that interest has shown itself in the rapid way in which a road is being pushed along the Kopara river past Lake Haupere toward the slopes that lead to Amuri Pass. Little has been heard of this road on the eastern side of the mountains, but the road is one over which there is a great deal of concern on the West Coast. A Christchurch business man, with extensive interests in Westland, who returned a few days ago from a trip to the West Coast, expressed amazement at the progress that had been made with the road, and at the keenness of the residents in the district round Greymouth to see it completed. Speaking yesterday of the new road, lie said that although the present road over Arthurs Pass was no doubt the most direct means of communication with the West Coast, there was the great difficulty of the Bealcy crossing, and also of the slips which continually occurred on the Otira Gorge section. No doubt the a£/ation which had been going em for a long time would ensure that the Bealey would eventually be bridged, but this would still lca\e the bad Otira section, and also the uncertain snow conditions winch existed at times on Porters Pass. The frequent labour troubles at the Lewis Pass camps had directed the minds of Canterbury people to this route, but on the West C oast side there was a very definite swing in public opinion in favour of the Amuri route. Unfortunateiv this brought about a clash of rival interests as between Reefton and Greymouth. The Lewis Pass roaci would come out at Dead Man s Valley right in the town of Reefton, and would of course also suit j Westport. On the other hand,_ the | Amuri Pass route would go direct j to Greymouth via the Kopara river ; past Lake Haupere and join the \ main Reefton road at Ngahere. 16 < miles from Greymouth. i

Conflicting Interests

"Added to the rival interests of Greymouth and Reefton, with the possibility of Westport suppoiting Reefton," he said, "one can always add the possibility of the Hokitika people showing preference for the Otira route, which would make Hokitika the first important town on • the other side accessible to traffic." The Amuri Pass roaa had been brought into immediate and prominent notice by the rapidity with which construction was being pushed on between the old Bell Hill road and the Ahaura valley. The road had been formed past Lake Haupere and Lake Ahaura, the Haupere river had been bridged, and the road was now well on its way to the steady rise toward the Amuri Pass. "In Greymouth," he continued, it is claimed that the Amuri Pass route is by far the most feasible, and colour is lent to this statement by the fact that the original railway survey for a line between the West Coast and Canterbury was made along the route this new road is now taking. The land round Kopara is very fertile, and suitable for subdivision. The famous old stations of Mallison's and Coats which, Ijave for so many years been most inaccessible through having no other communication than a bullock track have been opened up by the road. Subdivision would of course become a very much more attractive proposition for investors if the main road to Canterbury passed through this country. As it is, it is only 60 miles from Kopara to Hanmer, and it will readily be realised how much this new I'oad would mean to settlers on the other side of the mountains. "Some day there will undoubtedly be three roads to the West Coast from Canterbury, but the question for immediate consideration is which one should obtain preference in public expenditure. The West Coast people themselves

appear to have decided that Amuri j is most important and most urgent, i for they are undoubtedly concen-1 trating on this road via Lake j Haupere. They have been greatly : assisted by the closing down of the railway construction in the Buller • ; Gorge, for this has made many pub- i j lie works men available for other i i work on the Coast, and with the concentration of so much relief j labour on the Ahaura Valley road ■ | tremendous progress has been ! made. It would appear that this j rapid progress to the top of the Amuri Pass may well be the decid- , ing factor, and force the issue in j favour of that route. \ I _ ! A Decision Necessary "So many roads and railwavs ; j have in the past been influenced 'in i this or that direction according to i ; who had the greatest pull with the j I Government that it is imperative j ' that so important a work as this i ! should be decided on its merits. The j i greatest good for the greatest num-; I bcr should be the motto of the Gov- ! ! ernment, and in view of the con- j : siderations involved it would ap- j | pear that there is urgent necessity | ! for making an immediate decision j j as to which route it should be, and i | concentrating entirely 011 that route i | in the meantime. The closing down j of the unemployment camp on the i ; Lewis Pass creates an opportunity j j for_ the Government to decide; which route should be constructed ■ on this side. This naturally involves | co-ordination on this side with; those responsible for the construe- j tion on the other side. [ "The route via the Amuri Saddle j and down into Ahaura opens up > most beautiful "West Coast scenery. ; 1 and the run through the native j ■ bush past Kopara and Lake Hau- i pere is very fine. As illustrating j _ the remarkable effects of the r.ew |; road on industry, it is interesting to j - note that already a first-class saw- ! : mill has been erected close to Lake Haupere to operate on the exten- j j sive white pine areas in that dis- \ , trict. The timber is carted 23 miles . j by road to the rail at IVgahere. and ! sent on to Grcymouth for shipment lto Australian and North Island . j ports. This mill is cutting 250.000 | J : feet a month, and will play an im- I | portant part in clearing the excel- j t : lent land for settlement. Both the j ; Lewis Pass and Amuri Pass routes ; ; come out at Glen Wye station, so' ' | the entrance into North Canter- 1 j bury would be at the same point. ' ; Present and future development on c ! the West Coast will rake piace in 1 I South Westland. and this would ap- ' 1 | pear to favour either the Amuri or Otira roads." Engineer's Report The Public Works Department x engineer who mad..- the survey of , x the Lewis Pass road inspected" th<> 1 Canterbury side of the Amuri Pass I route at the end of last year, and in N a report to the department said:— * "The road route from Amuri Pass I ' would be on a grade of, say. one in j 15 for about three niiies over i ' sidling country (cross sections about ! 20 degrees to 23 degrees slope);;-; thence by easy grade* over moder-; ately easy country <eut by three different side streams) for a dislance of about seven miles down the < ! valley of the river Boyle: thence i '• by easy grades over moderate coun- j ' try down the right bank of the ! ' river Boyle to cross the river Hope I 1 about one mile above the junction i with the Boyle: thence by easy i 1 grades over moderate countr'v > i down the right bank of the river j l Hope to join the Lewis Pass road > 1 about chainage 19 miles. j t "I am of the opinion that the for- i 1 mation work on the Amuri Pass j 1 route would be more expensive a i 1 mile than that on the Lewis Pass: i route, but the bridging would be 1 > less. (If. after the Lewis Pass road ! < is constructed it is decided to have ! < a road via Amuri Pass, it will be j n advisable to branch, from the Lewis) c Pass road about 26 miles.') i 1 "The Amiiri Pass is about 400 11 feet higher than the Lewis PassU and will be subject to heavier falls £ of snow than the Lewis Pass. The '■ valley of the Doubtful river, lying • east and west, receives very little ■ sunshine in the winter time, and! t any snow that falls will remain on j the ground a longer time than ( f would be so in the case of the val-1 t, ley of the Lewis river. j j "The Lewis Pass route will pro-j , vide communication between North j c Canterbury and the Nelson Land c District (Murchison District in par- j q ticular), whereas the Amuri Pass j route will provide communication j to the Grey County, which already i has communication with Canter- j , bury by the Midland railway and j the road via Arthurs Pass." " I 1 AFFORESTATION IN WAIMARIXO j j COUNTY | 1 —* — The Government's alforestation 1 policy in the Karioi district, Wai- 1 marino county, has recently been ! 1 criticised by the local farmers, be- j ] cause of the value of the land for j agriculture and pasture. Of this i \ there is clear value, it is said, in | what has been done on many of I the adjoining properties, where j splendid crops of red clover, swedes. ; chou moellicr. peas, and rape have : been grown. The Government lias j thousands of acres available for tree planting elsewhere, and it is thought that farming claims should come first, as Karioi is nearly all 1 level, and has; two railway stalionr. j , one at cither end. The plantation j - of trees, however, have shown line ; < growth, due to excellent growing j ; conditions this year. j c