ROADS AND PARKS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29801, 18 April 1962, Page 14

ROADS AND PARKS

Criticism Of Board “The National Roads Board can do what it likes in a national park without any explanation or statement of regret. Its solemn promise means nothing, and its written undertaking is liable to be treated as a scrap of paper,’ ’’ Mr L. W. McCaskill, a member of the National Parks Authority, told the annual meeting of the NewZealand Scenery Preservation Society last evening. “Some higher authority should give a direction which will prevent the board from behaving like this. "The roads board wants to get rid of a couple of reasonable bends in the highway over Arthur's Pass by straightening the road near the Dobson monument. The proposed deviation will cut right across an area which has wonderful little mountain tarns and some of the best clumps of mountain flowers in the park, where tne Arthur's Pass National Park Board, of which I am a member, is intending to put a naturewalk. The park board has protested vigorously, and a written undertaking has been received from the roads board that the deviation will not be carried through, but the only way to be sure seems to be to send someone to camp there. "The district engineer for the Ministry of Works, speaking for the roads board, gave us a solemn undertaking that, unless our senior ranger was there to see what was going on, there would be no interference with another area we w-ished to preserve. But soon afterwards, while the ranger was in the head of the Taramakau valley. the Ministry's earth - moving equipment arrived and in a few hours a car park had taken the place of one of the most scenic areas of wildflowers in the district. “We have had neither apology nor explanation.” said Mr McCaskili